SmallvilleX: Evolution Year 2:1: Crusade
by ben10987654321
Summary: 3 months after he vanished Clark returns and the X-Men soon find themselves facing off against old and new foes alike in the search for the 3 Kryptonian Stones of Power.
1. Chapter 1

**SmallvilleX: Evolution Year 2.1**

Summary: 3 months after he vanished Clark returns and the X-Men soon find themselves facing off against old and new foes alike in the search for the 3 Kryptonian Stones of Power.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews for my first story and without further ado here is my sequel story. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 1

An image of the Professor just as he begins to speak. _**"Mutation: it is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward."**_

The image changes to a young woman with black hair. A news reporter standing outside a pair of great metal gates. On the wall next to the gate is a plaque. 'Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters'. She speaks. _**"The words of Charles Xavier spoken as an opening to the speaking tour he has been undertaking over the summer to promote understanding of the mutant race. It has been 3 months since the earth changing revelation of the existence of mutants. 3 months since the battle in New York. 3 months since the President asked us all to take time to pause and consider. However the world never pauses or stands still for long. In the last 3 months a small but vocal minority of 'human supremacists' have sprung up led in particular by a new organisation calling itself the 'Friends of Humanity'. Then on the opposite side there is the faction of mutants calling itself the 'Brotherhood of Mutants' led by the man known as Magneto whose aim is mutant supremacy. Two opposing ideologies that cannot co-exist. Does it mean war?"**_

The woman allows a deliberate pause before continuing. _**"Charles Xavier in my interview with him believed not."**_

The image switches back to the Professor. _**"Change is always difficult but is also the natural driving force of humanity. We adapt. We shape the world around us. Humanity can and will adapt to mutants and the public will see how our gifts can be a boon to benefit everyone. Those forces at the extreme are fighting against the flow of history and like other extremists who have tried to destroy what this country stands for they will fail because the American ideal is stronger and simply better than than the one they preach. In the end they must see that the only way we can reach the future we all wish for is together."**_

The image switches back to the woman. _**"Mutants and humans living together. An impossible dream?" **_she asks._** "Martha Kent did not believe so. Mrs Kent, a human, has been living at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters for many months. During the time I spent at the Institute after being invited to see the work carried out here I could see the care and affection Mrs Kent had for the students resident here and in return the respect and affection the students had for her. In her interview with me she re-expressed the views she gave to Congress about her belief in the basic goodness of the students. In essence her view was people are people be they mutant or human and as the Bible says**__** d**____**o unto others **__**as you would have them do unto you. **__**As for her husband, Jonathan Kent, sadly since his appearance at Congress Mr Kent's health has taken a **__**turn for the worse. The effort of giving his testimony having seemingly taken its toll. He is currently in a coma after a suspected stroke and it is unknown whether he will ever wake up. Moving onto the 3**__**rd**__** human living here at the Xavier Institute this had obviously had an effect on Mr and Mrs Kent's son Clark but despite this he still took the time to speak to me and let it be known how he considered it an honour to be friends with the students of the Xavier Institute."**_

A momentary pause.

"_**On a related issue there have been many queries from the local press as pertains to the figure dubbed 'The Bayville Blur'. A figure identified as the one in the blue costume with the long red coat on the tv images. A figure who before mutants were exposed had been playing the role of the local hero in the same mould as many of the other heroes that have sprung up recently particularly in New York. A figure who has not been seen since that day of the fight on the dam with the mutant criminal Cain Marko aka the Juggernaut. When I made the query of the whereabouts of the Bayville Blur to Professor Xavier he first off described the Blur as an ally...an unofficial member of the X-Men team and not one of his students and that the last time they spoke the Blur said he had to leave for awhile to take care of other business without revealing details. Professor Xavier expressed to me he raised concerns about that with the Blur but in the end he must respect the free will and choices people make but he was confident that one day the Blur would return as it is the Blur's view that it is important to use his powers to help people in any way he can."**_

Another momentary pause.

"_**3 months later and where does the world stand on the mutant issue? In the latest opinion polls a bare majority were either accepting of mutants or still waiting to see before they made up their minds. Only a minority was openly hostile towards mutants. However that minority includes powerful figures in both the military and the government. There are still many in Congress who agree with Senator Mitchell's stance that mutants need to be registered and monitored due to the danger they pose. Sources in the military describe mutants as 'living weapons' and should be treated as such. So despite Professor Xavier's many speeches and interviews over the summer it is clear there is still much he and the mutant population as a whole needs to do to cement the trust and faith of the populace at large. 3 months later the world is still watching them. This is Trish Tilby, NCBC News standing outside the Xavier Institute in Bayville handing you back over to the studio."**_

In his office Professor Charles Xavier switches off the tv. 3 months. Had it been 3 months already? This last summer had been a wearing one upon him as he used all his eloquence and persuasive power to try and in essence 'sell' mutants to the general population. Charles isn't certain he is succeeding. Those speeches he gave were always met by a small but very vocal protest usually led by this 'Friends of Humanity' group who had sprung up from nowhere and were attracting members rapidly. At this rate those small protests would soon be very large ones and then there were the stories. Mutants attacked on the streets if they dared admit the truth of themselves. People with sympathetic views attacked for having such views. Mutants kicked out of their homes, disowned by their parents as if they never had a child in the first place.

Even here in Bayville the students were not immune. They hadn't been attacked...yet but they had reported open hostility when they go out and apparently a new derogatory term for them had been created and caught on. 'Muties.'

To top off the problems there were members of both the local council and school board who were trying to get mutants banned from attending school. Charles was fighting them on the basis that it is a legal right for children to be provided with an education and that mutants according to Congress were still citizens and still entitled to the same rights as everyone else. Charles had had to go as far as hiring a lawyer to try and ensure this happened but with the new school year only a week away it as still in the balance whether he would succeed and the children would be allowed to attend Bayville High this term.

With so many items on his plate Charles had not had a chance this summer to seek out new recruits for the school. Primarily because they needed to rebuild the mansion first and essentially rebuild Cerebro while he was at it over the summer and even now was still awaiting the delivery of the last few essential parts to make Cerebro fully functional again so he could track down new students. They had even lost a couple of students in Jubilee and Rahne as the parents of the two girls had called them back home stating that they felt the school was no longer a safe environment. Considering the mansion was blown up it was hard for Charles to really argue against that opinion.

Charles sighs a little wearily and a little sadly as his gaze moves around his new office which was part of the mansion that was finished. Not bad for 3 months of solid work that he has not been here to oversee as much as he would have liked to due to his many other commitments. Still it was not bad so much had been done in that time scale after Lionel's actions resulted in the destruction of the entire building. The mansion was not entirely rebuilt quite yet but it was not far from it now.

Lionel.

Charles had been on his way to Smallville when Lionel's last 'gift' was activated. Lionel had never admitted precisely what he did to Charles directly but after a conversation with Colonel Fury about his meeting with Lionel in prison it wasn't hard to work out. Charles had been livid at Lionel's callous attempt at what was murder plain and simple.

What still confuses Charles slightly is how no-one was hurt because somehow Rogue had a precognitive flash that they were in danger.

* * *

**Flashback...**

_Rogue's gaze returns to staring out the window when suddenly she spots an orange glow beneath her on the lawn. It looks like a small fire. Rogue knows she should tell someone yet she can't move or speak. She is compelled to simply look. Then suddenly the fire erupts outward and burns in the shape of a symbol. A Kryptonian symbol she somehow knows. It is a triangle with a line coming out of the base which runs into a circle with another straight line coming out on the opposite side._

_Rogue continues to stare and the symbol reflects in her green eyes. The key in her hand glows once more and a word rises up in her mind. A word she is compelled to speak in a whisper. "Crusade."_

_Rogue blinks as an overwhelming urge rises up within her. They have to get out of here...now! She runs over to her sleeping friend and starts to shake her awake. "Kitty! Wake up!" Rogue says in a demanding voice._

"_What?" Kitty asks drowsily, not really awake._

"_We have ta go," Rogue says almost sounding desperate about it._

_Now Kitty is very confused on top of drowsy. "What?" she repeats rubbing the sleep from her eyes._

_Rogue grabs Kitty by the hand and physically drags her to a sitting-up position. "We have ta go!" she insists and pulls Kitty out of bed._

_Kitty phases meaning Rogue loses her grip on the brown haired teen dressed in her pink nightshirt and shorts. Kitty puts her hands on her hips looking decidedly miffed. "Rogue. What is like going on with you?"_

_Rogue looks extremely flustered and she now paces back and forth in extreme frustration. "We need ta leave!"_

"_Why?"_

_Rogue stops and blinks. "Ah don't know," she says sounding and looking very confused._

"_Rogue?" Kitty queries puzzled by her friend's behaviour._

"_Ah don't know," Rogue repeats. "Ah just know we need ta leave. Something...something bad is goin' ta happen," she explains while she struggles for words to express this feeling inside her._

_Kitty's brow furrows. This was weird even by the standards of the usual weirdness that goes on around here. Just then the sound of metal clicking into place drags her eyes to the window and metal plates slide into place over it._

"_What's that?" Rogue asks._

"_It's the mansion lock-down," Kitty says in reply. "But that needs someone to activate it," she says in confusion because who would do that. She steps forward and places her hand on Rogue's arm. "Hang on," she tells Rogue as she phases the two of them through the floor. Once down on the ground floor Kitty runs to the Professor's office with Rogue following. Kitty starts typing furiously at the computer they had managed to scrounge up from storage to be fitted here. "I'm locked out!" she announces in denial that anyone can lock her out._

"_**Mansion Destruct Sequence Activated."**_

"_Oh no," Kitty whispers in horror at the automated voice._

"_What?" Rogue asks._

_Kitty looks up at Rogue horror clearly written on her face. "In little over a minute this place is going up and I mean going up in like BOOM!"_

"_Ya can phase us out," Rogue points out._

_Kitty shakes her head. "There isn't time to phase you out in small numbers."_

"_Then all of us at the same time," Rogue suggests._

_Kitty shakes her head. "I can't. That's too many," she says thinking that she can't do that._

_The big **'60'** appears on the computer screen._

"_There's no choice. Ah know ya can do this Kitty," Rogue tells Kitty assuredly._

_Kitty isn't sure but she has to do something or everyone dies. Kitty activates the alarm and she and Rogue rush out into the entrance hall and hope everyone manages to get there in time._

_30 seconds pass and Kitty does a quick head countdown as everyone gathers dressed in their varying nightwear. That's everyone...she hopes. She puts her fingers in her mouth and whistles loudly. "Alright! Listen up! Long story short! The mansion self-destruct has been activated and if I don't phase us all down to the lower levels you all die so everybody make sure your touching somebody and lets do this!" Kitty orders them in a very commanding tone of voice._

_There are a plethora of questions and arguments that come back in response._

"_Shut tha hell up!" Rogue screams at them. "Let Kitty concentrate or ah'll drain tha lot of ya!" she threatens._

_Everyone shuts up gathers close together with everyone touching someone else. Kitty places her hands on a person either side of her, __closes her eyes and concentrates on trying to phase them all._

_**'20.'**_

_Kitty's brow furrows and sweat starts to bead upon it. There are just so many people she has to displace. She has never tried to do it with this many. Only ever 1 or 2._

_**'10.'**_

_Finally Kitty feels it for lack of a better term and everyone sinks slowly into the floor. They pass all the way through until they land on the floor below with a bump. Kitty has phased them down to the Cerebro room because she knows it is the most reinforced structure and its spherical shape gives it greater stability and chance of withstanding what is about to happen. Kitty then wobbles on her feet. Her eyes roll back into her head and she passes out from the effort. Storm catches her just as the explosions above begin. The whole place shakes. Pieces of metal fall from the wall. Sparks fly around as the circuitry in the walls overloads. Everyone crouches down close to the floor, holding their breath and praying the structure around them holds up._

_It does and the danger passes._

"_Kitten. You did it," Ororo tells Kitty using the affectionate nickname she has for the young woman as she brushes Kitty's chestnut brown hair off her face._

_Kitty's eyes flutter open. "What?" she croaks._

"_You did it. You saved us."_

"_I did?" Ororo nods. "Cool," Kitty remarks._

"_Are you alright?"_

"_Depends. If by alright you like mean am I exhausted and feeling a strong urge to throw-up then yes I'm Jim Dandy."_

_Ororo breaks into a grin as do a few others. Kitty has saved them all._

* * *

**Back to the present...**

It wasn't until much later that they would learn what exactly had happened. It wasn't until Charles returned from Smallville he would have a chance to talk to everyone and learn about Rogue's precognitive flash that he has never been able to find any explanation for. Nor did he have any explanation for the symbol burned into the grounds. Hank couldn't explain how it had been created and all Rogue could provide was what seemed to be the translation of the symbol. Crusade. Again something there is no explanation for as to how Rogue knows its meaning because according to her she couldn't speak the language. It was all a mystery that Rogue seemed to be at the centre of.

This summer has been hard on Rogue. She has been retreating inward, reverting to the way she was when she first arrived. Introverted. Isolated. She finally meets someone she can touch and she falls in love with him only to have him vanish and it hurt her deeply. Only Domino and Kitty could seem to get through to Rogue now and even get the tiniest positive reaction from her.

To make it worst for 3 months despite their best efforts they could find no trace of Clark anywhere. Jor-El had made sure no-one would find him. When they got to Smallville Logan could pick up Clark's scent as far as the entrance to the Kawatche Caves. Inside there was nothing as if it had been wiped cleaned.

Inside the caves was where they found Jonathan alive but unconscious. When Charles tried to read his mind to find out what happened there was nothing. Literally nothing. Jonathan's mind had also been wiped clean yet his body still lived. It was almost contradictory. Jonathan was in a coma or that is the closest applicable term to describe it and 3 months later he is still in that coma and as much as it pains Charles there seemed to be nothing he could do to his help the friend who has risked so much for and given so much to the children.

It was hurting Martha greatly which in turn was hurting Charles at seeing the pain his friend was going through but Martha showed remarkable strength through all the adversity. When she wasn't at her husband's side she was here doing what she always did helping with the children and anything else she could do. When the mansion was rebuilt enough and he invited that news crew here a couple of weeks ago to see the institute and show the world what it was for she did the interview with no objections. She was a remarkable woman with a formidable inner strength.

The summer just past Charles had to say hadn't been as bad as he might have feared. Yes there were problems with mutant/human relations but they weren't insurmountable. They could have been if Magneto had stirred up trouble and that was the most curious thing of all. Magneto had been almost deathly silent for the last 3 months and Charles couldn't explain why. Either Magneto was watching and waiting to see what happened or more likely he was planning something. Charles only wishes he knew what.

* * *

**Luthor Mansion, Smallville...**

The sun had set as Lex Luthor sits in his chair in his office in his mansion. This last summer had been an extremely busy one for him as he tried to position his company, Lexcorp, into prime position to buy up the assets of his father's now defunct corporation Luthorcorp. Lex with his refusal to save it effectively was the one to bury Luthorcorp. He only wishes he could bury his father alongside it but his father had stubbornly refused to die.

The liver disease that should have claimed his father's life by now was in, to use a term, remission. Somehow the armoured suit crated for Project Prometheus had put the disease into remission. An unexpected and unpredicted side-effect was all any doctor could come up with. Useless the lot of them.

Lex sighs.

Doctors.

His doctors were the only thing keeping Lex alive after he was poisoned. Spiked whiskey. His father's doing no doubt. Lex's doctors saved him in the only way they could which was to replace all of his blood but the poison was a persistence toxin. Lex needed regular blood transfusions just to stay alive and since he was still alive he guesses doctors aren't completely useless.

Needless to say Lex had told Lana nothing about his condition not wanting to worry her. She had her studies in Paris and he wanted her to enjoy them and fulfil her potential. For all the darkness in his life Lex could at least ensure Lana remained bright and untainted.

Then there is the whole mutant issue. Honestly between almost dying and trying to salvage what he desires from Luthorcorp mutants had been down Lex's list of priorities. That will change in time. In fact seizing Luthorcorp and all its research into mutants would aid that. Lex just has to prioritise things at the moment.

Lex's attention is suddenly drawn to his desk or more accurately to one object that sits upon his desk. A typical Newton's cradle consists of a series of identically sized metal balls suspended in a metal frame so that they are just touching each other at rest. Each ball is attached to the frame by two wires of equal length angled away from each other. This restricts the pendulums' movements to the same plane. It is a fairly common ornament people possess. What is uncommon is when the balls start to move back and forth of their own accord.

Before Lex can figure it out the wall behind him is literally blown in throwing Lex over his desk until he comes to land on the floor. He groans in pain and rolls over to look in the direction he came from. Through the dust and the darkness he spots several figures enter through the now large hole in his wall.

There is a metal man. One in a long brown trench coat with even from where he is Lex can see red on black eyes. Another in a purple and yellow trench coat with pink hair. A chalk-skinned woman with blue spiky hair in a dark blue costume with a white lightning bolt running down the middle. Another young man dressed all in black. A huge man also in a brown trench coat with long hair and slightly animalistic looking facial features. There is a young man in a flaming red and orange bodysuit with a fuel tank on his back.

Lex vaguely recognises these people as the ones who broke out the patients of Belle Reve and leading them is the one who spoke on television 3 months back. The one dressed in a black bodysuit with red body armour, a helmet and purple cape. The one who called himself Magneto.

Magneto addresses the fallen Luthor. "Don't feel it necessary to get up Mr Luthor. We'll see ourselves in," he says half in jest.

Live Wire snorts in laughter. "Yeah and we'll see ourselves out as well baldy."

"Live Wire," Magneto chastises her.

Live Wire shuts up though with a sour look upon her face. 3 months since her first one she has had many more memory flashes and she was getting closer and closer to unravelling the truth about herself. Until then she obeys orders like the good little soldier.

"Guard the door," Magneto instructs his Acolytes although this won't take long. "Watch him," he also instructs them pointing at Lex. Magneto strides over to the shelves lining the wall and holds his right hand flat out up against it using his magnetic powers to search out for the metal structure he is seeking. As he does so Lex's guards run in drawn by the noise but they are soon disabled by his Acolytes.

Magneto finds what he is looking for and concentrates his powers as he rips out the hidden safe door. He throws it across the room and strides into the room it was protecting. His eyes search through the many valuable items lining the shelves inside the room until they fall upon what he is here for. A leather bound book. A journal in matter of fact.

Magneto takes the book and departs with it back into Lex's office. He stands over Lex. "Take some advice. Don't follow in your father's footsteps and you might just be allowed to live in my new world...if I'm feeling generous." Magneto then addresses his Acolytes. "Acolytes. We depart," he instructs them.

Lex watches them leave the same way they came and vanish into the darkness. He gets to his feet and walks over to the hole. No sign. Lex's eyes narrow. Magneto just made himself an enemy today but the more immediate concern is why did Magneto take his father's journal?

A journal written in a code even Lex hasn't been able to decipher but he held onto it because what the journal contained was important...at least it was to his father and that makes it important to Lex because anything his father finds important would no doubt end up being a danger.

Now it seems somehow this Magneto must know what the journal contains and Lex hates what this means.

This means he has to go see his father.

* * *

Magneto and the Acolytes return to the transportation spheres resting where he left them. Over the summer he had taken the opportunity to review many of the files Mystique stole from Luthorcorp and amidst them he found reference to something that could potentially give him the power to fulfil his dream of a mutant dominated world.

3 ancient Stones of Power scattered and hidden across the world that would, when united as one, give someone ultimate power. Unfortunately that was about the only reference Magneto could find. It took weeks of scrutinising every line but eventually Magneto found only one other reference. An encoded finance file with a few notes attached. From that Magneto managed to gather that Lionel had spent years and millions of dollars looking for the stones and he had put all information he had managed to gather into a journal. The one now in Magneto's possession.

The fact Lionel put so much stock into these legends made it twig in Magneto's mind there could be something real to this. After all all myths have some basis in fact.

Magneto flicks through the pages and sees that Lionel's notes are written in some kind of code. Well that's not too much of an issue. He knows the perfect mutant for a task like this. A mutant who can decipher any language or crack any code. He knows this from the contacts he has made over the summer. Charles may have prevented war. That hasn't stopped their mutant brethren coming to Magneto in droves just like he knew they would.

Magneto had spent the summer beyond his reading organising them into an underground movement. Soon his army would be ready and he would need it because despite Charles' noble efforts at the enlightenment of mankind Magneto knew the truth. He knew of the persecution taking place across the world. It was just like he always said. Sooner or later humanity always returns to its base instincts of intolerance, persecution and genocide of anything that is different. War was coming. Charles only delayed it and if these stones are as powerful as the stories say they are then when the war comes victory would surely be Magneto's.

He strides forward about to enter his sphere when there are several flashes in the distance.

"Hey. They're playing my song," Live Wire comments at what she thinks are lightning strikes.

Magneto's eyes narrow and he looks in the direction that came from. That wasn't lightning. Magneto knows lightning. He can sense it and that wasn't it. Not to mention there are no storm clouds above them at the moment. In fact the sky was clear. Therefore the question becomes what was that?

* * *

**A few minutes earlier...**

"You know Chlo it's been 3 months and the general is still plotzing himself over the fact you were there at Congress," a brunette young woman says from behind the wheel of her car as it drives through the many winding roads of Smallville with wheat fields on either side.

Chloe in the passenger seat shakes her head in amusement. "That's nothing Lo. You should have seen my father's expression," she says in reply to her cousin which is not really a joke. That heart attack remark she had made at the time wasn't far off the mark as it turns out but Chloe defended her choices vigorously to her father.

Lois Lane chuckles. She had decided to drop in on her cousin for the summer and has to say it had been fun although it had been quieter than Lois thought after all of Chloe's stories about this town but apparently it had been quieter for awhile thanks to the King of the Trust Funds Lex Luthor and his mutant 'hit squad' as Chloe called them keeping order. Chloe was more of a sister to her than her actual younger sister Lucy who was...uh Lois didn't actually know where Lucy was at the moment. Lucy had done one of her teenage runaway rebellion acts again but as always Lucy would show up when she ran out of money so Lois wasn't overly concerned about it.

"I take it the General was on the phone," Chloe assumes from the fact Lois is mentioning her father, 3 star General Samuel Lane.

"Yeah he was checking up if I was getting ready to go back to university."

"Uh huh. This would be the university you got kicked out of and haven't told him about it yet."

"Slipped my mind," Lois says sounding innocent.

"For 6 months?" Chloe queries that knowingly. Knowing that Lois keeps avoiding telling her father.

"I'm a busy person," Lois says in her defence.

"Oh yeah. Those muffins won't hand themselves out," Chloe jokes in reference to the waitress job Lois currently has at the Talon which is once more under new management after Emily Dinsmore aka Emma Kern's disappearance.

"Hardy har ha Chlo," Lois says insincerely.

"Seriously though Lois we both know you're smart enough to do university so why?"

"Why didn't I put more effort in instead of drinking, smoking and hitting on that hot tutor with the cute butt that ended up with me getting thrown out?"

"Uh...yeah," Chloe says a little put off.

"I'm not sure academia is me to be honest. You...I admire you. Since you were like 5 you've been focussed on this one goal; become a reporter. Me?" Lois sighs a little sad at where her life has ended up. "I've never really had that focus. You know I've always been the big disappointment to the General."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Of course it is. We both know he wanted a son to follow in his footsteps."

"They accept women in the armed services Lois," Chloe points out.

"Oh yeah. Can you see me doing that?"

"Well it would appeal to your love of violence."

"Again hardy har ha cousin of mine."

Chloe's not joking entirely about Lois. She does enjoy violence. Wrestling, monster truck rallies, demolition derbies, etc etc, Lois loves them. "What about you? Are you still plotzing?" Chloe asks getting the subject back to where it started.

"Are you kidding? I only wish I was there but I'm not friends with any mutants...I think," Lois corrects herself at the end because how do you know a mutant when you see one.

"What do you think about mutants?" Chloe wonders.

Lois shrugs. "People are people. You don't need special powers to make you a dangerous asshole. The human race has had alcohol for the last 5000 years plus to do that."

Chloe chuckles at Lois' views. "I'm going to go with the assumption you're keeping an open mind."

Lois grins. "That wouldn't be the only part of me open if I knew some of those ones that were on tv fighting the giant robots. They were scrumptious."

Chloe scrunches her eyes shut. "Ok lay off the visual there couz. TMI."

Lois smirks. Always fun to make her cousin blush. Then there is a sudden flash of light and what looks like lightning strikes the road in front of the car forcing Lois to swerve. Two more follow up until Lois is forced to park the car in the ditch beside the road with a hard bump.

Then Lois is certain she hit her head as the 3 lightning bolts converge upon the road before shooting off into the nearby field where they seem to explode out of existence. "What was that?" Lois asks.

Chloe has seen a lot of strange stuff but this was definitely new. "I don't know," she replies.

The two cousins look at each other, undo their seat belts and get out of the car and venture into the field where part of the crops have been burned out of existence and there are still small fires about. As the approach they spot a male figure lying on the ground. "Hey!" Lois calls out.

"Lo," Chloe tries to warn her off in a hiss, unsure what they are dealing with and considering this is Smallville it could be dangerous.

Lois shrugs. "He could be hurt."

The figure stands up and turns round to face them and both Chloe and Lois' eyes widen at the sight. Ok Chloe's eyes' widen. Lois' looks the figure up and down appreciatively a few times at the naked male specimen and what a specimen Lois has to say. Chiselled physique. Perfect muscles. Drop dead gorgeous face and the _package_ to go with the whole package.

"Clark?" Chloe gasps out telling herself she should stop looking at her naked best friend but not being quite able to stop from doing so.

"Wait?" Lois queries confused. "You know him?" she asks Chloe pointing at the man.

"That's Clark. You know Clark. I've told you about him."

"Wait. He's Clark Kent?" Lois sceptically queries that because from what Chloe described of him she expected some dorky farm boy not...well not this. Of course this does explain why Chloe always seemed so hung up on him.

Chloe nods. "Um don't you have a blanket in the trunk," she suggests for covering Clark up.

"Do I have to?" Lois asks sounding disappointed.

Chloe gives Lois the patented Chloe Sullivan glare of death.

"Alright. I'm going," Lois concedes defeat as she returns to the car.

Chloe walks up to Clark who has spent all this time just looking around like he is trying to figure out his surroundings. _ 'Eyes on the face. Eyes on the face. Eyes not looking down,' _Chloe mentally repeats in her head over and over like a mantra. She cautiously places a hand on Clark's arm. "Clark?" she queries. He looks at her and she sees no recognition of her in the blue depths of his eyes. He looks puzzled...lost even. "Clark?" she tries again. "Clark you've been gone for 3 months. Where have you been?"

"I was not gone. I was being reborn," he states flatly.

"Clark what?" Chloe asks puzzled by that.

"Why do you keep calling me this Clark?" he asks her.

"That's your name. Clark Kent."

"It is not my name."

Chloe is now just completely lost by what is going on with him. At this point Lois returns and wraps a red blanket around him trying not to look disappointed that her view has been taken away. "So what's happening?" Lois asks. "And didn't you say he vanished 3 months ago?" she suddenly remembers Chloe mentioning.

"He did," Chloe confirms.

Clark is back looking around paying the 2 cousins no attention. Lois snaps her fingers in front of his face to get his attention. "Hey! You! Smallville! Eyes here!" she tells him using a nickname she just thought up on the hoof.

He looks at her, his brow furrowing into a frown of annoyance at the mouthy brunette.

"Some thing's wrong with him," Chloe feels she has to state the obvious to Lois.

"No kidding. Should he even be upright after being hit by lightning?" Lois asks.

Chloe doesn't think Clark was hit by lightning because even if he had, ignoring the fact he is practically invulnerable, it would have melted his clothes not vaporised them. Not to mention there is barely a cloud in the sky with which to generate lightning so whatever it was she and Lois saw it can't have been lightning. Chloe reaches up to Clark's face, placing a hand on each cheek and moving his head to look at her. "Do you know who am I?"

"No," he replies simply.

"I'm Chloe. Chloe Sullivan. I'm your friend."

"I do not know you."

"Is his brain out to lunch?" Lois asks rudely.

Chloe is starting to think it is. "This is my cousin Lois Lane," she introduces Lois. It gets no response from Clark and Chloe thinks on what to say or do. Then it strikes her what he said earlier. "You said Clark wasn't your name. What is your name?"

Clark's brow furrows in concentration and he opens and closes his mouth several times as he tries to grab hold of a name but all he gets is disjointed flashes of memory and nothing coherent. In the end all he can say in response is "I do not know."

"Do you remember anything?" Chloe expands the scope of her questioning.

Again there is deep thought, disjointed fragments of memory he can't quite grasp a hold of and in the end all he can come up with in response to Chloe's quesion is one small word. "No."

* * *

_Author's Note: Like the show I'm starting Clark off with what seems to be total amnesia...and the race to find the 1st stone begins. Next up; Clark returns home while Magneto tries to decipher Lionel's journal._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

With some gentle coaxing the 2 cousins manage to get Clark into the back seat of Lois' car.

"So what are we going to do with him?" Lois asks as she opens the driver's side door.

"Mrs Kent is in town checking up on Mr Kent," Chloe points out. The mansion had been wrecked so Mr Kent had ended up in intensive care at Smallville's medical centre on total life support. Mrs Kent would always visit at least once a week.

"Convenient," Lois comments at the fact they can easily drop off the obviously amnesic teen in her back seat with his mother. She gets in the car as does Chloe in the passenger's side.

Chloe buckles up and then looks back at Clark. "You ok?" she asks him since it seems the thing to ask since he has no idea about anything and she is wanting to if he is ok with everything.

"I am fine Chloe, Chloe Sullivan," he says in reply echoing how she introduced herself exactly without understanding what she was truly meaning.

Lois sniggers and Chloe hits her cousin on the arm for finding humour in this. "It's just Chloe," she tells him.

"We should depart. I have to go," he says in a faraway tone.

"Go where?" Chloe asks him.

Clark opens his mouth and then closes it again. He had this burning drive that he had to go somewhere but he could not remember where. "I cannot remember," is what he says in reply to Chloe.

"We're going to take you to see your mother ok?" Chloe asks him.

Clark looks at her blankly and says nothing.

"We'll just go with that's ok," Lois decides as she starts the car up, manages to get it out of what is only a shallow ditch and drives in the direction of Smallville Medical Centre.

* * *

A short time after they leave several metallic spheres descend from the sky and land upon the burnt patch of earth where Clark returned. Two open and Magneto steps out of one with Sabretooth stepping out of the other.

Magneto closes his eyes and senses the electromagnetic fields around him which have been massively distorted in a fashion he has never felt before.

Sabretooth is sniffing around the area looking for a scent, tracks, anything.

"Well?" Magneto asks of his hairy partner.

"Nothing," Sabretooth says as if that makes no sense. "There is no trace of anything as if it has been wiped clean of all scents and traces."

"Scout beyond this burnt patch," Magneto orders as he looks around at the small fires almost burnt out. Beyond this small patch the crops are not even scorched. It is impossible...yet his eyes see it. This is a mystery.

Sabretooth reconnoitres the surrounding area and returns. "It's the same," he reports.

"It is as if someone...some force does not wish to reveal what has transpired here," Magneto surmises not just from Sabretooth's observations. The way the EM fields have been bent and twisted is similar to something he would do to hide an area from detection. It just took him a moment to realise it as he has never felt anything like whatever was used to do this.

"So what now?" Sabretooth asks.

Magneto looks down at the journal still in his hand. "We have what we came for. Whatever this was will have to remain a mystery."

Whatever it was won't matter if the stones deliver as promised as Magneto will have the power to do anything and nothing will be able to stop him.

* * *

In the centre of Smallville Lois pulls up in front of the medical centre.

"You keep Clark company. I'll get Mrs Kent," Chloe decides and informs her cousin.

Lois watches Chloe get out and walk rapidly into the building leaving her all alone with the amnesic farm boy. "So...you in to sports?" she asks him.

"What are sports?" he asks clueless.

"Right. Amnesia. This is going to be a barrel of laughs," Lois complains because she hates silences and yet she has no-one she can really strike up a conversation with right at the moment so she decides to use Clark as a sounding board for her most often complained about issue. Her sister. "You know sometimes I think my sister Lucy has selective amnesia due to how she always seems to forget her family exists until she either gets into trouble or needs money. Last time...boy last time. That was a doozy. It went like this..."

While Lois drones on about her younger sister's many failings Chloe rapidly walks through the corridors to the intensive care unit. As she comes upon Mr Kent's room she slows down and her heart saddens at the sight of Mrs Kent hunched over Mr Kent whispering to him as he lies there hooked up to all the IVs, monitors and so on.

"Chloe?"

Chloe stops and turns round to be greeted by the sight of a chocolate skinned woman with long white hair who judging by the cups in her hands had just returned from getting some coffee. "Ms Munroe," Chloe greets her.

"What brings you here?"

"I need to see Mrs Kent. It's urgent."

Ororo was here keeping her dear friend Martha company. This last 3 months had been hellish she knows for Martha to endure but seeing the way Martha endured it showed what a remarkable inner strength the older woman had. She accompanies Chloe inside and places the cups of coffee off to the side for the moment.

Martha looks up and smiles at the sight of Chloe. "Chloe," she greets the blond teenager with a voice tinged with happiness at seeing her.

"Mrs Kent," Chloe says back and then struggles for a moment trying to think how to say this. "Mrs Kent. It's Clark."

"What about him?"

"Lois and I found him."

Martha blinks. "What?" she asks not sure she heard that correctly but with hope creeping in that one nightmare could be over.

Chloe summarises how she and Lois were driving along, the weird lightning and finding Clark in the field.

Martha is to her feet in an instant. "Where is he?"

"Outside in the car with Lois but I have to warn you he seems to have complete amnesia. He doesn't know who he is and he says he doesn't remember anything about anything."

Well that's not good but it doesn't matter to Martha as long as she has Clark back in some way. She leans down and plants a kiss on Jonathan's forehead before she leaves with Chloe and Ororo. When they get outside they find Lois and Clark out of the car and the brunette trying it seems to stop Clark leaving which ends with her grabbing the red blanket which is the only thing covering him and it stays in her hand while Clark takes a stride away.

"Oh geez," Chloe murmurs, heat coming to her cheeks at seeing this sight again while she is beside Clark's mother.

Ororo too finds she can't help herself taking a look which is just terrible of her she knows but Clark just seems to portray the perfect male specimen.

"Clark Kent!" Martha's tone rises across the parking lot.

Clark stops and turns to face her. It is the raised tone more than the name that means nothing to him that gets him to stop leaving. Martha marches up to Lois, grabs the blanket and wraps it around Clark before she wraps her arms around him in a hug, moisture in her eyes as tears of happiness threaten to fall.

Martha pulls back and looks him over as he looks at her with obvious puzzlement in his expression. "Clark honey. Do you remember me?"

"No," he says simply.

Ok that stings a little but Martha pushes past it. She has him back. That is all that matters. They can work on his memory over time. "I'm Martha Kent. I'm your mother."

"Lara Lor-Van is my mother," he states.

Lois makes the obvious observation. "I thought you didn't remember anything and huh?"

"I do not remember anything. I said this already," Clark replies like he didn't just speak.

Chloe answers the 'huh?'. "Clark is adopted. Lara is his biological mother's name."

"No offence but that's a weird ass name," Lois expresses her opinion.

Chloe wishes...she really does she could explain but she can't because Lois doesn't know the truth about Clark.

Martha ignores another stab of pain at Clark's rather blunt pronouncement that she is not his mother. "We're going to take you home Clark," she tells him.

Clark looks at the woman. He has no memory of who he is but this woman seems to know him. Logically it makes sense to go with her until he can sort out his memory problem. "I will go with you," he gives his assent.

Martha smiles in relief. For the 1st time in 3 months she has real hope for the future.

Off to the side Ororo is now on the phone. "Charles. You are probably not going to believe this," she says.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Charles listens carefully to everything Ororo is saying. "I see. We'll be there as soon as we can. The usual spot," he tells her as in the usual spot they drop Martha off when she wants to see Jonathan. It was the least Charles could do for her.

Charles ends the call and telepathically summons Logan who arrives a few minutes later. "Logan. I need you to prepare the x-jet. We have to go to Smallville."

"What's up?" Logan asks suspicious that they are going earlier than planned.

"Clark has returned to us." Charles then briefly explains what Ororo told him about how he was found.

"Just like that?" Logan queries sceptically since this is out of the blue. Logan tried everything to find that kid and came up with nothing and he just shows up as if nothing happened? That doesn't add up. In fact it is downright suspicious.

"So it seems but Hank can confirm it once we get him back here although I think answers could be short on the ground. Apparently he is suffering from total amnesia."

Logan snorts. "That's too convenient," he points out.

"Perhaps so but we'll know soon enough."

Logan guesses so as he turns to prepare the x-jet before the Professor stops him.

"Oh Logan. Could you please procure a change of clothes for Clark. When they found him his clothes had gone missing."

"You mean they found him buck naked," Logan puts his own spin on that.

"As you say. Clothes?"

"I'll pick out something for him," Logan promises as he departs.

That done the Professor summons the other person who needs to know. A few minutes later her head pops round the door, her expression as sullen as it has been every day for the last 3 months. "Ya called?" Rogue queries with little to no enthusiasm. Her voice is basically flat and her eyes are so dull and listless.

"Yes Rogue. Please come in. I have news."

Rogue frowns. What news concerns her and really why should she care? There was nothing much to care for since Clark vanished. God that still hurt so much. She has felt so empty inside since she lost him. She enters the office anyway despite the fact she doubts this will be anything interesting.

Charles clasps his hands together and places them down on his desk. "I'll simply cut to it. Clark has been found."

"What?" Rogue says, her voice a whisper. She didn't hear what she thinks she just heard right?

"Clark has been found," the Professor repeats. "And we are going to go collect him and you can come if you wish."

Hope flares up inside Rogue like a supernova. "Ya really mean it? Ya found Clark?"

"Yes Rogue."

Uncharacteristically for her Rogue runs round the Professor's desk and hugs him. "Thank ya. Thank ya. Thank ya," Rogue says and could say a hundred times more.

Charles smiles delighted by the fact he can give her such good news. He pats her on the back gently. "It's alright."

When Rogue pulls back the Professor can see everything that has been missing in her for 3 months. She is smiling and the spark is back in her eyes lighting them up. They are shining with the moisture of repressed tears of happiness the Professor is going to assume is the emotion behind them. "I have to warn you now from what Storm said Clark is suffering from amnesia. He seems not to remember anything," the Professor cautions her before she gets too excited.

That dents Rogue's happiness. "But his memories will come back right?"

"I will try but as you know I cannot use my telepathy on him. We shall have to try more traditional methods of memory recall which includes just having him home amongst familiar places, things and people. Sometimes that can help."

_'Sometimes?'_ "There's no guarantee is there?" Rogue asks fearful that she has got Clark back and yet doesn't have him back.

"I'm sorry no," Charles admits unable to lie to her.

They'll have him back though. She'll have him back and at least then there is the possibility his memory will return. Rogue will have hope where for 3 months she has had none.

* * *

On the flight to Smallville Rogue has been indulging in her nervous habit of playing with her white bangs unsure how to react when she sees Clark. Her heart told her just to run up to him, throw her arms around him and never let go except her head is reminding her that he has no memory of her and can't be certain how he'll react. Still she feels coming along was the right decision. She needs to see him in the flesh.

The x-jet lands in an isolated field outside Smallville. As Rogue disembarks she spots Chloe, Mrs Kent, Storm and a young brunette woman she doesn't know. Her heart is racing as her eyes fall upon Clark wrapped in a bright red blanket. As she draws nearer Clark's intense gaze falls upon her and she can feel him examining her from top to bottom.

Clark steps forward up to her and gently cups her cheek with his right hand. "You," he says in a whisper. "I know you," he says with a puzzled expression because he can't explain how he knows her. It is just a feeling...an overwhelming feeling that he knows this girl.

Rogue places her hands atop of his and tears threaten to fall from her eyes once more. "Yes ya do."

"How do I know you?" he asks her.

"Ya and meh...we're dating...a couple."

"You are my mate?"

Rogue blushes slightly at the bluntness of the way he phrased that. Lois giggles at it.

"Ignore the one called Lois Lane," Clark says in reaction to Lois' mirth. "She is noisy and speaks when she should remain silent."

Lois' mouth hangs open aghast at that while Chloe places her hand over her mouth and tries to cover up her laughter at the fact Clark just nailed down her cousin to a tee.

"What is your name?" Clark asks in a soft voice.

"Rogue," she tries to make him remember.

"Rogue," he repeats rolling his tongue around it.

3 months of repressed emotions threaten to overwhelm Rogue but she maintains her control even as Clark's thumb gently strokes her cheek.

By now Logan has come out of the jet and is standing behind Rogue using all his enhanced senses to determine whether this is truly Clark standing there. He sniffs the air. Smells like Space Boy certainly. That mostly earthy farmer scent that is always just a bit off human. "There's clothes in the jet for him," he announces.

At that Rogue takes Clark's hand off her face and holds it. She gently tries to lead him into the jet and he seems compliant as he lets her. Martha follows Rogue back into the jet.

Logan turns his attention to Chloe and the brunette. "Sullivan," he greets her.

"Mr Logan."

"She trustworthy?" he asks nodding his head in the direction of the brunette.

Clark had mentioned Logan was a bit paranoid. She herself doesn't know the man well enough. "This is my cousin," Chloe explains.

Lois steps forward and holds her hand out. "Name's Lois Lane. Saw you on tv. You're the one with the claws aren't you."

Logan looks at the extended hand and arches an eyebrow.

Ororo rolls her eyes. "Logan. Be nice," she tells him making a note that they need to work on his manners now that mutants are known so as to portray a friendly image although she doubts that will ever work with Logan.

Logan growls softly and takes the hand.

Lois tilts his hand over to get a good look at it. No marks. "How does that work anyway? You know the claws?"

Logan sighs, raises his other hand and pops his claws before retracting them and Lois watches the wounds close up. "Healing factor," he explains.

Ororo fills in the details. "Logan can heal from almost anything. When he extends his claws his body instantly heals the blood vessels closed preventing him bleeding to death. It also can purge his body of virtually any known toxin, drug or disease."

"That must give you incredible stamina," Chloe assumes from her basic knowledge of the human body.

Lois perks up suddenly very interested. "Really?" she queries giving Logan an obviously appreciative once over. "I'm curious. Is this something I could..._test _sometime?"

Chloe rolls her eyes at Lois' blatant attempt at flirting.

Logan grins. "Maybe next time I'm in town darlin'."

Suddenly the sound of thunder is heard in the distance and Logan catches a very unhappy look on Storm's face that would be the cause.

_'The nerve of that man!' _Ororo thinks angrily to herself and it is so not because she is jealous. She isn't. Logan's a friend. That's all. Ororo lives up to her name and storms past him into the x-jet.

Logan is clueless as to what just set Storm off there.

Lois smiles flirtatiously at him. "Well if I'm ever near Bayville or you come here again maybe we could have a drink together," she suggests.

Logan looks Lois over. Not bad. He might take her up on that offer one day. "We'll see," is all he says before he makes his way back into the x-jet.

Chloe shakes her head at her cousin as Lois lets out a small dreamy sigh. She likes that whole rugged dangerous vibe Logan was giving off. Just her type...or Lois' view of what her type is.

"You do know he is way older than you are," Chloe points out.

"Yeah but experienced men are more fun."

"No Lois. I mean waaaayyyy older. From what Clark said he has been around since the War and is like at least 90."

"Still not seeing how that is relevant," Lois replies not put off in the slightest. Quite the contrary. Just think of the techniques he must know.

Chloe clamps her hand over her eyes. Some days she wonders if she and Lois are actually related.

Martha returns after helping dress Clark to say her thanks and farewells to Chloe and Lois.

"No problem Mrs K. Happy to help," Lois says and genuinely means as sometimes she knows she comes across as blasé.

Martha smiles slightly the fact Lois sounds a little like Tabby there who also calls her Mrs K. Martha has a feeling Tabby and Lois would get along like a house on fire if they ever met. She repeats her thanks and says her farewells to the 2 cousins before she returns to the x-jet which soon departs.

Lois looks upward as the blackbird disappears over the horizon. "You know something Chlo you sure know some interesting people," she remarks to her cousin.

Chloe suppresses a laugh. _'Lo you have no idea,' _she muses in relation to Clark specifically.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Jean Grey's green eyes flutter open in the early morning light as she reacquaints herself with why she feels like she is in a warm cocoon. She smiles as her eyes fall upon the man next to her still asleep with a red visor covering his eyes. Scott Summers. Her best friend for years and then her boyfriend and after an uncharacteristic moment of impulsiveness on her part for the last 3 months her lover as well.

Jean pulls her head off his shoulder and moves to lay it on his chest. She closes her eyes and listens to his heart beating slowly away as the arm around her waist squeezes her close to him. The experience of waking up next to Scott in the morning was worth the sex education lecture they got after that night in the woods. Being able to cuddle up with the man she loved helped her cope with all the hassle they now got after being exposed as mutants. It allowed her to forget it all for short periods.

So much had happened. The mansion getting blown up for starters while she and Scott were away attempting to find Clark. They went from repairing the mansion to having to rebuild it from scratch which meant for many weeks she and Scott didn't have the opportunity to do what they are doing now as they all ended up in these tiny little cubicles really that stood in for their rooms down in the lower levels which survived the destruction of the mansion relatively intact...which they had been designed to do.

The first night back up in the mansion in her own room again was like paradise compared to that and of course it meant she could then sneak along to Scott's room, like she did last night, for some..._snuggle_ time. Sneak along because she and Scott had miraculously managed for 3 months to keep it secret the fact they were now sleeping together. It was already bad enough the teasing they got from the others. In Jean's head it would be a hundred times worse if they, especially Tabby and Bobby, found out the truth.

It was almost surreal this summer past living out openly as mutants, absorbing the prejudice that came with it while the Professor was away on a speaking tour for a lot of the time trying to 'sell' mutants to the rest of the world. Then there was that tv crew he invited in a couple of weeks ago to see the institute and to whom they all gave interviews in an effort to show how 'normal' and 'non-dangerous' mutants were.

Of course they did this while covering up what really happened to Clark and Mr Kent. The big question was that 3 months later what had happened to Clark and Mr Kent. 3 months on there were still no answers because despite the fact Clark came home last night after basically appearing out of thin air from what they were told and from what she discovered for herself when she tried to speak to him he is suffering from complete amnesia.

Still Jean could see how much hope and life had returned to Rogue and Mrs Kent that at least they had Clark back in body if not mind.

Jean was glad for Mrs Kent. She adored the older redhead as Mrs Kent, even through the turmoil of the last few months, always had time to talk if Jean needed advice on something.

Rogue...Jean has never been that close to Rogue. Rogue never wanted to be close to anyone until Clark came to the mansion and then he somehow managed to make a connection to the Goth girl that no-one else could. After both she and Rogue ended up committing the same act(ie they had sex with their respective partners) in the woods back when they were on the run and in hiding after their exposure Jean had thought that maybe it was a commonality they could build a better friendship from.

Clark vanishing destroyed that because Rogue reverted back to the way she was before Clark arrived and the look in Rogue's eyes some days when you caught her off-guard and she couldn't mask the pain...

Jean knew when Scott had been taken when the MRD stormed the mansion how much that hurt her so it wasn't like she didn't know what Rogue was going through because she did. Still that was only a few days before they rescued Scott and the others. Clark was missing for 3 months so Jean can assume it must be worse for Rogue. After all Rogue loves Clark. Jean had seen and sensed it.

Jean lets out a sad sigh at all of it.

"What's the matter?"

Jean looks up. "Did I wake you?" she asks Scott feeling a tad guilty if she did.

Scott smiles gently at the woman he loves. "No. I've been awake for a few minutes," he tells her. He was simply enjoying the peace and quiet and the feel of Jean next to him. "So what's wrong?" he asks again having heard her sigh and felt her sadness. Since that night in the woods 3 months ago Jean's moods were easier than ever for him to sense in his own mind. In fact since that night it felt like he and she were permanently linked and that he could always feel her in the back of his mind. He found it comforting to always know she was there.

Jean lowers her head back onto Scott's chest as he gently strokes her red hair. "Just thinking about all the crappy stuff we have to put up with...and I was just thinking about what Rogue must have went through these last few months," she airs her thoughts.

Yeah Scott felt for Rogue too. If he had lost Jean for 3 months he knows it would be terrible beyond description.

"In one sense it's not over for Rogue. Clark may be physically back but his mind..."

Scott knows what Jean means. They had all been there when the Professor returned with Clark last night and they all saw his blank look of non-recognition of them. Clark had total amnesia it seemed although he would utter strange remarks and then it was like he didn't even realise he said anything. What had Jor-El done to him?

That was the question no-one had an answer to. Was the amnesia another punishment or something?

Truthfully, and he knows this is a tad selfish, Scott didn't want to have to think and worry about these things. He just wanted to enjoy lying here with Jean for a few more minutes.

"I should get going," Jean says with another sad sigh as in she has to sneak out while everyone else is still asleep so she doesn't get caught.

"Yeah," Scott says with little to no enthusiasm at them having to part company.

"You know I don't want to Scott but we do have to be careful unless you want everyone to know. I think Tabby is already suspicious." It was just the way Tabby looked at Jean sometimes with this...smirk but Jean is fairly...almost completely certain Tabby doesn't known for sure because Tabby hasn't said anything and the blond bottle of fizzy energy that is Tabitha Smith is never one to hold back her teasing or her opinion.

Scott screws his eyes shut at the idea Tabby is onto them. Tabby is insufferable as is with her teasing. If Tabby found out he and Jean were lovers that would be a nightmare. Jean slides out of bed and Scott misses her instantly...although the view of her bending over to pick up her clothes almost compensates for it.

In response to that thought the pillow Jean was sleeping on rises of its own accord and smacks Scott on the face.

* * *

Tabitha Smith steps into the kitchen for breakfast, humming along to the song she is listening to on her iPod. It had been a trying 3 months especially the several weeks they spent down in the lower levels with almost zero privacy while the mansion was rebuilt. Tabby was amazed Wanda didn't kill anyone although the angry Goth with a perchance for scarlet red came close once or twice to losing it but Tabby couldn't blame the girl. Tabby herself came close to losing it herself which is why it is an utter joy to be back up in the mansion in proper rooms again.

It was pretty odd in some ways her and Wanda's friendship. The wild-child and the enraged Goth but they had one thing in common in relation in their fathers being total douchebags. Hers made her steal for him while Wanda's father, Magneto, locked her up in a mental institution because he didn't have time or something to deal with Wanda who couldn't control her emerging powers. Like Tabby said, what an total douchebag.

Now that the mansion was almost rebuilt she and Wanda shared a room as they had been sharing lessons with Beast tutoring them. All those years locked up had left Wanda far behind in her education while Tabby's time with the Brotherhood had meant she had slacked off, as Logan put it, without someone to 'encourage' her so she had been putting in these extra lessons so this year her grade is above the C she got last year.

Of course she and Wanda were not completely alone in the lessons. There was a third member of what was this little bizarre trio and that was arguably Tabby's best friend Amara. If you thought the wild-child and Goth friendship was weird trying adding an actual princess from a virtually unknown pre-industrial country into the mix. Amara even shared the same room with Tabby and Wanda.

This summer had been hard on Amara because of the fact Claire Selton aka Volcana had walked out on them needing to...and Tabby is paraphrasing here, 'find herself' after as it turns out Claire killed some of the MRD guys that attacked the mansion back at the start of the summer. It hurt Amara because she was close to Claire. In fact Tabby has had some suspicions that Amara might have been feeling something beyond friendship for the now departed fiery redhead due to how much it had seemed to hurt Amara. Mara had been moping around almost the entire summer.

Speaking of suspicions two people who had Tabby's suspicions were walking in now in the form of Scott and Jean. Tabby can't put her finger on it but there is something different about them...about the way they act around each other. Has been ever since that time they spent hiding out in the woods when the whole world it seemed wanted to lynch them. There were just secret little smiles and knowing looks and what were probably secret telepathic conversations. Not to mention Scott and Jean were just generally far more openly affectionate to each other when before, as is their nature, they were much more reserved and controlled about that kind of thing and it just made it click in Tabby's mind that something was going on. Tabby had her suspicions about precisely what but she hadn't been able to prove anything...yet.

Tabby's attention turns back to the door as Rogue enters leading Clark by the hand accompanied by Mrs Kent. A Clark dressed head to toe in black, black buttoned-up shirt and black jeans, for some reason and he still looks utterly gorgeous. Tabby lets out a mental sad sigh. If only she could get a boyfriend like that but sadly she was currently single.

Clark...and to him it still sounds wrong that that is his name but Rogue seems to call him that and from her lips it sounds nice. He hadn't yet been able to work out exactly what he feels for her but he knows for certain she is his mate and even if he can't remember it he can see why he would choose her to be his mate even under all this dark colouring she spreads over her face. He still had no remembrance of who he was or what it is he feels he is suppose to be doing so for now he has decided to remain in this place until he does remember these things. It is the only sensible thing to do.

With Clark in the room everyone goes silent unsure how to react around him. Hank, who is having his morning coffee, speaks up. "Come now. There is no need for this. Just act normally. Familiar sights and sounds can help stimulate memory," he tells them hoping that indeed will help jog Clark's memory.

Rogue sits Clark down while Martha works on making Clark his favourite breakfast. For the 2 women who both love him in different ways it was hard due to the fact Clark had little to no recall but yet at least there was hope due to the fact he is back with them.

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

Magneto continues to watch and wait as the young mutant boy he entrusted with Lionel's journal continues his work in deciphering it. The boy's name was Douglas Ramsey. He was of pretty average build and height for a 14 year old with blond hair and blue eyes. His mutant gift is, to use the technical term, Omnilingual Translation. There was no language or code he could not decipher given a few hours to study it. Magneto had hence given him the fitting name of Cypher.

Cypher was a runaway after his father joined the Friends of Humanity. He had run all the way here after using his mutant gift to trace the origin of the websites Magneto set-up. Magneto had been impressed enough to let the boy stay. As for the so-called 'Friends of Humanity' Magneto would deal with them soon enough. The fact they came into existence was no surprise to Magneto. It was inevitable humans would set-up little hate groups like that. It is their nature.

"So did you ever see Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?" Cypher suddenly asks.

"How is that relevant?"

"Indy's father's diary. You know where he wrote down every clue and lead he discovered in his search for the Holy Grail. This is essentially what is in here." Cypher swings around in the chair he is sitting in and holds out many pieces of paper upon which he has written his translation of what is in the diary.

Magneto steps forward and takes the pages and starts to skim over them.

Cypher continues. "A lot of it are stories and myths from various cultures around the world relating to the nature of the 3 stones. There is a subtle difference in what they thought there were. When some refer to power they are meaning knowledge which I guess in the right hands is power and others do mean the stones possess some kind of literal supernatural power."

"I am more interested in clues to their locations," Magneto points out trying to focus the boy on that goal.

"Right. Right. Ok that is where it gets tricky," Cypher has to confess. He grabs the journal and turns it to the relevant pages before holding it up for Magneto to see. "3 distinct groupings of text written in a language I'm going to need more time to crack."

Magneto looks at the boy through a narrowed glare.

Cypher holds his hands up. "Hey. Give me a break. The language is insanely complex. Its construction, morphology, syntax and so on leads to the conclusion it was created by beings not of this world who think in ways we can't even dream of...which is unbelievably cool," Cypher comments as he is a bit of a geek if he is being honest about himself.

Magneto can feel a headache coming. The boy was off course. "What is the purpose of this text?"

"Right. Well they were found on an Egyptian temple wall and from the other writings around them in hieroglyphics they are suppose to be cryptic puzzles leading to where the stones are hidden. The idea being that only 'The One They Were Left For' could find them...and I'm quoting the Egyptian text there."

"Do you have any leads on where the stones are yet?"

"Actually yes. While no-one has been able to decipher the language of the puzzles if you bring together other clues scattered about from other ancient civilisations you can start to narrow it down. From what is in the journal Luthor had believed he had found two of the locations. However when he searched the locations he found nothing."

"What about the 3rd location?"

"Oh he didn't have a clue where the 3rd stone was. There's practically nothing in the journal."

That means Magneto must rely on the boy to crack the language these puzzles are written in. For the moment he focusses on what they seem to know. "Where did Luthor believe the other 2 stones were?"

"An ancient temple in China according to this," Cypher says flicking the journal to the appropriate page. "However he had that searched for a month and found nothing."

Perhaps Lionel missed something Magneto muses. Perhaps he will go and look this temple over himself. "The last location?"

"Egypt...well it's modern day Libya but it was part of the Egyptian empire back when the stone was suppose to be hidden."

"How far did Lionel get?"

"Not very. He couldn't get permission so he tried a few illegal digs. However it was some discreet satellite images taken in the infra-red he managed to get from the military that perhaps show something."

"As in?"

"Well it looks like a whole temple buried by the sand. Wiped clean by the wrath of God."

That headache is returning. That's from Raiders of the Lost Ark. "Did Luthor ever manage to get in?"

"Err...no. It would require a major excavation that the then Libyan government would never allow."

"Or perhaps it would require someone who has power over sand," Magneto puts forward as a way he can excavate the site and get to this buried temple by using Sandman's gift.

"Sure. That might work."

"Good work," Magneto praises Cypher. "Get ready to depart."

"Me? Depart?" Cypher queries utterly lost.

"I will require you to translate any writings we might find. Since Luthor searched the site in China and found nothing Libya is a much better prospect as a starting point," Magneto explains.

"Look I'm as up for an adventure as the next 14 year old but Libya isn't exactly the safest place on Earth at the minute," Cypher points out. His only power is the ability to translate languages. Apart from that he is just a geeky teenager who likes video games and suffers from acne. He isn't a fighter. The only reason he is here is because he couldn't live with his mutant hating father since he is, you know, a mutant and he thought Magneto would be his best bet for staying safe.

"My Acolytes will see to your safety," Magneto assures the boy. "Get packed. Take whatever you might need. We'll be leaving as soon as possible." Magneto then turns and departs giving Cypher no room to argue. He seeks out Sabretooth to pass on the order for the Acolytes to get ready to depart.

Sabretooth grunts really uninterested one way or another in Magneto's obsession with magical rocks. "You bringing Sinister along?"

"This does not concern him."

"You don't trust him," Sabretooth states with a half-smile.

"I trust him to do what he thinks will aid him. For now our objectives happen to coincide."

"Where is he this time?" Sabretooth asks knowing Sinister is off doing something.

"He was studying the footage from the Alkali Dam collapse and said he spotted potential new recruits. If he thinks they can be useful I'll allow him to pursue it."

* * *

**The Canadian Wilderness...**

4 young men sit around a camp fire over which they are cooking a rabbit they caught to eat for breakfast. One of them has unruly long black hair holding what looks like a shillelagh in one hand. Strapped over his chest is an ammo belt but what it holds seems to be pieces of wood. His codename was...maybe still is Ramrod. Sitting next to him is a shorter boy covered in brown hair. He is the aptly named Hairbag. Next is a large muscular bald boy who ended up with the name Slab. The last young male is a strange looking boy with purple skin and hair and whose arms were out of proportion to his body. There were too long. His name is Gorgeous George.

The 4 young men use to be part of a mutant unit called Beat Squad working for Lionel Luthor's private anti-mutant security force the Mutant Response Division(MRD) headed by Colonel William Stryker based in a secret facility inside the dam at Alkali Lake until the X-Men came along and destroyed the dam and then Lionel Luthor was arrested, Stryker vanished, Luthorcorp was liquidated and the MRD disbanded...or that is what happened as far as these 4 know.

The X-Men made the offer to the 4 mutants to join them but they refused not agreeing with the X-Men's philosophy. The only one to leave their unit and join the X-Men was their 'sister' Domino. Technically they were all related in one way or another as each and every one of them had been created by Stryker as part of an experiment to attempt to breed the ultimate living weapon.

Since that day the dam was destroyed 3 months ago they had been living out in the woods where it was safer but it was starting to become tiresome.

"Ya know maybe things have calmed down by now," Gorgeous George suggests in his Australian accent about what might have happened in the intervening period since mutants were exposed. His accent comes from his foster parents. After Stryker created them as babies he dumped them off in varying orphanages until the day they became teenagers and their powers would manifest.

"Yeah," Slab says in agreement. "Maybe it's time to head back."

"Hairbag agree," the hairy mutant says in his simple way agreeing with the idea that it's time to stop hiding out in the woods.

"And if things haven't calmed down," Ramrod puts forward being the calm levelled headed de-facto leader of this little group.

Slab punches one hand into another. "Then anyone who crosses us will regret it," he says and since he was superstrong and highly resistant to injury he can back that up.

"Patrick," George says using Ramrod's real name. "We can't hide out here forever," he says sounding serious.

Ramrod knows he is right. Hiding was the easy thing to do at the time since they were hundreds of miles away from civilisation. "Alright. First thing tomorrow we start heading south towards the border," he decides.

"Or perhaps I can offer you boys an alternative."

All 4 young mutants spring to their feet at that voice and look around for its source. Hairbag makes some animal noises. "Who said that?" he asks.

"A friend," is the reply.

"Show yourself!" Ramrod demands. "Or face the consequences!" he threatens the mysterious voice that seemed intent on playing games.

Laughter echoes around. "Well now aren't you nasty boys. I'll show myself after you answer my questions. Do you want to be more than this? Do you want more than hiding out in the woods? Do you want a vital place in the future of mutantkind?"

"What if we say yes," Ramrod inquires wanting to know what they might be getting themselves into beforehand.

"Then you can join me in heralding in a glorious new future...and prove to Stryker you are not merely weapons."

"How does he know so much about us?" Gorgeous George wonders.

"I know more than you can possibly imagine. Now what is your answer?"

Ramrod's dark eyebrows furrow up as he thinks. "We will want more detail," he tells the mysterious voice.

"Of course. In time you will get answers to questions you haven't even thought of yet."

Ramrod looks at his 'brothers' who all one by one nod to say for now they will go along with this and hear whoever this was out. It was at the very least a means out of the wilderness. "We say yes!" Ramrod announces.

The 4 mutants wait and tense as there is the crunching sound of footsteps approaching and out of the undergrowth steps a tall man in a black bodysuit with a shredded looking cape hanging from it. He also has deathly white skin and glowing red pupilless eyes. "Excellent. I knew you would see wisdom in my proposal and with my help I will elevate your potential to levels you cannot dream of," he tells them.

"So who are you?" Ramrod asks.

The man grins and pointed teeth become visible. "You may call me Sinister. Mister Sinister."

* * *

**SHIELD prison facility...**

Lionel Luthor was once one of the richest, most prominent businessmen in the world until he found his company had been infiltrated by mutants who made sure he would fall. The very mutants he was developing technology to contain, investigate, and eventually replicate their powers to sell to the military as the next generation of biological weapons. On the side he was hoping to find a cure for his terminal liver disease. In the pursuit of such a cure he may have bent moral niceties and possibly technically broken a few laws with his experiments but mutants weren't humans. They were aberrations who had cost him everything and he could only hope to live long enough to make them pay. Revenge was all Lionel Luthor had left.

To be truthful Lionel was surprised to be still alive. His liver disease should have killed him by now but for whatever reason it had not yet. As he lies on the bed in his cell he contemplates the reasons why. Perhaps fate doesn't want him to step off the stage quite yet.

Lionel hears the door to the corridor on the other side of the bars open. He turns his gaze to that direction and is genuinely surprised by the sight of the son who had disowned him.

"Hello dad," Lex greets him.

Lionel gets to his feet and walks over towards the bars and his son. "So what brings you to my cosy little jail cell?" he asks with the necessary sarcasm.

"Let me jog your memory. 3 stones with mythical power hidden across the world. When united the 3 stones would grant someone unlimited power and knowledge. 3 stones you spent years and millions of dollars trying to find."

"I funded many educational digs through the Luthorcorp Foundation," Lionel says in reply trying to make it sound like he doesn't know what Lex is on about.

"Don't play games with me dad. I'm not in the mood," Lex snaps off angrily at his father's games.

"And I am? In case it escaped your attention Lex I've been charged with treason. You know what the penalty for that is?"

"The same one you tried to inflict on the mutants at Charles Xavier's Institute when you blew it up? The same one you tried to inflict on me when you poisoned my whisky?"

Lionel's face remains impassive. "Last I checked my old friend Charles was looking quite well and as for his students I found that documentary where they were interviewed on tv the other week very educational and they looked very much alive."

"10 minutes dad. I lay there for 10 minutes waiting for the paramedics. They said that dosage of poison should have killed an ordinary man but apparently I'm not ordinary."

"Of course not. You're my son."

"Piece of advice dad. Don't wound what you can't kill...and you're not the only one who needs that lesson."

"What are you on about?" Lionel asks lost.

"I was attacked at the mansion by Magneto."

"Well mutants are dangerous freaks of nature."

Lex leans forward so he can watch his father's reaction to this next bit more closely. "He took your journal."

Lionel's face twitches.

Lex smiles. "I thought that would get a reaction out of you. That journal is where you wrote down every clue in the hunt for the 3 stones. Now you couldn't find them but I'm betting with the resources and powers at his disposal Magneto can so let me ask you a question dad. Do you want him to find them first?"

"What do you want?" Lionel asks, now sounding very serious.

"I want to know whatever you remember about the clues you found to their locations."

"And what do I get in return?"

Lex turns his head to the security camera. "Open it." The lock clicks open and the bars slide back. "You get to go free...on condition."

"Condition?"

"Before I came here I had a little chat with Colonel Fury. He believes as I do if Magneto is putting so much effort into this then there must be something to the myths about the stones. Help us find them first and...you'll get a Presidential Pardon," Lex says distastefully that he is having to say this. It tastes extremely bitter but only the prospect...the hope that he could rebuild his life would make any traction with his father.

Lionel steps out of his cell next to his son. "Then on that condition I accept...assuming I get this in writing," he modifies. Lionel isn't that stupid.

Lex pulls a piece of his paper out of his pocket. "Your pardon...which will only become valid upon retrieval of the 3rd stone."

Lionel takes the paper and reads it over. It's genuine. He smiles broadly. "Well son it looks like we get to go on a father/son adventure."

Lex scowls. "Don't get too happy dad. You fail to get us to the stones 1st I'll be insisting on the electric chair. You double-cross me and you'll find out what kind of son you have truly raised," Lex warns his father.

"Times a wastin," Lionel points out in a deliberately merry tone.

Lex bangs on the door to be opened just knowing this is a bad idea but unfortunately he can't do it without his father. At least not until he gets that journal back and once he does...well Lex will be the one doing the double-cross.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thought it time to complete the circle so to speak and have Sinister pick up the 4 who will become his little group; the Nasty Boys. Isn't it nice to see the Luthors reunited? Yeah Lionel is back in the game. You just know that is going to be trouble. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The inevitable confrontation between the Luthors, SHIELD and Magneto as they fight to gain possession of the 1st stone._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**At the Institute...**

Charles rolls into the newly refurbished infirmary where Hank is going over the tests he performed on Clark from last night to try and ascertain that it really is the alien teenager that has returned to them. After the deception Jor-El attempted with using Lindsey Harrison as an avatar and claiming she was Clark's cousin they could not be too careful.

"So what do you have Henry?" Charles asks.

Hank turns from the computer he is working at to face his old friend. "So far the majority of tests indicate this is Clark."

"Majority?" Charles questions that.

"His brainwave patterns are off the baseline I established for him but then again his memory seems to be completely missing and I have no idea what has happened to him to cause that. The difference could simply be the result of whatever has transpired in the time he has been missing. Also the readings on the aura his body generates show it is much more powerful than before which indicates a possible surge in the status of his powers," Hank explains, the comparisons mostly from his memory.

"You mean he could possibly be much more powerful now than he was," Charles surmises what this means.

"The increase is beyond the slow steady increase we observed in his time here. However as I was saying the other tests show it is him. It is unquestionably his blood but I'm limited in what I can do to confirm his identity further due to how much data we lost when we were forced to abandon the mansion."

Charles nods in understanding. After mutants had been exposed by Magneto's scheming they knew the authorities would come for them so they wiped all the medical data from the computers that could be used against them.

Hank removes the small round glasses from his face. "The truth is Charles without the lost data there is no way to be 100% certain but if you want a gut feeling I think this is Clark for no other reason than the fact he seems to have some faint recognition of Rogue."

Yes that was true but Clark's mind was obviously in a disrupted state. His lack of memory along with the odd things he would say and then he would seem to not realise he said anything was clear evidence of that. One possibility Charles can think of from his experience of the human psyche is that perhaps Jor-El was attempting to alter Clark's memories and didn't quite succeed as intended leaving competing, confused and contradictory memories in Clark's mind unable to quite gel coherently. The result being the state Clark is currently in.

That's only a guess as Charles cannot read Clark's mind. Has never been able to due to the fact Clark is an alien and his mind operates in an entirely different way as if he thinks in a foreign language Charles cannot understand.

Still that leaves the question of how and why Clark has been returned now if that was the case. Surely Jor-El must know the state Clark is in so why is Clark back?

It didn't make sense to Charles...unless Jor-El had been forced to release Clark early before whatever process it was was complete which leads back to the question of why.

Why is Clark back and why now?

A sudden epiphany strikes Charles. There is possibly one person who might have an answer. The person who brought Clark to Charles' attention.

Charles thinks it might be time to give his old friend Virgil Swann a call.

* * *

**SHIELD Hellicarrier...**

Lionel has to say it is nice to be back in a suit and out of that prison uniform as he strides upon the bridge of SHIELD's flying headquarters. Not strides alone mind you. Along with his son he is getting a 4 man guard detail. They are marched along the walkway on either side of which are banks of computer and monitors. It is a command centre for SHIELD's worldwide operations. At the end stands Colonel Fury with his back to them.

"Just so you know Luthor I am not happy about this," Fury lets his displeasure be known at pulling strings to get Lionel released but it seems he had no choice after what Lex told him after the younger Luthor contacted him asking for assistance.

"Circumstances can make strange bedfellows Colonel and as I see it you have no choice. Only I know the contents of that journal," Lionel says in reply.

"You and now Magneto."

"Assuming he can crack the code I wrote it in."

"I work on a worse case scenario so lets assume he can."

Lionel notes Fury still hasn't turned to face him. "Well together with my knowledge and SHIELD's resources I'm sure we can frustrate Magneto's plans. By the way very impressive facility you have here," Lionel compliments Fury.

Fury finally turns round and fixes Lionel a cold glare with his one good eye. "Lets quit with the niceties. Give us a place to start," he says wanting Lionel to cut to it.

Lionel concedes he must give them something to go on but not everything he knows. This is currently his only leverage and he has to use it to gain maximum advantage for himself. "The most likely place Magneto will start is a place in Libya near the border with Egypt. The previous Libyan regime never gave me permission to search there so it is the most likely place that the stone, if it exists, is undisturbed."

"Co-ordinates?"

Lionel gives them and Fury orders immediate satellite surveillance of the location to get a status of the situation on the ground in that area. Libya. Of all countries it had to be one in the middle of an armed revolution.

Why is Fury going along with this? With believing any of this?

Well lets just say he has lived a long time and heard many stories about objects with mystical power. He has also seen and encountered many such objects and while sometimes they are just stories other times the power they possess can be very real and Fury will not take the risk. If the stones possess real power and Magneto gains them Fury can only see one outcome. War and he will not allow that. Essentially better safe than sorry.

"Sir?" one of the agents queries to get Fury's attention.

"What have you got?" Fury asks in return and the agent puts up the image of the main screen. Fury squints his one good eye at something shiny reflecting the sunlight. "Zoom in and enhance," he orders.

The image zooms in and what comes into focus are several metal spheres hovering above the site and coming into land. Fury knows what they are. Magneto is ahead of them. Dammit! "Get the jets ready for immediate departure! I want a strike team ready to go now!" he orders and he can only hope Magneto can't find what he is looking for in the few hours it will take SHIELD to get there.

Fury looks at the 2 Luthors. "We'll take care of this. You two will remain here," he instructs them.

Lionel smiles almost smugly. "I do not think so Colonel."

"You are not coming. I'm not risking my agents to protect you," Fury says in no uncertain terms.

Lionel slowly and deliberately folds his arms across his chest. "Colonel even if you stop Magneto and his cohorts you have no idea what you are looking for. Only I do and a possibility here is that you may end up holding Magneto off only long enough for someone to snatch the stone and then make a hasty withdrawal. In either case you require me to be there," Lionel states the situation as he sees it.

Fury almost growls in annoyance but he can't find any argument against that considering they have no time spare.

"I'll keep an eye on my father," Lex makes the promise to Fury as he stares at his father hard and cold. Lex does not trust anything his father says. This is some kind of ploy no doubt.

"I do not have time for this," Fury dismisses this little domestic. He looks to an agent on his right. "Where are the Black Widow and Hawkeye?" he asks.

"Already on the jet," is the reply.

Fury turns to his left and Maria Hill. "Hill you're in charge. I'm taking care of this personally."

Hill blinks and considers telling her commander how that is not his place but she can tell by his expression that he's going on this one so she simply salutes and accepts his order.

Fury departs with the 2 Luthors in tow.

* * *

**The Libyan desert, near the Egyptian border...**

If anyone was around to witness the spectacle what they would see is an enormous column of sand spiralling around like a tornado as it excavates a huge depression.

Over the past few hours Magneto had watched and waited patiently as Sandman slowly revealed the temple and this was not a small structure. It really did make one think of what Cypher had joked about as this being the work of God making sure this was never found...or at least not found by humans. After all God in His infinite wisdom had created mutants who He had gifted the abilities to reach this place.

The tornado slowly dissipates as Sandman reforms himself. He is bent over, hands on his knees.

"Why did you stop?" Pyro asks gesturing at the not quite fully revealed temple. Not revealed enough to see any possible points of entry.

"I'm tired," is Sandman's incredulous reply. He's been at this for hours and he doubts Pyro appreciates the concentration it requires to control the millions of particles of sand as he has been doing.

"You may take a short rest," Magneto permits. While he could simply knock a hole through the temple wall he is reluctant to do so on the premise he can't be certain of the strength of the structure. That could risk the entire temple collapsing in on itself which Magneto won't do unless he has no other alternative.

Sandman sits himself down on the sand and blows out a weary breath as the rest of the Acolytes and Cypher, playing on a hand-held games console, just continue to try and pass the time.

All of them are unaware of the forces bearing down on them as several SHIELD jets fly over the desert.

"We're 5 minutes out," the pilot informs Fury.

Fury nods and turns round in his chair to where Hawkeye, Black Widow, the 2 Luthors and a few SHIELD agents also sit. "It's almost time. Father and son will remain on this jet until I say otherwise. That clear?" he demands of the 2 Luthors.

"Perfectly Colonel," Lionel says sounding suspiciously merry at all this. Lex just gives a simple nod.

"So I have to ask," Hawkeye raises an issue. "We're flying in jets made of metal toward a guy who can literally turn these inside out from miles away. When did we have a death wish?"

Fury fixes a cold glare at Hawkeye. "Barton one of these days you will realise SHIELD is always prepared. We've known about Magneto for years and been preparing for just such a day as this. In 30 seconds every jet will fire two missiles composed entirely of non-metallic compounds. They will impact and embed into the ground in such a pattern to encircle the area. The devices inside the missiles will then activate creating a magnetic nullifying field half a mile across. As long as Magneto is kept within this area he will be rendered effectively powerless."

"Impressive," Lionel can't help but comment.

Well they'll see. The devices can certainly create a null magnetic field. Whether it will work on Magneto as advertised is only speculation. If it doesn't then this will probably be the shortest operation in SHIELD history.

The missiles are launched. Fury checks his watch. Less than 1 minute after they activate they hit Magneto and his followers. "Hawkeye. Widow. Position," Fury orders.

Hawkeye and Black Widow move to the door. When the jets enter hover mode above target they lead the assault.

"10 bucks says I nail more of them than you," Hawkeye bets Widow.

"Grow up Clint," is Natasha's cold response.

"That wasn't a no," he points out with a teasing grin.

"Why do you wish to lose money when we already know the outcome?"

"Ooh that sounds like a challenge."

"It is simply a statement of fact. We both know which of us is the superior."

"How about we raise the stakes?"

"No."

"No?"

"Because what you will suggest next is some foolish notion where the loser undergoes some humiliating task and as much as I would enjoy seeing you suffer that I have to think of SHIELD's reputation. Humiliating one of its agent would damage our image."

"Well this may surprise you but that wasn't what I was about to suggest."

"Then what were you about to suggest?"

"I win. You agree to go on a date with me."

Natasha is genuinely shocked and surprised by his proposition. "What?"

"It's time people!" Fury shouts and the door slides open in front of Hawkeye and Widow.

"Think about it!" Hawkeye shouts as he leaps out first firing his arrows off in the opening salvo.

Natasha shakes herself out of it and leaps out after him firing 'Widow's stings' as she goes. The rest of the SHIELD agents from the other jets follow the lead and the battle begins.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Rogue is in essence giving Clark a tour round the new mansion, filling him in on details, reintroducing him to everyone and talking more than she has probably ever done in her life previously but she wasn't sure what else to do to try and help jog his memory. It was difficult being with him but not being with him as the Clark she knew wasn't there in his head.

Yet the fact he seemed to recognise her on first glance back in Smallville gave her hope that his memories were still there and that she could get him back fully...and then she'll kick his ass for running off on his own to confront Jor-El.

As she leads him through the corridors they come across Kitty and Kurt whispering in a conspiratorial manner. That means they are up to something. Probably some kind of get back at the New Mutants for a prank. Truthfully Rogue really hadn't been keeping track or been interested at all in all the usual goings on around here.

As Rogue and Clark draw up to the two teenagers Rogue says, "Ah don't want ta know."

"Know vhat?" Kurt asks puzzled.

"Whatevah it is ya two are up ta."

"Us? Up to something?" Kitty queries trying to look and sound completely innocent.

Rogue arches an eyebrow and looks at them with an expression that says 'Don't try to sell that line to me'.

Kurt cracks first. "Vell zhey deserve it," he says in reference to who he and Kitty are planning to get back at.

"Read mah lips. Ah do not want ta know and if ya make meh know y'all will beh tha ones deserving it," Rogue threatens.

"But come on Rogue," Kitty pleads. "You're like usually the first to want to get back at them."

"True," Rogue has to concede. She hates all the dang pranks and practical jokes but when someone succeeds she does enjoy getting them back. Bobby alone needs to be gotten back at a hundred times over. "Howevah in case it escaped your attention ah'm a little preoccupied," she points out meaning trying to help Clark."

"Right," Kurt responds. "So Clark anyzhing come back to you yet?"

"It has not Kurt Wagner," Clark states simply.

"It's just Kurt," he says in reply, upset that his friend is in this state. There has to be some way to get Clark's memory back. "You know you took my appearance really vell just like the 1st time we met," he mentions since they were told to talk about things that had happened to see if that helped jog Clark's memory.

"Why would I take your appearance in any other fashion?" Clark asks, puzzled.

"Vell...you know," Kurt gestures at himself. "Some people zhink I'm a demon or somezhing."

"That is a preposterous notion," Clark says firmly. "What you refer to as demons are simply extra-dimensional beings who evolved in alternately resonating quantum realities with different physical laws to this universe. It is quite clear for anyone to see that your genetic structure is human with the addition of the extra gene that perpetrates your unique appearance and abilities."

Kitty, Kurt and Rogue look at Clark wide-eyed at what he just said. "What did you just say?" Kitty asks because that sounded like to her he said that demons were real.

"I said that was a preposterous notion."

"No. The other stuff."

"Other stuff? I did not say anything else Katherine Pryde. Are you certain you are in fine mental health at the moment?"

"That's a question," Rogue mumbles.

Kitty overhears her and an annoyed expression comes to Kitty's face.

Rogue can see this is not helping Clark. She decides to take him to Mrs Kent who was looking out the Kent family albums to see if any of those could help jog Clark's memory. She leads him off in the direction of Mrs Kent's room.

"Zhat vas veird," Kurt just has to express his opinion to Kitty after Clark and Rogue are gone.

"Like totally. I mean extra-dimensional beings?"

"Yeah."

"Although..."

"Although vhat?"

"Well technically those lizards in that dimension you teleport through could be considered extra-dimensional beings."

"Oh zhanks for reminding me zhose exist," Kurt says sarcastically. He still hates to think about it after they almost ate him that time when Forge was experimenting, trying to understand how Kurt's powers work.

"Sorry but I was just saying."

"Kitty sometimes I zhink you can be too smart for your own good."

Kitty isn't sure whether that is a compliment or an insult. "Anyway look take it this way. Clark said you were human even of it is crazy talk of stuff he doesn't realise he said. Take the positive."

Kurt has to say Kitty had a point. "Ok I vill. Now vhere vere ve vith getting back at zhe ozhers?"

Kitty's lips curve up into an evil grin. She has the perfect idea to get back at them. She whispers it in Kurt's ear and his face develops its own evil grin. This was going to be so good.

* * *

**The Libyan desert, near the Egyptian border...**

It took Magneto a few minutes to understand what happened. Normally he can feel his powers. It is like a constant awareness but only when he concentrates does he access them but now he felt...numb for lack of a better description. He could not grasp them. He was truly shocked and surprised and wondering what happened.

Then the SHIELD jets showed up and Magneto got a good guess at what happened. He had never expected mere humans to conceive and build a way to neutralise him. As the SHIELD agents descended from the sky his Acolytes engaged them and that battle was raging all around him as he tried to come to terms with his sudden disability.

It was chaos as the Acolytes had been taken by surprise but the surprise didn't last long and a full scale fight between them and the SHIELD agents was now taking place. Sabretooth was tearing his way through the agents. They shot at him and it of course hurt but his healing factor soon took care of the wounds and he just kept right on going. Then there is a sudden flash of light and shocking pain. Sabretooth roars and turns to find out what that was. He spots the redhead in black leather. "Widow," he snarls.

"Creed," Natasha replies in her thick Russian accent.

"Been a long time," Sabretooth comments at how much time has passed since their last encounter as they begin to circle each other.

"And it has not been kind to you."

Sabretooth chuckles. "Developing a sense of humour are we. You're going soft," he accuses her because the Widow he knew was no talk and all business.

"We'll see who is soft after I have put you down," Widow promises.

"And we'll see what your insides look like after I make you scream," Creed threatens. He so loves to hear his victims scream just before he ends their lives and with a roar he leaps at the Black Widow.

Pyro laughs manically as the SHIELD agents retreat from a wall of fire in the middle of which is an image of his face laughing manically. He got the idea off the Mummy movies where Imhotep placed his face in the sand in the first one and water in the 2nd one. _ 'Man those were good movies,' _Pyro thinks to himself. Maybe he can suggest they start having a movie night.

Pyro manages to encircle some SHIELD agents with fire. He grins. "You know what mates. I love the smell of cooked SHIELD cronies in the afternoon!"

What Pyro doesn't see is a perfectly aimed arrow heading straight to where the tube comes out of the tank on his back. The arrow slices the tube off and Pyro's flames die.

Hawkeye pulls another arrow back. "If you want some advice ditch the tank because this baby...well actions speak louder than words!" he shouts at Pyro as the end of the arrow lights up and glows with an intense heat.

Pyro's eyes widen. He can control fire. However unlike some other pyro-kinetics he is not actually fire proof. He rips the tank off his back and throws it away just as Hawkeye lets loose his arrow which impacts the tank in mid-air causing it to explode and sending Pyro flying until he crashes into the sand and rolls a few times to a stop. Hawkeye judges he won't be getting up for awhile.

Hawkeye then stiffens as he senses a presence behind him. In an instant he has rolled forward, pulled an explosive arrow out, turned round and fired it off. It impacts and explodes. Hawkeye waits for the smoke to clear...and finds a huge metal man completely unharmed coming at him. "Great," he croaks because if that doesn't even scratch this guy just what will it take to put him down.

Colossus reaches for Hawkeye who manages to dodge. This guy may be stronger and bigger but fast he is not. Neither is Hawkeye betting is he that agile. Those are his advantages until he figures out a way to take this guy down.

Elsewhere Sandman is having a good laugh at the agents trying to shoot him with guns. He means really. Bullets against a man composed of sand. "You Homo Sapiens and your guns," he says dismissively. "It is why the good Lord in His infinite wisdom created us and in His name we will smite your kind from this world!" he proclaims, his religious fervour which has been growing coming more and more to the fore. His daddy, who was a preacher would be so proud of him, he muses to himself as he sucks up the sand around him and grows to enormous proportions before turning his hands into enormous hardened spiky balls and crushes the agents whose blood stains the desert.

Ruckus blasts agents back with his voice while Gambit finds himself currently facing off against half a dozen agents. He grins. He likes those odds. He charges up several of his cards and throws them just in front of the agents. They explode and throw up a huge cloud of sand into the agents faces. With them blinded Gambit charges in, bow staff in hand, and proceeds to expertly disarm and disable his attackers but with the sound of more jets overhead Gambit knows this is just the 1st wave. As a thief he knows when the risk of a job outweighs the reward and this job is rapidly approaching that. If it was his choice the time may have come for a strategic retreat.

Back with Magneto he suddenly finds himself kicked from behind. He uses the momentum to roll forward and then back up. He spins round to be greeted by the man with the eye-patch. "Director Fury," he greets the man.

"Erik Lensherr," Fury says back. "You are under arrest."

"The mockery you call human justice does not apply to me Fury. I've seen so called human justice first hand persecute and experiment upon my kind over and over. I saw it every day in the camps. I swore to survive and never let it happen again."

"I'm not your judge Lensherr. I do not care how you justify your actions. What I am is the man who stops you."

"Then by all means try because powers or no powers I will not subject myself to the judgement of humanity." Magneto swore he would never be the weak helpless boy he was in the camps again. His powers may have been neutralised somehow but he is never helpless. A fact he proves as much to Fury's surprise he matches the Colonel in the hand to hand combat they are now engaging in.

Cypher is hiding behind a column of the partially revealed temple as nearby Live Wire zaps several men to death. Above her a jet swoops in to hover above. Live Wire sneers at it. "Hold on to your shades there junior," she tells Cypher. "The Live Wire is about to give an award winning performance."

Live Wire then pauses. Performance? Why does that strike a chord with her? Maybe it has to do with the missing memories she knows she is dealing with. The sound of the jet's engines firing up gets her focus back. She transforms into electricity and shoots upward hitting the jet. Her electric forms arcs over its surface. Inside the pilot's instruments go crazy. "Well. Well. Well. What do we have here?" Live Wire's voice emanates from all around as she possess the jet. "Missiles. Guns. Ooh pilot ejection system. Hold on there sport. We're going for a ride!" she proclaims just before she activates the eject. The pilot shoots up. Live Wire overloads every electrical system and the jet explodes. Lighting shoots clear of the explosion and she lands back near Cypher. She bends over, hands on her knees breathing heavily. Something is not right. She shouldn't be this winded so soon. She feels...off.

Live Wire looks up for the kid since Magneto put her in charge of keeping him safe. She finds him sitting on the sand with some kind of data pad that must have fallen off one of the SHIELD agents. She walks over to him and hears him murmuring softly, "1001100010101100..."

"Kid. What are you doing?"

"Everything is language. I speak every language. Therefore I am everything," Cypher states in an eerily calm tone.

Oookkkaaayyy. That even creeps Live Wire out a little.

"Systems today," Cypher continues. "They're all connected. For SHIELD everything is relayed and monitored through a single mainframe."

Live Wire looks around to spot Mags fighting eye-patch guy, Sandman is spouting off his religious nonsense as he continues to fight, Ruckus...ooh someone manages to hit in the head with a weapon putting him in the same state as Pyro. Elsewhere in this melee Gambit is holding his own, Colossus is trying to get a hold of the archer and Sabretooth is getting his ass kicked by the redhead who moves with, Live Wire will have to admit, remarkable speed and agility as she lands many blows upon Sabretooth. If it wasn't for his healing factor Live Wire reckons the big fuzzball would be down for the count by now. For the moment she and the kid are safe and she really isn't feeling up to helping out right at the moment. "I hate to bother you junior but we have a major crisis going on," she tells him interrupting whatever it is he is doing.

"I know."

Live Wire comes up behind him and gets a better look at what he is doing on this data pad thing. What she sees on the display is a diagram of a circle. "What's that?" she asks.

"A magnetic nullifying field. It neutralises Magneto's power and since electricity and magnetism are related you probably aren't feeling so hot either," Cypher deduces from what he is reading in front of him.

Live Wire fumes. Bastards! She's going to fry them! "Can you shut it down?"

"I am attempting to do so. 1001001110000. I'm sending the shut-down command...now."

Fury's fist slams into Magneto's gut before he sweeps the legs from under the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants dropping him onto his back. In the time it takes Magneto to get back up to his knees Fury has reached the point he has had enough of this and pulls out his gun and aims it at Magneto's head. "Don't make me pull the trigger cause if you do all that means is extra paperwork." That and his superiors prefer public trials so people can witness justice being done which is why he just didn't try and kill them all from the outset.

"Pull the trigger Colonel," Magneto dares him, showing no fear of any kind in his eyes. He has seen death closer than most men can imagine in their worst nightmare. It holds no fear for him. "Because if you don't you shall live to regret the one opportunity you had to end this here and now," he says as much as a vow of his intentions as he states it like a matter of fact.

Magneto has no idea how tempted Fury is to do just that but he won't. He has his orders to take Magneto back alive and he always obeys his orders. Then suddenly the gun flies out of his hand and into Magneto's.

Magneto stands up. He holds his hand out and the gun hovers above it before he takes it to pieces with his powers. They were back although he would need several minutes before they were restored fully.

_'Shit!' _Fury thinks to himself. He has no choice now for his next action because he can't let this continue beyond here. He activates his communicator. "Target my position and fire missiles immediately!" he barks the order because he has to hit Magneto before the mutant's powers are at their full strength once again.

"But sir," the voice on the other end protests at firing at their commander.

"Just do it!" Fury orders.

"Yes sir. Missiles launched."

Magneto's eyes narrow at Fury before he turns to face the missiles bearing down upon him rapidly. Magneto closes his eyes and concentrates all his power. The missiles bend around him only barely. He can feel the heat from their rocket motors but he manages to summon enough power to shift them enough to miss him. Instead they impact the temple blasting a large hole through the wall.

Fury makes a move to jump on Magneto while the man's back is turned only to be impacted by a bolt of lightning sending him tumbling off in to the sand.

Magneto turns to see Live Wire approaching with Cypher.

"Have to say bossman this is one smart kid," she finds herself having to give praise where it's due.

"Do not refer to me as bossman," Magneto tells her, annoyed at the disrespect that was seemingly edging more and more into Live Wire's tone and mannerisms.

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever," Live Wire says sounding almost snide.

Magneto may have to speak to Mastermind about this because it seems the personality Mastermind created in Live Wire needs a fine tuning. He turns to Cypher. "Now please explain to me what you did."

Cypher explains about the magnetic nullifying devices and shutting them down and in response Live Wire comments, "Can you believe that? The kid speaks computer."

Magneto must admit he did not anticipate Cypher's ability to do that. There was massive potential for him to bring down the whole electronic systems that the human governments relied upon and induce chaos in the midst of which the new mutant order could rise. The roar of more jets overhead draws Magneto's attention back to the here and now. With Fury temporarily out of the picture he could not be sure how the SHIELD agents would react and he didn't have the strength back yet to stop all of them. "Cypher. Can you take control of one of those jets?"

"Maybe," Cypher replies uncertain but thinking that he possibly could.

"Good. Take over one and have it attack the others. That should keep them busy while we enter the temple and search for the stone," he decrees.

Cypher starts muttering his 1s and 0s into the data pad as he attempts an override. After a few minutes he announces, "Got it!"

Up in the sky one SHIELD jet suddenly changes direction and fires upon another hitting it and forcing it to crash. Magneto smiles in satisfaction as the others are forced to move and dodge uncertain what is going on and unwilling to fire on one of their own jets...for now but Magneto doubts that will last.

"Way to go kiddo!" Live Wire praises him and plants a congratulatory kiss on Cypher's cheek. In response he blushes furiously. He is only 14 after all and a girl just kissed him.

"Let us go," Magneto decrees as he leads Cypher and Live Wire into the temple just as a jet crashes nearby.

Out of the wreckage of the jet that was shot down thanks to Cypher crawls the 2 Luthors cut and bruised but alive thanks to the skill of the pilot who made the crash landing. Lex is the first to his feet and makes his way up to the cockpit to check on the pilot who he finds unfortunately did not survive. "He's dead," Lex announces to his father.

"But we are not," Lionel replies focussing on his selfish desire to remain alive.

"Your compassion is overwhelming dad," Lex almost spits out in anger at his father's attitude.

"Lex I am appreciative as you are he saved our lives but his troubles are over. Ours are not," he points out to his son gesturing at the battle still going on between the Acolytes and SHIELD. Lionel then spots Magneto and 2 other mutants enter the temple. "If you want to make the pilot's death mean something I suggest we get going," Lionel says pointing at the temple.

Lex spots Magneto too and as much as he hates to admit it his father is correct. Looking around only he and his father were in a position to try and stop Magneto gaining possession of the stone assuming it exists and is here. He jumps down from the jet and tries to hide the fact that his health has begun its deterioration. He needs to have another blood transfusion within a few hours tops or the toxins within his body will build up to fatal levels courtesy of the poison his father spiked his whiskey with. "Well after you," Lex says gesturing for his father to go first so Lex can keep an eye on him.

Lionel just smiles knowing what Lex is doing and walks across the sand in the direction of the temple with his son following a few steps behind him.

Fury wakes up with a groan. Live Wire had not managed to hit him with a fatal level bolt. That had hurt though...a lot. That also could have gone better. He tries his communicator but gets no response. He pulls it out his ear and looks at it. Fried. He throws it away and pushes himself up to his feet. That is when he spots the 2 Luthors heading inside the temple.

No way in hell is he letting those two get the stone so he runs off after them having faith in his agents to handle the current situation they find themselves in.

Upon reaching the hole in the temple wall Fury quietly lowers himself down the few feet drop and assesses his surroundings. He can hear voices coming from his right and he moves off down the hallway in that direction.

Fury comes to an large doorway with large statues acting as if guarding whatever is inside. He hides behind the one on the left so as to not reveal his presence and peers round to look inside the room. Inside he spots the 2 Luthors doing what he is doing essentially and hiding behind one of many stone columns holding the roof up. At the far end of the large rectangular room is Magneto and 2 other mutants standing in front of what Fury would call an alter where one might place offerings to the Gods. Magneto is directly in Fury's line of sight so he can't see what it is that is on the alter.

"Is that it?" Live Wire asks rather acerbically at what is a small clay figure standing upon the alter.

Magneto reaches forward and picks it up. He examines it closely and on the back of the figure are symbols in the language Cypher thought was alien. That can't be a coincidence. This figure means something. He just has to figure out what.

It is then there is a low rumbling noise. The whole temple seems to shake. Dust falls from the roof.

Cypher slaps himself on his own forehead for not seeing it earlier. "Raiders of the Lost Ark!" he proclaims.

"What?" Live Wire asks.

"The opening scene. Indy takes the idol off an alter setting off a trap because he misjudges the weight when trying to swap it over with some sand."

The rumbling gets louder and Magneto can sense the boy is correct. They have set off some kind of ancient booby trap that perhaps the passage of time and age has slowed down. He turns round to depart only for the whole place to shake so violently to knock them all off their feet. The columns holding up the roof start to topple over and Magneto has to dive out of the way as one crashes to the ground where he had been moments before. Pieces of roof start to fall in and dust fills the air and he loses sight of both Live Wire and Cypher.

Fury watches on as the statue next to him rocks back and forth. As soon as the dust settles a bit and he can assess the situation he'll enter.

Amidst all the dust the 2 Luthors have managed to avoid getting hit by the falling debris. Both are coughing hard thanks to all the dust. It is then Lex spots the clay figure lying on the ground amazingly unbroken. He runs over and picks it up. He examines it closely and therefore doesn't see the fist that strikes him in the face. Lex is knocked to the ground but manages to hang onto the figure to prevent its destruction. He finds himself once again looking up at Magneto standing over him.

"That is mine," Magneto declares in a cold hard voice as he rips the figure out of Lex's hand only to find himself shoulder charged by Lionel who is determined he will get that statue. Finally after all these years he will get what is rightfully his.

As Lionel and Magneto fall to the ground from their collision the figure is dropped and hitting the ground this time breaks into pieces and that is when Lex sees that it was hollow and inside he spots it. Some kind of clear crystal like material. As his father and Magneto tussle on the ground Lex reaches for the stone and picks it up. There is a familiar looking symbol in black engraved on the stone's surface. It looks like the writing in the Kawatche caves. The stone also has a definite manufactured edge while on the other 2 edges they are rough as if broken. 3 stones united as one...literally. The rough edges are where this stone was broken off from a larger stone which was shattered into 3 pieces.

Lex looks at it and for a moment he swears the stone glows...

* * *

**At the Institute...**

In Martha's room she is sitting with Clark showing him the family photo albums, which were still packed up in the lower levels when the mansion was destroyed saving them from being lost too. Rogue is here too as they try and jog Clark's memory...with so far little to no effect it seems. It was starting to get disheartening but Martha wasn't about to give up. She endured 3 months without her son and her husband. A few more days or weeks where Clark's memory is missing is nothing. The main thing is that he's here with her again and not lost who knows where he was.

Martha turns the page and a smile comes to her face at an image of Clark and Jonathan on Clark's first day of school. They had been nervous about letting him out of their sight because of his, even then, vast strength but they couldn't keep him away from other children forever. It would raise questions. Even back then Clark was aware he was different. He was always so bright and he understood even at that age that he had to be careful around other people and not show them what he could actually do.

"Do you remember that Clark?" Martha asks him. "Do you remember what your father said to you?"

Clark looks at the photo. "He is not my father," he dismisses who Martha Kent claimed this man to be. "He is the one who tried to prevent myself being reborn."

Martha and Rogue look at each other both equally confused by what Clark is talking about.

"No Clark. He loves you. I don't know what happened in that cave but I'm sure all he was wanting to do was to save you," Martha says.

"Doesn't matter," Clark dismisses it. "Either way he is dead." A sudden urge comes back to Clark. The urge that he needs to go...to be somewhere else. "I have to go," he announces before getting to his feet and swiftly walking to the door and leaving.

Martha and Rogue are soon in pursuit of him and even running they can barely keep up with his swift broad strides. He is out the main door and walking across the grounds almost before they know it. Then suddenly he stops, drops to one knee, covering his ears and wincing in pain.

That sound. That high pitched sound. He knows that sound. It means one of the stones is no longer safe. Humans have discovered it. The disjointed fragmented memories in his head suddenly snap into a coherent whole. He remembers. He remembers who he truly is. He turns to face the direction the sound came from to the east.

"Clark?" Martha queries as her hands come to his face.

He looks at her and then at Rogue with a cold dispassionate gaze. "I am Kal-El of Krypton," he proclaims himself to be. "It is time to fulfil my destiny."

"Destiny," Martha virtually spits the word out in disgust after hearing it so many times in relation to Clark from one particular person. "That's Jor-El talking. What's he done to you?" 3 months of pent up emotion finally break out from Martha and she starts beating on Clark's chest. "I want my son back! Give me my son back!" she demands almost hysterical. Clark grabs her arms in a solid almost painfully tight grip.

"Clark?" Rogue queries, her voice trembling with emotion. He looks at her and she sees nothing of the boy she loves in his eyes.

"Clark Kent is dead," he states before he pushes Martha aside. Then from Kal-El's perspective everything slows down. Even as Martha is falling he bends his knees and summons up the power. The air seems to warp around his body and he makes a depression in the ground beneath his feet. Then he is lifting off the ground and shooting upward into the sky.

Back in real time Rogue dives to catch Martha and she just manages to do so. Within, to them, an instant they find themselves experiencing a mixture of awe, shock and horror watching Clark rocket into the sky and disappear out of sight over the horizon with a sonic boom echoing around. Clark vanishing once again out of their lives and neither can stop the fear entering their mind that perhaps this time he is leaving and never coming back. That this time they will never see the person they both love in different ways again.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark has fully embraced his Kryptonian destiny. Can his friends save him?_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**At the Institute...**

In the Professor's office Martha sits in a chair her head in her hands weighed down by the tidal wave of emotions that have been unleashed. She tried to be strong. She did but after 3 long months losing Clark again...this is close to the straw that breaks the camel's back.

"Here," a voice says as a gentle hand is placed on her shoulder.

Martha looks up to find Ororo standing there cup of herbal tea in hand. Martha manages a very weak smile. "Thank you," she says to her friend as she takes the cup with a slightly shaky hand.

"We will find him," Ororo promises her dear friend. Martha sips on the tea.

"Can we track the kid?" Logan asks.

Hank's face is rather grim on that issue. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news at this particular juncture but I looked at his radar track and when he went out of range he was travelling at Mach 7 and still accelerating not to mention he had reached the very edge of space in terms of altitude. By now he could be anywhere on earth."

Charles sits his hands cupped together. "I wonder what it was that set him off," he ponders out-loud.

Rogue, putting on a brave front that hides the boiling turmoil that are her emotions, speaks up to answer this one. "It was lahke he heard something. He covered his ears as if he was hearing something loud...painfully so."

"Did you hear anything?" the Professor asks Rogue back.

Rogue shakes her head.

"It must have been beyond the human hearing range," the Professor concludes.

There is a knock on the door.

"Come in Domino!" Charles beckons her.

Domino opens the door. "Have I mentioned how creepy that is?" the young woman with the bluish-white skin asks since Domino is not someone who holds back from expressing her opinion.

"You have mentioned it on occasion," Charles replies with a small smile.

"Anyway there's someone at the gate. Says she's here to see you."

"Did you get a name?"

"Crosby. Bridgette Crosby."

Virgil's assistant. Charles had left a message for Virgil saying it was urgent they speak. He can only assume she is here because of that. "Please let her in and show her here," Charles requests of Domino.

"Sure Doc. No problem."

"It's Professor. Not Doc."

Domino smirks. "I know," she says as in she does it deliberately just to be annoying.

Logan shakes his head. Like he said he just knew they should never have let her join.

Domino takes one moment to pat Rogue, whom she considers a little sister, on the shoulder in a reassuring manner to let Rogue know she is there for the younger girl as she has been all summer. That done she turns to go fetch their visitor.

A few minutes later Domino returns with the middle-aged brunette woman in tow.

"Ms Crosby," Charles greets her.

"Professor Xavier," Bridgette greets him back.

"Virgil?"

"He is not well at the moment I'm afraid. He requested I come in his place," she informs them and in her voice you can hear worry about Virgil's current state.

Charles gestures at a chair. "Please sit."

Bridgette does so. "Something has happened to Kal-El I assume."

"His nahme is Clark," Rogue spits out in anger. Kal-El is the name of the person who flew away from her.

"Of course. Forgive me," Bridgette requests of Rogue at seeing the passion in the young woman's eyes. "However you must realise his destiny was put into motion long before you met him."

"You don't know a thing about my son!" Martha tells the woman off fed-up to the back teeth of other people trying to dictate what Clark's destiny is.

"You're right," Bridgette says sounding contrite. "You're right. I don't. But I do know what it means to love someone whose calling is greater than your own," she adds, her gaze drifting back to Rogue.

"You and Virgil?" Charles inquiries gently.

"In a different lifetime," Bridgette phrases what it was she and Virgil had once upon a time. Now she lives to help him fulfil his calling. She gets back on topic. "I am here to help. Now tell me where is Kal-El?"

"We don't know," Charles answers.

"He flew," Rogue says in a suddenly weak tone. "He flew away." Once more Domino's hand finds itself on Rogue's shoulder giving a little squeeze. It hurt Domino to see her sister so broken up.

Bridgette's eyebrows move toward each other as she absorbs that. "So he's...he has completely embraced his Kryptonian destiny."

"Do you know what that destiny is?" Martha asks in the hope that it might hold a clue as to where Clark has gone.

"No. Only that it relates to the symbol that was burned into the grounds here."

"Crusade," Rogue repeats the meaning of the symbol.

"But what does that mean?" Ororo asks. "What kind of crusade?"

"Assuming you can even apply what we define a crusade to be," Hank modifies the thinking. "Clark's people may have had an entirely different understanding of its meaning."

"This...this is Jor-El's doing. He did something to him," Martha gives her view on what has happened. "But Clark is still in there somewhere deep down," she believes and then gives the reason why she believes that. "When we found him he recognised Rogue."

Bridgette thinks some more. "There are only two challenges to a father's will. A mother's love," she explains looking at Martha before her gaze moves onto Rogue once more. "Or the love only two hearts beating in sync can know."

"A confrontation with Clark is not something we desire," Charles tells Bridgette.

Bridgette reaches into her bag and pulls out a small square box she brought along...that Virgil told her to bring along as if he somehow knew beforehand what was going on. She opens it and inside is a black rock. "You won't have to. This is black kryptonite. If Clark is still there as you believe this is the method through which you can reach him but he will still need your belief and love to give him the strength to return to you."

"Yeah that's great," Logan says, sounding as far away from enthused as possible. "Now maybe you can conjure up just where we can find him," he says with total sarcasm.

"In the end all journeys travel full circle and we end up back where we began."

Martha understands. She knows where this began. "Smallville."

* * *

**The Libyan desert, near the Egyptian border...**

In the skies above the desert the jet Cypher managed to hack has been shot down and the other pilots look down upon the fight that is taking place between their fellow SHIELD agents and Magneto's acolytes awaiting orders whether they are to intervene or not.

Black Widow hits Sabretooth with a long concentrated blast from her bracelets. The amount of current she just blasted into the feral mutant would have killed a normal man. On Sabretooth it sends him rolling across the sand, his fur smoking before he comes to a stop on his all fours and glares at her with a growl. She looks at him coldly. She finally has enough distance between them to order this. "Agent Morse. Target the subject in front of me and fire," she instructs the pilot of the jet in best firing position.

A jet swoops in and unleashes a hail of bullets designed to shoot other aircraft down. They rip into Sabretooth's flesh causing immense damage. Widow strides over him as he bleeds out into the sand. Not enough to kill him but even Creed will require a good few hours to recover from damage that extensive. He accused her of going soft. She doubts he is thinking that now.

Hawkeye is still trying to avoid getting crushed by the large metal mutant. He rolls out of the way of another blow and unleashes another explosive tipped arrow which he knows won't put the guy down but it will buy him a few seconds.

Clint blows out a breath as the smoke dissipates and his foe remains standing. "I've got to know something," he says. "How do you manage to keep yourself so shiny looking? Some kind of special polish? You know I have some trophies back home that could do with a shine like that so how about you do a guy a favour and share your secret."

Colossus says nothing and stomps back at his opponent.

"Great. The strong silent type...not that you are my type by the way. I'm into women...not that I have anything against people who swing the other way. I don't...and I really should stop digging this hole for myself," Hawkeye says unable to believe that he got himself into it.

"Morse to Hawkeye," is the incoming call to his communicator.

"Not the best time Bobbi," he criticises her. Hawkeye is busy back dodging Colossus. He fires an arrow that delivers an electric charge. As it hits Colossus cries out and staggers back. _ 'Duh,'_ Clint suddenly thinks to himself. Metal conducts electricity. He should have remembered that. Colossus shakes it off and moves toward Hawkeye again.

"It was never the best time for you was it Clint," Bobbi Morse says sounding bitter.

"You're going to drag that up now?" he exclaims about the fact that she is his ex and they broke up and she blames him totally. Hawkeye suddenly finds himself being thrown through the air as Colossus manages to land a partial blow thanks in part to Bobbi distracting him. Clint rolls across the sand before spitting some out that got in his mouth. "Yuck. I hate sand!" he complains.

"You hate commitment too," Bobbi adds bitterly about what broke her and Clint up in her opinion. His unwillingness to commit.

Clint gets to his feet. "Bobbi the Iron Giant is trying to squash me flatter than my credit rating so was there something you wanted other than to burn my buns?"

"There's something on the radar coming in fast and I can't contact Colonel Fury."

"Well can you be more specific Bobbi? What is it? A bird? A plane?"

"I..." Bobbi's reply is cut off as twin red beams slice into her jet followed swiftly by the same twin red beams slicing into every jet in the sky. Luckily all the pilots manage to eject before the jets crash down in the desert.

This actually brings about a pause in the fighting as everyone looks and tries to figure out what just happened. Clint squints his eyes as she looks up in the sky and spots a small dark spot that is getting larger indicating something that is coming towards them very very fast. So fast it appears as nothing more than a blur.

Whatever it is collides into the ground a short distance away making the ground shake and throwing up a huge cloud of sand. When the sand clears what is revealed in a young man dressed all in black. He takes in the scene with a cold dispassionate look from his cerulean blue eyes before he takes a stride forward towards the temple.

"Hey! You! In the slimming black!" Hawkeye yells.

Kal-El looks at the archer but doesn't stop walking forward.

Hawkeye pulls one of his last few arrows out and loads up his bow. "Last warning!" he yells.

Kal-El stops. "You are no match for me," he states arrogantly. "You impugn the sanctity of the stone with your presence," he frankly insults everyone.

"Impugn?" Hawkeye queries at the use of that word. "Boy you have no idea how many puns I can reel off right now but I've been having a hectic day and I don't have the space in my schedule."

"I shall waste no more time conversing with you," Kal-El says dismissively before he sucks in a large breath.

"What are you going to do?" Hawkeye asks at the boy's actions. "Huff, puff and blow the house down?"

Kal-El then unleashes from his lips hurricane force winds that raise the desert sands into a maelstrom.

"Me and my big mouth," Hawkeye grumbles as his face is stung by the grains of sand and the visibility becomes practically zero.

* * *

Back in the temple Lex gets back to his feet as his father and Magneto continue to fight. Lex has to say he is surprised his father has lasted this long. It can be amazing what Lionel can do when he is motivated. Lex then feels something poking into his back.

"Don't even think of moving baldy," Live Wire instructs in her usual acerbic tone. "My finger is loaded and dangerous," she says in reference to her index finger she is poking into Lex's back. All it takes is a moment and she fries him with enough voltage to light a city.

Lex is unsure what this mutant is capable of but it would be foolish not to consider she can do what she threatens. Then he hears a scuffle sound and Live Wire is thrown away from him. Lex turns round to find Fury standing there.

Live Wire rolls to a stop and sneers angrily at who dared touch her. "You've just made your first and last mistake old man," she threatens darkly as she gets to her feet. "You thought that jolt I gave you before was something..." Live Wire arcs electricity between her fingers. "By the time I'm done I'll make your hair stand on end for the next million years or so."

"Your perchance for meaningless verbal threats has not changed I see Leslie Willis."

Everyone stops and looks to the doorway where Kal-El now stands. The sandstorm he had thrown up had provided ample cover for him to reach here without further bother.

Live Wire's lips curl up into a smoky smile. "Well dayum!" she proclaims. "Black is really your colour."

Kal-El looks at her dismissively. "I have no interest in your desire for fornication. I have a destiny to fulfil. I am here for the stone," he states his intentions.

Live Wire sighs. "Handsome why do we always end up fighting?" she asks disappointed that she has to fight a guy this good looking.

"There will be no fighting. You are no threat."

Live Wire frowns a little insulted by that. "Hey. I knocked you off your feet last time."

"You knocked my weak human personality off his feet. He is no more and I am now in possession of the full powers of a true Kryptonian."

"I have no idea what that means but I'm going to zap you now."

Kal-El's eyes narrow and he once more inhales. Before Live Wire can unleash her power he unleashes his as a sub-zero blast comes from his lips freezing Live Wire solid in a block of ice. He then holds his hand out in Lex's direction and the stone flies from Lex's hand into his. "Since I cannot allow you to continue to risk violating the sanctity of my heritage I am afraid you all must be eliminated," he announces and his eyes glow red. The two beams slice into the remaining columns holding what remains of the roof up which promptly starts its final and total collapse.

When the dust settles Kal-El can see that those who dare desecrate this place are buried. That will suffice he decides as he bends his knees and shoots straight up and away into the sky.

A few minutes after he leaves bright electrical energy can been seen from beneath the rubble. With a cry of rage and power Live Wire shatters her icy prison and blasts the debris off of her. She looks around and spots a red gloved hand sticking out of the rubble. Well she better help him...or should she?

Live Wire has this urge that she should leave him where he is as payback for...something. She grabs her head as pains shoots through it. Leslie Willis...what that guy called her. That's her name. She remembers that and...and...

Live Wire lets out a mental cry of frustration. It just won't quite come back to her. She hears Magneto moan and the instinct to obey and be loyal to him kicks back in and she goes and digs him out of the rubble. "You ok boss?"

Magneto hides the pain he is in and stands straight. He can't show weakness. "I am fine," he says in a firm tone.

"Is it me or was that freezing breath thing new?" she has to inquiry because when she was sent to battle that boy during the whole set-up to reveal mutants to the world she studied him as much as Magneto gave her information to study and as far as she can remember he couldn't do what he just did to her.

Magneto must confess that it is new as far as he understands Clark Kent's powers. There was also the strange words he spoke as if Clark Kent was an alternative personality and this new one has taken over. Then there was how he summoned the stone to him. Telekinesis? Possibly.

Something strange is going on with the boy. Magneto already knew this from the lies Charles has been telling on his tv interviews about Clark Kent that something had to be going on but he had not made it a priority to discover what. After this that will have to change.

"Where's the kid?" Live Wire asks looking around for Cypher. In fact she has not seen the kid since they set off that booby trap.

Magneto looks around for any sign of Cypher too but there is none. Then he can hear voices approaching...voices of SHIELD agents. He could deal with them or allow Live Wire to but with the stone taken this little escapade has now met with total failure. There is no longer any reason to continue this confrontation. In fact since Fury is buried somewhere under all this it is in fact the perfect time to depart. He begins to float up off the floor to head out through the destroyed roof.

"We leaving?" Live Wire queries.

"Yes."

"What about the kid?"

Cypher's powers would be useful but he already translated most of the journal. Magneto can finish it himself or find and coerce someone else to do so. "There is no time," he tells Live Wire as there is no time to try and find Cypher in his opinion without having to continue this fight with SHIELD which Magneto has lost all interest in. He soars upward ordering Live Wire to follow him.

Live Wire isn't really one for caring much about others but even to her this seems a heartless act. However Mags is the boss. His word is her order...at least until she gets her memory back. Then Live Wire...then Leslie she recalls her name to be...then all bets are off that day. She transforms into her lightning form and rockets into the sky after Magneto.

Shortly after they leave several SHIELD agents enter looking for Colonel Fury. They call out his name and some rubble shifts. They rush over and start to shift the stonework...to reveal Lionel Luthor still alive but in bad looking shape.

"Colonel!" one agent shouts hoping to get a response and therefore Fury's location.

"I'm here," a haggard looking Fury responds as he emerges from the shadows at the edge of the room having managed to avoid being hit by the falling stonework.

In the meantime his agents have also managed to dig Lex out who you could count as walking wounded. He has a bleeding cut on his head but somehow managed to not be too badly hurt.

Fury mentally snorts. Of course those two would survive. Then again he still needs Lionel for whatever information he can extract and after this débâcle Fury is going to get every answer he wants out of Lionel or so help him...

"Help me," a weak voice calls out from some place nearby. Fury's head snaps round to where it came from. He calls his agents over and they start digging until they find a blond haired boy quite badly injured.

"Call in an emergency evac," Fury orders since they were done here. Although he was not done with this situation. He knows who that boy is. He's one of Xavier's. He's the one who use to go out and play hero as the 'Bayville Blur'. Well once they get back to the States Fury intends to be paying a visit to that school and have a _talk_ with that kid.

* * *

Outside the temple Magneto finds the air filled with sand which is only just beginning to settle. He reaches out with his powers and disarms every SHIELD agent and then turns their weapons round to point at them. "This battle is over!" he pronounces. "Let us leave and you won't be harmed," he tells them. He cares little for their lives but killing them would only anger SHIELD further and he is not ready for a full scale war just yet.

"I think not," Widow declares aiming her bracelets at him. Live Wire materialises in front of her and holds her hand out. Electrical energy surges out of Widow's bracelets into Live Wire. "Hmm. Thanks for the pick-me up doll," she says having absorbed the entire charge of the bracelets. "Piece of advice honey. Don't try to use electrical devices against the Mistress of Electricity." Live Wire grins crookedly. "Ooh Mistress of Electricity," she repeats what she just called herself with an amused cackle. "I like that one. I'll have to remember it but in short I eat electricity for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

"I'll remember that," Widow promises for next time as she lowers her arms. This fight is lost. She can see that but next time...

"Colossus retrieve Sabretooth!" Magneto orders at the sight of the shot-up mutant. "Gambit get Pyro. Sandman get Ruckus. We are leaving," he decrees as he summons the transportation spheres to him.

The aforementioned mutants retrieve their colleagues and place them in the spheres before they, Live Wire and Magneto step in their spheres and they soar off into the sky and out of sight.

"Well that was a complete bust," Hawkeye complains, angry at how badly this has gone.

"Tell me something I don't know," Fury says as he appears out of the thin layer of sand still blowing around. His face is grim at what he perceives as a total failure.

"Who's the kid?" Hawkeye asks at the sight of the boy being carried on a makeshift stretcher by a couple of SHIELD agents.

"I guess he is what Magneto calls collateral damage."

Black Widow moves next to the boy and brushes some blond hair caked with blood off his face. "Magneto left him behind," she assumes.

"Maybe when he is awake we'll get some intel. Evac is en route," Fury informs them. He turns back to look at the now half-collapsed temple. He'll need every inch of that examined. Maybe there are inscriptions inside or something. They'll see. He sees Lionel getting carried out of the temple and his son limping out. Fury guesses he'll have to put up with those 2 problems for awhile longer yet.

Hawkeye sits himself down on the sand. Until the evac jets got here there was little else to do except rest and lament this disaster. To his mild surprise Natasha sits down next to him which gets a not so friendly glare out of the blond woman standing nearby that is his ex Bobbi Morse. "So I have got to know. Who won the bet?" he asks about his bet of getting a date out of her.

"It was a tie," Natasha replies. He took down Pyro. She took down Sabretooth.

"Oh I have to disagree there. Bobbi was the one who downed Sabretooth." he argues not letting her get away with that.

"I never agreed to the bet Clint."

"You never said no either."

"I also have no interest in getting involved in your issues with Agent Morse."

"Bobbi has the issues about letting go. Not me...and you still haven't said no."

"No."

"Is that a no I agree I haven't said no or no I'm not upholding the bet?"

Natasha smiles. "No."

"You're doing this on purpose," Clint complains at her infuriating refusal to be specific.

Natasha smiles wider. "No."

Clint throws his arms up. "I hate you!"

"No," Natasha repeats almost laughing...well laughing on the inside. No-one could tell by looking at her.

* * *

**Smallville...**

The x-jet is parked as close as they could risk it to the Kawatche caves but still within the woods where they could camouflage it. In Clark's case that is no guarantee he won't spot it but here the X-Men wait eyes glued to the radar.

A blip appears on the outer edge of the scope.

"Is that him?" Kitty asks.

Beast peers closely at its profile comparing it to the one that was picked up at the mansion when Clark departed. "The size and shape correspond to Clark," Beast confirms.

"How fast is he moving?" Scott wonders.

"I believe he may be taking it easy. His velocity is less than when he departed the mansion. Mach 3...and slowing as he approaches. We only have a few minutes though."

Charles looks to the two people who insisted on going in first and amongst the many arguments against that they pointed out that if too many go to confront Clark they risk spooking him and they can't be certain how he'll react in the state he is currently in. Charles had to concede they had a point. However Charles is extremely uncomfortable with this. "Martha. Rogue," he addresses them. "You must go now. The X-Men will follow at a safe distance."

Martha and Rogue nod and steel themselves for what is about to follow as they disembark the x-jet and hurriedly head towards the caves. Neither of them were going to be dissuaded from taking the risk of this if there is any chance of getting Clark back.

"Just to put it on record I am not happy about this," Logan expresses his view on this plan. He liked Space Boy as much as he likes anyone but with Clark's mind wired up who knows what way they were taking a great risk with Martha's and Rogue's lives.

"I agree," Charles replies. "You should go now. That is enough distance."

Scott nods, slips into his leader mode and orders the X-Men off the jet and on the trail of Martha and Rogue. If it doesn't go to plan they are the back-up. Scott really hopes this goes to plan because a fight with Clark is essentially the last thing he wants but if it comes to it that is what the lead box he is holding is for with the green variety of kryptonite within.

* * *

Kal-El lands outside the caves with a thud. He glances down at the stone in his hand. 1 stone. One third on the way to the destiny his father set in motion long ago. He strides purposefully inside and comes to the slot on the wall for the key. He raises his right hand and within his palm a light seems to glow under his skin. He places his hand on top of the slot and the energy activates the slot. Symbols light up around the slot. He touches them in the correct sequence and the cave wall opens to reveal a hidden alcove. He walks through the narrow opening into a larger space in the middle of which stands a pedestal covered in Kryptonian writing. In the centre of the top of the pedestal is a depression in the shape of a shield. Inside the depression are 3 symbols carved. One for air, one for fire, one for water. The 3 elements.

Kal-El looks down at the crystal. Inscribed on it is the symbol for fire. He places it in the place marked for it. He then looks up. "I have done as required," he says. "I have retrieved the stone from the humans."

"You have done well my son," Jor-El praises him.

"Thank you father."

"The other two must be retrieved before the humans find them. The knowledge of their locations I have already placed in your mind."

"Yes father...but why are the locations in the forms of puzzles?" he queries at the information he can see in his mind. It is not simply his father telling him where they are. They are puzzles to be solved.

"A test. You must solve them and prove you are worthy."

"I understand," he says. A Kryptonian only becomes of age once he has overcome many trials. Kal-El thinks about his next move. He requires more information to solve these puzzles. They refer to obscure aspects of human history and mythology. He must do research. He turns and departs. Upon leaving the opening he watches as it closes up behind him.

Kal-El then turns to find himself confronted by two people. "You should not have come here Martha Kent. Nor should have you Anna Marie D'Ancanto."

Rogue blinks momentarily caught off guard because she can't remember ever revealing her surname to Clark. The surname of the woman who adopted her, whom Rogue can barely remember, and then left her with Irene.

Kal-El decides he does not have time for this. They are obviously hanging on to the foolish belief that they can somehow reach Clark Kent. Human emotions. Utterly irrational and baffling. If they behaved logically they would not have come here. He just does not understand their thinking. Unconcerned by them and in the arrogant belief they pose no threat to him he strides forward right at them away to push past them when Martha opens the box in her hand and slams a black rock into his chest.

Kal-El freezes as a surge of energy wells up inside him and he can feel his mind start to divide. He looks at Martha in disbelief and bewilderment, unable to comprehend what she has done.

"Clark," Martha hopes to reach her son. "If you're still in there...I love you."

"We love ya," Rogue adds.

Kal-El staggers back and a strange purplish black energy surrounds him. He starts to convulse and look like he is having a seizure. Then from Martha's and Rogue's point of view it is like he starts to go...blurry around the edges.

There is flash of energy. His shirt vanishes and then there appears to be two of him trying to occupy the same space. The two versions of him phase through each other groaning and struggling against the other. One of them cries out in denial of the situation. One of them calls out to Martha and Rogue but all they can do is look on helpless and uncertain as to what is happening.

Then the two Clarks become more distinct from each other. One has the figure of 8 within the shield scar on his chest while the other is smoothed skin. The scarred Clark backhands the other and then grabs him by the throat with his right hand.

What Martha and Rogue see is almost two separate people except for their legs which aren't quite separated.

The scarred Clark chokes the other bending him back. "Your humanity has made you weak," he proclaims with an air of arrogant superiority as to why he is winning this struggle for control. This is Kal-El.

"Clark!" Martha screams and he looks at her and Rogue while he tries and fails to pry the hand from his throat but his other is too powerful. More powerful than him.

"Clark!" Rogue shouts. "Fight him!" she pleads. "He's wrong. Your humanity is what makes ya strong. Please. Come back ta meh!"

"What in zhe world!" a German accented voice exclaims as the X-Men arrive to find the two Clarks at each other's throats. There are other exclaimed terms from other X-Men. They all just look on in total astonishment at the sight before them having never seen anything like this and unsure what to do or how to react to this situation. It wasn't like they had ever conceived a plan for the sight in front of them.

Clark's eyes narrow and he turns his gaze back to his other and pries the hand away from his throat slowly. For Rogue...for his parents...for his friends he'll find the strength to beat his other half.

Kal-El grits his teeth. "You can't win. This world needs me. Not you."

"Jor-El's wrong," Clark states as he straightens back up. "You can't see it for you are only his puppet."

Clark and Kal-El reach a nose to nose position. "Even if you win I am always inside you. I always was. I am Kal-El of Krypton. I am who you would have been if our world was never destroyed," Kal-El says.

"No. You're not," Clark states simply. He holds his hand out towards the others. "Mom! The rock!"

Rogue gets it, takes the rock from Martha and throws it to Clark who then plunges it into Kal-El's chest. Kal-El cries out in pain as the purplish-black energy consumes more and more of his form. There is a bright flash which throws Martha and Rogue back and they collide into the other X-Men and they all promptly fall down into one large heap.

"Kurt!" Kitty yells. "That better not be your tail down my shirt!" she warns him.

"Actually that's me," Jean says somewhat embarrassed as she pulls her hand back.

"Dude you weigh a ton!" Evan complains at Scott who is on top of him as he tries to push Scott off of him.

The X-Men try to untangle themselves with complaints a plenty about hands touching inappropriate places.

"You alright darling?" Logan asks from his position atop of Storm where he is right on top of her his face mere inches from her.

Ororo can feel heat flush her from the feeling of Logan's warm body atop of hers. It had been a long time since any man was in this position. "I-I'm fine Logan," she assures him with an all too obvious nervous stutter as Logan rolls off of her.

Rogue manages to untangle herself from Kurt whom she had landed on and spots Clark lying shirtless on the ground not moving. She runs over to him and kneels down beside him. His body is covered in a sheen of sweat. She gently touches his head as if unsure what to expect. Mrs Kent soon joins her.

Clark starts to stir.

"Clark?" Rogue queries hopefully.

Martha and Rogue roll Clark over onto his back. "Clark?" Martha is the one that now queries.

Clark's eyes flutter open and they focus in on Rogue first. His hand reaches up and gently cups her cheek. "Hey you," he says softly.

Tears sting Rogue's eyes as looking into the soft gaze of his eyes she can see the familiarity with which he now looks at her. It's him. Rogue just knows it is. "Hey yourself," she says back.

"Miss me?" he queries with a small tried looking mischievous grin that Rogue knows only belongs to Clark.

Rogue laughs. "In your dreams Wonder Boy," she snaps off her usual sassy retort.

Clark pouts for a moment before turning his focus on his mother. "Mom."

Martha bursts out into happy tears. "Clark. Is it...?"

"It's me," he promises her. "I'm back."

Hank appears next to the small group. He kneels down and looks Clark over. "How are you feeling Clark?"

"Tired," is the reply.

Hank smiles, happy that amazingly this plan has seem to gone off exactly as they hoped...which could be a first for them. Though they need to get Clark back to the jet where Hank can do a more thorough evaluation of the alien teenager. "Logan!" he shouts needing Logan to help pull Clark up as due to Clark's dense structure he is not light.

Logan and Hank pull Clark to his feet and support his weight. Clark looks at his assembled friends. "Hi guys!" he greets them with a small wave. "So did anything interesting happen while I was gone?" he asks with a lopsided grin.

Everyone bursts out laughing. As the noise calms down the sound of a phone ringing can be heard. It's Martha's and she pulls it out her pocket and answers it. As she does so the colour in her face visibly drains before their eyes. Ororo is over to her friend in an instant. "Martha. What is it?"

Martha looks at Ororo, her expression one of complete disbelief. "It-it's Jonathan. He's awake."

* * *

**Smallville Medical Centre...**

It was a miracle. That is the only thing the doctors could say. Jonathan Kent had no measurable brain activity and had had none since he had been brought in 3 months ago and then suddenly he is awake and in full possession of his faculties as if nothing had ever been wrong with him. There was still the issue of his damaged heart but that was still manageable with medication.

Martha and Clark knew it could not be a coincidence. Jonathan woke up at the exact same moment Clark was freed from Jor-El's control. How the two events were connected is anyone's guess. It is most likely they will never get a full explanation.

After the doctors had given Jonathan the ok to leave he and Martha had been catching up for 3 lost months. In other words they were sitting on Jonathan's hospital bed and making out like teenagers.

Clark knocks on the door looking a little embarrassed and sorry he has to interrupt him. Since they left the cave Clark had been found a white t-shirt and a pair of his trademark glasses was back perched on his nose. He pushes them back up his nose with his thumb. "So...uh ready to go?" he asks.

"Well since the doctors said your father is a walking breathing miracle that would be a yes," Jonathan says.

Martha smiles at her husband, places her hands on his cheeks and kisses him again full on the lips indescribably happy to have him back.

"It seems thanks to you I'm back," Jonathan says to Clark since Martha had more or less caught Jonathan up on events involving Clark breaking free of Jor-El and his awakening.

"The real heroes are mom and Rogue," Clark deflects the praise off himself feeling he doesn't deserve it. "If it wasn't for them I would still be Kal-El."

Jonathan takes a moment to absorb that. "Son. Do you remember anything that happened after you got pulled into that wall?"

"I can just remember the last couple of days...and even that's jumbled." Clark pauses as disjointed images, Jor-El's voice and lines of Kryptonian script flash in front of his eyes. "It's...I think it's all in here," he continues tapping on his head. "I...need time," he requests. Time to try and sort it out.

"Clark when you were fighting Kal-El you said some things about him being a puppet?" Martha inquires confused by that.

Clark's eyes dart back and forth. "I can remember saying it and when I did I understood what I meant but now..." he shakes his head as he can't quite grasp it.

Martha reaches over and places her hand on her son's arm. "You take as long as you need to," she tells him as in not to push it and take whatever time he needs to sort it out and that she and Jonathan will be there for him.

"I'm not sure we have that long. Jor-El let me out early...before he was finished with me. I know that for certain. There is something important I have to do and the fate of the world rests on me completing it but I can't remember what it is."

Martha and Jonathan share a worried look about what Jor-El has done to Clark in the last 3 months and whether there will be lasting ramifications for their son. "It'll come back to you son," Jonathan says trying to assuage Clark's concerns. He changes topics to something else Martha mentioned. "So your mother says you can fly now?"

Clark smiles in a small self-deprecating manner. "Kal-El can fly. Clark Kent needs to practice a bit more," he replies as in he can't remember for the life of him how Kal-El did it.

"How did that feel?"

"Amazing," Clark says and it was. He can remember enough about how it felt to say it was the most amazing experience of his life. However it was also something else. "And scary. If I can do that then what is left that I can't do. Maybe I can do anything."

"You can," Martha assures him.

"That's you mom because I don't know if I could have gone through what you did for 3 months with me missing and not knowing if dad would ever recover."

"I didn't do that alone Clark," Martha points out. "I had friends to fall back on." For which Martha is eternally grateful because she isn't sure she could have endured it alone.

"Like how much longer are they going to be?" a voice echoes down the corridor and into the room. Kitty's voice sound a little impatient.

All 3 Kents smile. "Speaking of friends," Martha says.

"There are some people here to see you," Clark fills in the rest.

Jonathan smiles at the thought of seeing the children again. "Well then. Lets not keep them waiting."

Jonathan hops off the bed and helps Martha down before they exit the room and at the far end of the corridor, now dressed in their civilian clothes, are the students along with Logan, Ororo, Charles and Hank. It had been decided to give the Kents some privacy first to allow them to restore their family bond.

At seeing Jonathan the children all run up to him smiling and then all of them start talking at once asking questions or trying to tell him what he missed over the summer. He can't make out any of it but it doesn't matter. Just to see and hear them again is enough.

During this Rogue moves next to Clark and slips her hand into his.

"Children!" Charles shouts over them as he rolls up behind them. They clear a path for the Professor. "Jonathan," he greets the man. "It is good to see you again."

"It's good to be seen again."

Ororo gives him a hug and Hank shakes his hand. Logan's reaction is a simple nod of his head which is about as much expression of emotion as you would expect from Logan.

"So if you are all here who's looking after the others?" Jonathan asks since leaving the younger students behind alone will result in yet another mansion being required.

"Ms Crosby was kind enough to agree to assist Domino in watching over the students," Charles says in relation to Bridgette.

"Poor woman," Logan mutters under his breath.

Clark asks something he was wondering about when he didn't spot her. "Did Wanda not come with you guys?"

At that Rogue yanks her hand back out of his. "Ah'll beh outside," she says in a cold voice before marching off.

Clark scratches his head utterly confused by what just happened as he watches Rogue's retreating angry form. "What did I say?"

"Rogue and Vanda had a teeny tiny falling out over zhe summer," Kurt explains Rogue's reaction totally underplaying the size of the blow-out Rogue and Wanda had.

"Like totally," Kitty says. "I don't think they've said two words to each other in the last 2 months at least. It's not been fun," she says with a sad tone and strained weary expression indicating how difficult it has been at times with all the tension between Rogue and Wanda.

"And I just raised her name," Clark realises the hole he just fell into by making it even remotely seem like he was putting Wanda ahead of Rogue.

"Fraid so. Good luck patching that one up dude," Evan says.

Clark covers his eyes and shakes his head. "I should have stayed brainwashed," he mutters while desperately trying to think how to make this and everything else up he owes Rogue.

Charles rubs his brow for one moment. Rogue and Wanda's frosty relations had become an issue which would be why he never brought Wanda along. The last thing this situation needed was Rogue and Wanda at each other's throats. "Lets go home," he decides.

* * *

_Author's Note: Since Clark was brainwashed I decided he would have access to his full range of powers including his super-breath and freeze-breath. I wanted SHIELD to lose so Fury comes to the conclusion he needs his own superpowered team and it doesn't take much to guess what team I am referring to. They have their own movie coming out. D'Ancanto is Rogue's surname from the x-men movies. In the comics I'm not certain they have ever confirmed what it is and I was avoiding Darkholme as Rogue for the moment doesn't know Mystique is the one who adopted her so I chose to use D'Ancanto. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark and Jonathan return to the institute and try to catch up on the last 3 months they have missed while Fury and Magneto ponder their next moves._

**_Additional Note: I have added a poll on my profile page where you can vote for which 2 girls you want to see possessed when I do a version of the episode Spell. Please vote and help me out. Thanks!_**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**At the Institute...**

When the Kents walk into the sitting room they find the students have put up a 'Welcome Home' sign.

Jonathan thanks them.

"Bobby wanted to put up a 'Glad you're no longer brain-dead' sign," Tabby mentions with an overly sweet innocent smile.

Bobby glares at her for that.

Jonathan chuckles. He is so glad to be see them again.

"So CK. How's your brain?" Tabby asks in relation to his memory.

"Everything's a little jumbled," Clark replies.

"So do you remember that 10 bucks you owe me?"

Clark arches an eyebrow and folds his arms across his chest and looks at her. "Not that jumbled Tabby," he assures her. "I remember everything up until I left just fine."

"It was worth a try," Tabby defends herself with a shrug.

"So what do ya think of the new mansion?" Sam asks.

Jonathan and Clark really haven't had a chance to look around although both were very angry at being told Lionel tried to murder them all.

"It's nice," Jonathan says and from what he has seen so far it is.

"It's a vast improvement on living down in the lower levels," Ray mentions as to where they were forced to stay as the mansion was rebuilt.

"Yeah," Jamie says in agreement.

"Evan snores like you would not believe," Roberto adds.

"Dude I so don't!" Evan defends himself.

"Yeah. That was Amara," Bobby teases with a grin.

Amara gasps and glares at Bobby with all her regal grace.

"What?" Bobby asks innocently. It wasn't like he was going to say it was Wanda. He likes breathing.

"On the plus side when it was being rebuilt they put in extra bathrooms," Kitty mentions as that is her favourite alteration made during the rebuild.

"Oh thank god for small mercies," Clark says half-joking and half-meaning it because the queues for the bathrooms in the mornings before were horrendous.

"It was nearly as bad as living with my sisters," Sam mentions.

"How many do you have again?" Jamie asks Sam.

"3...maybe 4 in a few months. Ma's expecting," Sam reports.

"Poor bastard," Ray sighs with a shake of his head at that thought.

"Ray," Ororo chastises him for his language.

"Well it'll probably still be quicker than waiting on Roberto," Bobby says.

"What does that mean?" Roberto asks with a frown.

"Dude you have more beauty products than half the girls here," Evan argues.

"Nothing wrong with looking nice Evan. Maybe you should try it some time," Roberto retorts.

"Chicks dig me," Evan insists.

"I am so not commenting on zhat," Kurt says in a low whisper.

The Professor intervenes. "Ok I think that's enough. Lets allow Clark and Jonathan some time to settle back in shall we." And he means that in relation to everything. There was much to discuss about what happened but it can wait until tomorrow after Jonathan and Clark have reacclimatised themselves a bit. With that done the Professor leaves to see Bridgette off.

A few people start to drift off. Clark watches Rogue storm off. She wasn't talking to him still. On the flight back she ignored him. _'It's so good to be home,'_ he thinks sarcastically. He'll have to give her a few hours to cool off before he attempts to talk to her. He can tell that from how severe her mood is.

Wanda, who had been silent up to this point, and essentially waiting until Rogue was gone, wanders over to him. She of all people understood what it meant to be betrayed by someone you call your father. She regrets she couldn't save him as he saved her from Magneto. "So you not evil any more?" she inquires.

"Well technically I was brainwashed. Evil me...trust me when I say this Wanda. Evil me is not something you are ever likely to forget," he tells her referring to his red kryptonite induced alter ego. "So how was your summer?" he asks her.

Wanda shrugs, struggling with her emotions which in reality are overjoyed Clark is back and trying to forget how angry she is at Rogue which therefore she will not be mentioning. "Not much to say. The same except for being called a mutie freak, stared at, treated like dirt and occasionally spat on," she says with real anger at how mutants are treated.

Clark looks at her, his brow furrowed, not having any real idea about what mutants have been going through over the summer.

Domino comes up behind him for the save and places an arm across his broad shoulders. "To put it simply everything that is wrong with the world people blame mutants. We're dangerous, we don't look human, if you hang around us you'll become a mutant too, we're radioactive, we'll give your cancer," Dom lists off just some of the things mutants are accused of being.

"That's ridiculous," is Clark's response.

"Isn't it. Martin Luther King must be spinning in his grave," Dom remarks at what is nothing more than racial bigotry and prejudice.

"They're even trying to keep us from going back to school," Scott says having heard the conversation. "They already took all the trophies away Jean helped win because they accused her of using her powers to cheat."

"That's definitely ridiculous," Clark says forcefully. "Jean would never cheat."

"Thank you Clark," Jean says with a smile at his defence of her. "Now if only you could convince Principal Kelly and the school board of that," Jean says with hurt and anger and it did hurt. Jean has never cheated in her life. It was insulting. Scott, by her side, is instantly rubbing her arm in a supportive gesture knowing how much that hurt her.

"So they're really trying to keep us from going back?" Clark seeks to confirm.

"Well us as in mutants," Scott clarifies.

"Considering as far as everyone knows your human you'll probably still get to go," Jean points out.

"But I won't go to any school that unjustifiably bars my friends," Clark vows. He then looks around. "By the way where are Jubilee and Rahne?"

"Their parents took them back," Bobby answers that with a sour expression. He really really missed Jubes. Jamie has the same expression in relation to his best friend Rahne.

"Why?" Clark asks, puzzled.

"Apparently after being attacked by giant robots and having the mansion blown up their parents deemed this place was no longer safe for some odd reason," Domino says trying to be funny but knowing it isn't her best effort. "On the cheery side over the summer due to my vast experience and training I was made an instructor and now that you're back your shapely ass is mine Kent," Dom says with gleeful anticipation.

Many of the others shake their heads at what Clark will have to endure. In her own way Domino could be as bad as Logan as to what she puts them through although she always had a more chipper demeanour and was much much better to look at from a hormonal teenage boy perspective.

Clark turns to Kurt and having heard all this asks the following. "I should have stayed brainwashed right?"

Kurt nods. "It would probably have been better," he says in agreement meaning it in the same light-hearted tone Clark asked it in.

* * *

Later that day, it is well into the evening now, Jonathan knocks on the door to the room Sam shares with Ray looking for the Kentuckian native. He opens the door and finds Sam on the phone to home.

"No Paige," Sam says disagreeing with something his younger sister is saying. "It doesn't work like that. Ya can't just will it to happen no matter how cool ya think it is," he says with a roll of his eyes having had this conversation it seems like a hundred times. It is then he spots Mr Kent. "Look Paige ah have to go. One of the instructors is here to see me," he phrases it so he has a convenient excuse to cut this short. "Ah miss ya too. Ya take care of momma ok. Ah'll talk to ya soon," he promises before ending the call.

"Is everything ok?" Jonathan asks the blond haired teenager.

"Huh?"

"With your sister," Jonathan clarifies.

"Oh. Yes. She's fine. She just wants to be a mutant like me. She has it in her head that it would be cool to have powers and that ah'm a superhero or something," he says with a shake of his head. Obviously living out in rural Kentucky means Paige doesn't see or get what mutants have to put up with in terms of abuse.

"I see," Jonathan says understanding it in the sense younger siblings often look up to their elder ones.

"So what can ah do for ya Mr Kent?" Sam wonders what brings the older man here.

Jonathan steps into the room. "I was just looking around the grounds and noticed someone has been looking after the crops and vegetables I planted. Logan tells me you did a lot of it."

Sam did do a lot of it. First off his family are farmers so he knows how to do it and second off he has spent a lot of time helping Mr Kent out since the older man came to the Institute and has come to really admire and like the man. Looking after the crops while Mr Kent was in the coma was the least Sam felt he could do. "It was nothing," he tries to downplay it.

"It was not nothing Sam," Jonathan says not seeing any reason for the boy to be modest. "I deeply appreciate what you did. Thank you."

Sam appreciates that really. "So...uh...how are ya doing?" he asks after the man's health.

"Hank says I'm no worse than I was 3 months ago so I take that as good news."

"Ah don't mean ta pry but what actually happened to ya?"

Jonathan laughs a little bit. "That is the $64,000 dollar question. I don't have an answer and probably never will beyond there was some kind of link between me and Clark and when he was returned to normal so was I."

Sam has to say his life has gotten very strange since he came here. Just then Mrs Kent walks in. "Sam. Dinner is almost ready," she tells him so he can get washed up.

"Thanks Mrs Kent," he says politely and leaves to wash up.

Martha moves forward to her husband and gives him a kiss. "That goes for you too. You need to eat."

Jonathan kisses her back. "Yes ma'am."

"You need your strength."

"Yes ma'am."

Martha then leans in with a mischievous smile. "You'll definitely need it for when we test out that new bed," she promises sultrily.

Heat creeps into Jonathan's cheeks. "Yes ma'am."

Martha chuckles. "Just remember to lock the door," she reminds him because it has been 3 months and she does not want their 'reunion' to be disturbed.

* * *

**SHIELD Hellicarrier...**

Fury is sitting at his desk writing his report for his superiors who as soon as they see it will rake him over the hot burning coals for this disaster and then chew him out for good measure. The door to his office opens and Hill walks in and salutes.

"Give me good news Hill and tell me Luthor won't pull through," he says without looking up and he is meaning Lionel.

"Sorry sir. He'll live...as will the boy although he won't be lucid enough to extract information for a few days," Hill reports what the doctors told her.

Fury looks up. "Did you manage to get an identity on him?"

"Yes sir. His name is Douglas Ramsey. He's an American citizen. His parents are Phillip and Sheila Ramsey."

"I suppose they'll have to be contacted."

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea sir," Hill cautions.

Fury cocks his head to the side.

Hill explains. "His father comes up as a recently joined member of the Friends of Humanity."

Fury bows his head and almost wants to laugh. The father of the mutant boy in the infirmary is a member of that mutant hating garbage. "Have the parents even listed him as missing?"

"No."

"They've taken advantage of the fact he most probably ran away to conveniently sweep under the rug the fact they happened to have a mutant son."

"As you say sir," Hill says agreeing with Fury's assessment.

Ramsey will just have to stay for now until they get the information they want out of him. Once that is done Fury will consider the options as to what to do with the boy. For now Fury moves on. "Did you manage some retcon on Xavier's place?"

"Yes sir."

"Any sign of the Blur?" he asks in reference to the one who attacked them in the desert.

"We are not certain if he has returned to the Institute," Hill admits.

Fury nods in acceptance of that. However this was the 1st sign of the Bayville Blur in months and the Institute was his only link to him.

"Are we going in?" Hill wonders.

"Not in the terms you are thinking of. Not yet anyway." Hill is meaning are they going to storm the place, arrest the boy and search the institute top to bottom to find the stone. "Keep an eye on it and alter our course to put us over New York state by the morning, Fury instructs. "Make sure to keep my schedule clear and we'll pay them a friendly visit in the morning."

Hill frowns slightly but salutes and does what she is told.

After she leaves Fury stops writing his report and pauses just to think. Storming the Institute is not what he wants to do although if it comes to it he can and will do so. Xavier is not Magneto though. He is a more reasonable man. After today's disaster if Fury can resolve this situation with talk he'll take it. As for the future...

This operation against Magneto had been almost a total write-off. They had gotten almost nothing. Magneto escaped. The stone is not in their possession. Agents died and Fury has to write those horrible letters to their families expressing his regret. He hates that. He has written so many of those he has lost count.

Fury had originally authorised the Sentinel project because he knew conventional means would not contain people like Magneto. With mutants exposed he is simply gaining more and more followers. Soon he'll have an army and SHIELD's conventional methods are not going to cut it. That is what Fury has learned from this affray.

Fury open the drawer in his desk on his right and pulls out a folder relating to a particular project. He had never been fond of this idea until they could recreate the super soldier formula because otherwise it relied on civilians...untrained show jockeys who thought it was fun to go around and play hero but it seems clear he needs more firepower if he is to keep the world from falling apart.

Maybe it was time to reactivate the project...but the only person he would entrust to lead it is in a frozen coffin. Still it would take time to do the proper research into suitable candidates. He could order that done and still pull the plug if he isn't happy. Fury decides he will do that. He turns to the computer on his desk and inputs the commands to unlock the files. On the screen it says,

PROJECT AVENGER...REACTIVATED.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

After dinner Clark and Jonathan along with several others are sitting watching a recording of the documentary that was made here at the mansion.

"Ok how am I on this?" Clark asks at the image of himself on the television when in reality he was locked away wherever he was locked away. He still can't remember much about it.

"We were trying to protect you," Scott explains as to why they went through the effort of making it look like Clark was still around even when his heroic alter ego had vanished and Clark himself was wherever he was.

"I appreciate that Scott but I was meaning more along the lines of how did you do it?" Clark clarifies.

Kurt raises his hand. "It vas me, my holovatch and a voice synthesiser Forge created," he explains as to how Kurt could sound like Clark as well as look like him.

"Thank you Kurt but really you shouldn't have gone through that much effort. I'm sorry you had to."

"Then why did you?" Evan asks the question everyone it seems to him has been avoiding. "Why did you leave by yourself?"

"Because I had to Evan. Because if I hadn't Jor-El would have killed each and every one of you to sever my links to humanity. It was the choice he gave me."

"That's not a choice," Jean argues with an angry frown. "That's blackmail."

"It was also a fact Jean. He would have killed you and you couldn't have stopped him. I couldn't have stopped him," Clark admits what he sees as his failing.

"So you like handed yourself over to save us," Kitty summarises.

"Yes...and if I have to I would do it again."

"Will you have to?" Scott asks in case they have to be prepared for what Jor-El might try next.

Clark thinks for a moment. "I am not certain but I think for now Jor-El will leave me alone as long as I do...there is something I'm suppose to be doing...I can't remember except that it's important that I finish...finding...something...I think," he struggles with his memory.

"Gee that was enlightening," Evan mutters.

Kitty kicks Evan on the shin for that seeing that Clark is really struggling with whatever it is he means and he doesn't need comments like that. He needs support. "I'm sure it'll come to you Clark," she says being supportive.

Clark smiles. "Thanks Kitty."

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

Magneto has just finished allowing Sinister to examine his injuries after the confrontation with SHIELD. Amongst many things Sinister is he is an exceptional medical doctor.

"I would say you were lucky," Sinister remarks. "The injuries are superficial," he reports. "They will most likely ache for a day or three though."

A little pain Magneto can endure without much effort.

"Shame about losing the boy," Sinister says in reference to Cypher because it is the expected thing to say. Not that Sinister is actually expressing what he actually feels because the boy's power was an interesting curiosity to Sinister. That's all. In many senses that is all he sees the world and the people in it as. Curiosities.

"I still have his translations."

Sinister nods and secretly ponders if he could manage to get a look at those translations himself and therefore get this power for himself. "What if he survived?" he puts forward a possibility. "SHIELD could learn a lot," he cautions what could have been a mistake by Magneto not either rescuing Cypher or making certain he was dead.

"Even if Cypher survived he knows little. Where he managed to track us down to was always an expendable facility and he has no knowledge of the location of any other base," Magneto points out as when he brought Cypher here to translate the journal it was within one of his spheres. Cypher never knew where he was. The other facility Magneto ordered evacuated as soon as he returned from Libya and it was being cleared out as they speak. As for those injured in Libya Magneto had mutant healers who had joined him taking care of them although Sabretooth in reality just required time to heal. "How about your mission?" Magneto asks Sinister wanting to be brought up to date.

"I found them. They are 4 of Stryker's creations as I speculated."

"Useful?"

"They have a few months of training behind them. I believe I can shape them into an effective unit...with your permission of course," Sinister adds humouring Magneto. As if he needs permission to do anything.

Magneto nods and gives his permission. "Do we know how many others Stryker created?"

"We will probably never know precisely but from the 4 boys' minds I know of two others for certain. Rogue for one. It was why Stryker took her when he stormed the Institute." It can be handy being telepathic when you want to learn information.

Now isn't that interesting. Magneto would never have guessed that. It leads to an intriguing possibility he should investigate as regards to Rogue's possible parentage.

Sinister continues. "The other left the group and joined Xavier. Her name is Domino and she only possesses some minor probability altering powers," Sinister says distastefully because it wasn't much of a mutant power and certainly nothing that would really interest him. Rogue on the other hand. Sinister would love to study her.

With the medical examination over Sinister turns his attentions back to the 4 mutants he found. He has some work to do to 'condition' them to ensure their loyalty to him. Speaking of conditioning as he walks through Magneto's base he runs into a mutant he conditioned in such a fashion sporting a lump on his head where he was hit during the fight with SHIELD. "Ruckus. How's the head?" Sinister asks showing a modicum of concern for one of his creations.

Ruckus rubs it. "Painful," he says. "I wish I had your regenerative powers," he says enviously.

Sinister grins. "Well perhaps one day I'll oblige you if you earn it."

"So I heard about the new mutants. Does that mean we can quit this façade soon?" he wonders.

Sinister silently chuckles. The conditioning he placed on Ruckus' mind as far as Magneto knows makes him loyal to him when in fact Ruckus' loyalty is only to Sinister and he is simply keeping Magneto in the dark by allowing Ruckus to be an Acolyte. "For now this remains useful to me so the short answer is no."

"You're the boss."

"Yes. I am," Sinister says in such a tone to indicate this is the end of this discussion.

* * *

Gambit returns to his room, throws his coat off before sitting on his bed and blowing out a weary breath. He needs some sleep. He is just pulling his boots off when he feels the bed depress a little and two unmistakably feminine arms wrap around him from behind.

"Hi Remy," a voice coos in his ear.

Gambit smiles albeit a tired smile. He turns his head and plants a kiss on to her lips.

When Alicia pulls back she can see how tired her boyfriend is looking. She strokes his short brown hair. "Hard day?"

Gambit nods.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," Alicia says feeling guilty. "But mother is watching me like a hawk lately," she explains why she wasn't there. Mystique has been in full over-protective mother mode ever since mutants were revealed and barely ever lets her go on missions unless Magneto gives Mystique no choice or say on the matter. It means Alicia hasn't seen Gambit even a fraction as often as she would have liked. She has to teleport out when her mother thinks she is asleep in bed like now.

Gambit secretly smiles to himself. The danger of being caught by Mystique was what made this so much fun and as time past and Alicia gained more experience and confidence in herself that too brought benefits like right now as he watches Alicia's whole expression and demeanour change to sultry and seductive.

Alicia sits herself on Gambit's lap and wraps her arms around his neck. "So tell me. Is there anything I can do to make your day better?" she asks him, the glint in her eyes expressing all too well what she means.

"Oh I'm sure Remy can d'ink of something," he says as he captures her lips with his own.

* * *

In his room Colossus sits on his bed and looks at an old picture of his family. His parents, who had passed away, himself and Illyana when she was very small.

Piotr lets out a sad sigh. All this fighting was never what he wanted for his life. In reality all he wanted was to be back home on the farm with his sister. It was a simple life. Hard too but it was sufficient.

"Mother. Father. I am sorry," he says feeling he has failed them. The only hope he has is that if he obeys Magneto will at least let him see Illyana soon.

* * *

In her room Live Wire finds herself obsessively writing on the walls the same question over and over and over. The only question she wants answered at the moment.

'Who is Leslie Willis?'

* * *

A little later Sinister is in his lab just finishing up his initial tests on Ramrod, Hairbag, Slab and Gorgeous George. It was, as everything is to him, all just more data to add to the great puzzle he is trying to solve in how to create the perfect race.

"We done?" Ramrod asks.

Sinister looks up at the boy with wild black hair. "Indeed. You all seem in adequate health. Tomorrow we shall commence with your training so you may serve the mutant cause." More accurately serve him but they don't have to know that. "And also we can begin a search for your lost brothers and sisters," he tells them because Sinister is interested in finding Stryker's experiments and seeing what he can learn from them.

"You really know about them?" Ramrod asks.

"I know a great deal about Colonel Stryker and his experiments," Sinister tells them. Knows because he helped perform some of the earliest Weapon X experiments before he decided to move on to pastures new. "I know enough to help you grow beyond whatever Stryker thought he could make you into. You will be magnificent if you follow me."

"Hairbag sleepy," is the response Sinister gets to that from the hairy mutant who is yawning.

Sinister is not offended. "Of course. I'll have you shown to your rooms," he says as he presses a button on the table. A few moments pass and the door opens. In walks a teenage girl with green hair, dressed in a skin-tight outfit with a green and white swirl pattern upon it that covers everything except her right arm which is bare.

Sinister walks over to beside her. "Boys. Let me introduce your 1st lost sibling that I rescued earlier this summer," he says surprising the 4 male mutants with that revelation. "Be a dear and introduce yourself," he tells the girl.

"Of course Mr Sinister," she responds obediently. "Brothers," she greets them. "I am pleased to meet you. I am Vertigo."

* * *

Magneto had returned to his private quarters in the base to read over Cypher's translations. There was much to go over but for now he focussed on the information about second stone. The one supposedly in China Lionel Luthor could not find.

Lionel Luthor.

Magneto had thought he had seen the last of that man. SHIELD must have released him in exchange for information about the stones. It is the only explanation that makes sense as to how SHIELD showed up in Libya and why Lionel was with them. It's a race then about who can find the stones first. So be it.

As for regaining the stone Clark Kent took that is not Magneto's next action. That would result in a confrontation with the X-Men and any fight with them must be carefully planned. Magneto will undertake that task once he has gained possession of the other 2 stones he decides is the order of the actions he will take. Along with gathering more intelligence and information about the boy Magneto knows to be an alien. It is possible that Cypher was correct about the strange writings he couldn't translate being alien in origin. Perhaps they are the language of Clark Kent's people. That makes sense considering what he witnessed today. It is why he must gather more information about Clark Kent's current abilities and power levels before he is forced into a confrontation. Fighting anything as strong as Clark Kent is must be a battle that is thought through in detail in advance so as to exploit the boy's weaknesses to the maximum advantage.

Magneto continues to read Cypher's writings. What he finds is a possible lead. There is a reference to a long lost map Lionel was trying to find that was meant to show the exact location of the stone. If that is the case Magneto's next course of action is obvious. He has to find that map first.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Domino is walking along the corridor to head for her room. It was getting late enough to be time for her to turn in. As she passes Rogue's room she finds Clark walking up to the door, raising his hand to knock only to pause, chicken out and turn away. "How long have you been trying to work up the nerve?" she asks him.

Clark turns his head to look at the young woman. He checks his watch. "Um...22 minutes and 47 seconds."

Domino knows she shouldn't find it funny but she does that someone so powerful can be so unsure of himself. "What did you do?" she has to know since Rogue was ecstatic when she was told Clark had been found. If she was in Rogue's position she would be making up for lost time and doing it like bunnies. Yet here Clark is afraid to even knock on Rogue's door. Rogue who has been silently steaming for hours and refusing to talk about it.

"I asked where Wanda was."

There is a sharp intake of breath and Domino shakes her head tutting at him. "Ooh shouldn't have said that."

"So I was told. What happened between the two of them?"

"That is the question," Domino remarks.

Clark cocks his head to side and looks at Dom puzzled.

Domino sighs. "I don't know," she admits. "It was just there was yelling and we ran to it to find Rogue and Wanda on the floor trying to strangle each other. Afterwards neither would say what it was about and believe me I have tried to get Rogue to talk about it but..."

"She's impossibly stubborn," Clark fills in knowing how Rogue is once she digs her feet in.

Domino smiles at him. He sure seems to get Rogue.

Clark sighs. "So I really didn't ask earlier. How have you been?" he asks her.

"Oh pretty good. Finally got that toenail fungal infection treated."

Clark makes a face.

"Too much information?"

Clark nods. "Little bit."

"Not much else to say really. Just argued with Logan a lot about training regimes. Just because he has happened to have lived a really long time doesn't mean his little regiments for you guys can't be improved...and I happen to have a talent for it," she says with a little pride in the fact she happens to be really good at it despite her comparative youth compared to Logan.

"Thanks for giving me something to look forward to there Dom," Clark says with a touch of sarcasm at possibly harder Danger Room sessions.

"You're welcome," she replies ignoring the sarcasm.

"So...uh...really how has Rogue been?" Clark asks after his girlfriend.

"Truthfully?"

Clark nods.

"She was hurt. You left her," Dom almost accuses him.

"I had to Dom. What Jor-El would have done...I couldn't allow that." Clark walks away a few paces and runs his hand through his hair before turning back to face Domino. "She deserves better than this. I know that. She deserves better than me," he says sounding very guilty at what he put Rogue through.

"You really think that?"

"How can I not."

"She's hurt. She's angry at you. I won't deny that. I also won't deny another truth. She loves you. The last 3 months haven't changed that. If you want an opinion she used your mention of Wanda as an excuse to unleash some of her anger at you but here's another truth for you Clark. This one she confessed to me. One of the reasons she fell in love with you is because you were the first person who didn't treat her like she was poison."

"Because she isn't," Clark replies confused why anyone would think Rogue is poison.

Dom smiles and moves to pat him on the shoulder in a congratulatory manner. That was exactly the answer she was hoping to hear. "That is why you need to knock on that door because you are exactly the guy she deserves. You are the guy who really sees her...and that is just my oh so humble opinion."

"Humble?" Clark questions that because Dom is many things. Humble is not really amongst them.

Don nods with a smile. "That's me to a tee," she says wryly.

Clark snorts a laugh.

Dom hits him.

"Sorry but..."

Dom points a finger at him warningly. "Quit it or I stop helping you with Rogue," she threatens him before pushing him back in front of Rogue's door. "Now stop stalling and use that farm boy charm of yours to make it up to her before I change my mind and decide you aren't good enough for my little sister."

Clark takes a deep breath and raises his hand to knock. Before he does he has to say, "Thanks Dom."

Domino smiles. "No problem."

Clark looks at her still standing next to him. "Um...this will probably go better if you're not standing over my shoulder," he tries to gently point out so as not to be offensive.

Domino gets it and wanders off down the corridor. Clark gently raps the door and waits a few moments. He can hear Rogue walk over to the door. It opens. She is dressed in her orange and green pjs, a sight that always makes Clark's mouth dry because she looked so damn sexy in them.

Rogue look and sees who it is at her door...and promptly slams the door shut in his face.

_'Well. At least she didn't slap me,' _Clark muses to himself trying to be humorous. He places his hand on the door. "Rogue," he says through it. "I know you're on the other side and that you can hear me."

Rogue is on the other side, her back leaning up against the door. She just can't deal with him right now.

Clark continues. "I know you must be angry at me but I had to do it. When I was in the cave before I was taken Jor-El threatened to kill everyone close to me if I didn't obey and nothing could have stopped him from carrying that out. I love you too much to let anyone hurt you. I never wanted to leave you just as I said in my letter. Even when Jor-El was stripping me of everything I was you were always in my thoughts. By the end you were my only and last thought."

The door opens and Rogue looks at him with a puzzled expression. "What do ya mean ah was your last thought?" she asks since it was that comment that made her open the door.

"It's hard to explain. I can't really remember much of what happened except to remake me Jor-El first had to strip me down to nothing. He had to purge me of everything that made me Clark Kent. I can remember a snippet of lying in this dark place with no idea who I was any more and no memory of anything except you. Your face was the last thing I managed to hold onto. It was probably why I recognised you in Smallville. The instant I saw you I just knew you were important to me. I had no memory of you really. It was just a feeling but when you have no memory all you can go on are your feelings and instincts."

Rogue looks at his sad yet almost desperately hopeful expression and steps back to let him in.

Clark enters the room and Rogue closes the door. "So...nice room," he says lamely.

"Thanks. Tha Professor decided ah could get mah own room," she explains which means she is no longer sharing with Kitty which is both good and bad. Kitty's tastes in music and style drove her nuts yet she misses her friend yet Rogue is thankful to finally have her own private space.

Clark takes a moment to summon up the bravery to ask this. "Rogue..." he pauses and starts again. "Anna," he says her name in a soft warm tone. "If our positions had been reversed what would you have done?" he asks her hoping he knows her well enough that she will give the answer he seeks.

"Are ya asking if ah would sacrifice mahself?"

"No...because I know you would for the people you care about. It is just normally I'm invulnerable. I really don't think about worrying about what can and cannot hurt me but Jor-El knows exactly what hurts me. I was...terrified of what he would do to you," Clark admits his fear. "That's why I had to do the one thing I knew would hurt you the most. That's why I left you because even if you never spoke to me again at least you would be alive."

Rogue moves and sits on her bed and Clark sits down next to her. Close to her but not quite touching, retraining himself no matter how much he desperately just wants to sweep her into his arms and kiss the life out of her.

"Ah promised mahself when ya got your memory back ah would kick your butt for running off on your own," she mentions. "Ah should have been there with ya," she tells him.

"You were there Rogue. You saved me. Your memory allowed me to hang on to the tiniest scrap of my humanity and when I was submerged under Kal-El you and mom found a way to reach me. I beat him for you you know. Your love gave me the strength."

Rogue looks at him, her heart and anger softening as he speaks. "Do ya remember anything else?"

"It's more jumbled rather than it's not there. I get disjointed flashes of being locked away in the dark and Jor-El speaking to me. After he released me it's a bit more coherent. I can remember most of the time in Smallville and you showing me around the mansion...but don't ask me to explain some of the things I said because I have no idea where they came from. When Kal-El took over that's when it becomes patchy once more. I can remember flying away from the mansion but where I went and what I did is blank right up until you and mom confronted me in the cave."

There is silence following that as both teens ponder what to say next. Clark shifts his hand to place it on Rogue's knee but she flinches away at that, gets to her feet and walks across the room with her back to Clark.

Clark stands up, moves up behind her and wraps his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he says. "I never wanted to hurt you. Not ever."

"Clark," Rogue says, her voice shaking with emotion. "It hurt Clark. 3 months without ya were lahke hell on Earth," she explains what it felt like to her. "Ah...ah don't think ah could survive it if ya left meh again," she says explaining what is really going through her mind. Her fear of losing him again and having to endure the pain. In a sense she already experienced it once when he flew off.

"You are the strongest person I know Rogue. Of course you could survive it but you'll never have to because I won't be leaving you again."

"Ya can't promise that."

"Yes I can," Clark says most assuredly. "I didn't make this promise before because I knew sooner or later I would have to face down Jor-El and now that I have I know something else. He's wrong. I can't remember about what exactly but I just know he's wrong about what he wants me to be and do. There will be no more bending to his will. I promise you that."

Rogue shuts her eyes. She wants to believe him. She should. Clark doesn't break his promises but if she gives in she is opening herself up to facing even the remote prospect of having her heart wretched out of her body again. "Ah'm sorry. Ah can't do this," she says in a tearful whisper.

Clark's heart constricts painfully. He wants to say something but his mind can't find the words. "Ok," he says and pulls away from her and moves to the door. He opens it and stops as some words come to him. "I just want to say I love you. I love that under your tough chick exterior is the most passionate person who would do anything for her friends. I love how strong and compassionate you are. You have a good heart and a pure soul. I love that when I'm with you I don't feel so alone any more...that I've found the piece of me that was missing. I even love that little twitchy thing your eye does when you're really angry."

Rogue can't stop the tiny smile coming to her face. Twitchy thing? God only Clark would say something like that.

"I also love your stubbornness. The way you don't accept the inevitable and fight for what you believe in and to hell with it if its hard or the rest of the world disagrees with you. I love that you don't let fear rule you despite the fear you live with everyday due to your powers. I just wanted to say that," he says before he turns and leaves leaving Rogue alone.

Rogue's arms wrap around herself and she draws in a deep breath. She turns round and looks around her room. Her eyes fall upon her bed. For 3 months all she wanted was to be able to crawl into that with Clark and know he was there with her. He was always there for her before they dated, when they started dating and didn't realise they could touch and that her powers didn't work on him.

That was a torture when they both wanted to kiss so badly they almost couldn't resist at times. Clark stood with her and she could always see in the soft gaze of his indescribably vivid and descriptive cerulean blue eyes just how much he cared. Anyone else facing that issue would have walked away but Clark didn't...until she just drove him away.

What is she doing?

That is the question. Clark's right. She doesn't give in just because something is tough. Yes she really doesn't think she could survive losing him again but he promised he wouldn't leave. That should be enough.

"Gawd dammit!" she curses herself. She is letting her fear risk ruining being happy when it is the one thing she promised herself never to give into. She stomps off after Clark in brisk wide paces. She walks into the hallway and turns to head towards the boy's wing.

"You had me worried there for a second."

Rogue stops, spins 180 and finds Clark leaning up against the wall exuding a quiet confidence she hadn't seen before. It makes him look if anything sexy.

Clark pushes off the wall and stands up straight.

"Ya knew I would come after ya," Rogue deduces from his expression and by the fact he is waiting for her.

Clark shrugs walks up to her gently places his hands on her hips. "You just needed a reminding of who you really are. The rest was all my faith and trust in you."

Rogue links her hands around Clark's neck as their bodies slowly mold together. "Ya think ya know meh so well don't ya."

"You're here aren't you," he counters that with.

"Smart ass."

"I choose to take that as a compliment," he says with that adorable goofy boyish grin of his. He lowers his lips until they are almost but not quite touching hers. "I love you," he says, almost choking on the depth of the emotion.

Rogue's heart throbs in her chest. For 3 months she bottled up her feelings. It was the only way she could cope. Now with him in her arms again she can't hold it in. "Ah love ya too," she says, her eyes brimmed with tears of happiness.

Their lips close the final distance and the two teens kiss slowly and exploratory at first but they soon give into their passion.

"Clark," Rogue gasps out as he places tiny little biting kisses on her neck. "Clark," she repeats his name as her hands run through his hair. "We're in tha hallway," she reminds him and therefore liable to get caught by someone even if it is late.

"I know," he says as he sweeps her up into his arms.

Rogue laughs a little as they kiss a lot more. "Clark. Take meh ta bed," she says softly having decided the last thing she wants tonight is to sleep alone...although how much sleeping they get done is not likely to be very much if the look in Clark's eyes is any indication and she has no wish to stop him.

Clark looks at her with a mixture of gentle tenderness and passion before he carries her back into her room and kicks the door closed behind them.

Poking her head around the corner Domino grins. Best big sister ever! That is what she is. She heads off toward her room with a skip in her step whistling a merry little ditty. She passes Jonathan and Martha's room and pauses when she hears some noises from inside.

It takes her a few moments to realise what those noises are and that the elder Kents are probably doing what Clark and Rogue are doing.

Ok there's a mental image she could do without. She needs a drink. Luckily she found where Logan's secret beer stash is weeks ago and the look on his face when he finds it gone...so totally worth it!

* * *

_Author's Note: I took it from the comics that Cypher's father is a member of the FOH. I know in the comics Vertigo is a Savage Land mutate but I wanted to add her to the little group of the Nasty Boys mostly inspired by the 90s X-Men cartoon where she was part of the group. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Please if you haven't done so already go to my profile page and vote on the poll I have put up for this story about who gets possessed during my version of Spell. Next up: Fury pays a visit, Clark gets the missing 3 months of memories back and we catch up with a certain fiery redhead._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_Author's Note: I'm going to have to apologise right off and say that we won't be catching up with a certain redhead this chapter like I said. I fully intended to but as I was writing it the focus of the chapter shifted and it seemed like too much of a jarring break to jump to what I was intending to write. You'll see the redhead next chapter I promise._

* * *

The next morning Rogue finds her cheek leaning on something smooth and warm. Her eyes open to find the bare chest she is sleeping upon. Rogue smiles a little as the first time they slept together Clark had had that scar on his chest courtesy of Jor-El and she had had to be careful of it because it stung Clark whenever anyone touched it. Last night she had been able to explore that chest as much as she wanted...which turned out to be a lot.

A finger gently pushes her white bangs off her face. Rogue looks up to find a pair of cerulean blue eyes full of warmth and love looking at her.

"Morning," Clark says softly.

Rogue smiles and hugs him close as he wraps his arms around her holding her close. "Mornin. What tahme is it?"

"About 6," he informs her.

"Too early," Rogue complains after last night's blissful activities had thoroughly worn her out.

"Ingrained habit," Clark explains as living on a farm he always got up early. It hadn't stopped just because he and his parents came here. Clark was usually up helping his mom make the breakfasts.

Rogue closes her eyes again and rests her head back down. "Have ya been up long?"

"A couple of hours," Clark admits. "I don't need much sleep," he explains although he is certain he has told her this before but a reminder never hurts.

"Even after last night?" Rogue questions that feeling a little...inadequate that she can't wear her boyfriend out.

Clark's hand gently rubs up and down her spine. He gently kisses Rogue on the top of her head and breathes in the scent of hair. He loves that smell just like he loves so many other parts of Rogue. "Don't take it personally. Last night was amazing," he assures her. "But I have my full powers back," he points out the difference to between the first time in the woods when Jor-El was taking them away from him and now.

"Have ya just been lyin here?"

"I was watching you sleep."

Rogue forces her tried eyes open and looks at him curiously for a moment. "Y'all have just been watchin meh?"

Clark smiles boyishly. "You just look so beautiful and peaceful I couldn't help myself." What Clark isn't mentioning is the fact that when he woke up he, and therefore they due to the fact Rogue was lying practically on top of him, were floating above by the bed by a clear foot. Luckily some instinct kicked in to make sure he didn't fall abruptly and he just floated down gently to rest back on the mattress. It was most likely driven by Clark's desire not to wake Rogue up.

Rogue can't help smiling. Clark could be incredibly sweet sometimes. She lays back down and lets last night replay in her head. She thinks after the 3 months apart they really just needed to connect on that most intimate and primal of levels again...which they did with so much hunger, passion and need it was scary...and addictive. She was a little sore she must admit and would probably be feeling it for hours but she wasn't complaining.

Rogue lets out a contented sigh as Clark just cuddles her close and draws little patterns on her skin with his fingers. The day her powers activated Rogue lost the ability to touch. Since she found she could touch Clark she has discovered or rediscovered she is actually quite a tactile person. She likes to be held. She loves the feeling of Clark's warm smooth skin against hers...and dear god is he warm. Rogue is roasting just lying here. "Ya know y'all are lahke a furnace," she says in a small complaint.

Rogue can feel Clark's chest rumble with suppressed laughter.

"What's so funny?" she asks him.

"After 3 months apart and an amazing night together your major gripe is that I'm too warm?"

Rogue shrugs. "Ya know meh. Ah never hold back mah opinion."

"Yeah. I love that about you," Clark says. He has always loved her blunt honesty about things.

"Besides it could beh worse. Ah could kick your ass lahke ah promised mahself ah would," she reminds him although her tone indicates she really isn't serious.

Clark squeezes her closer still. "I'm sorry," he says in a quiet voice.

"Ah know," she says in an equally quiet voice. "Ah forgive ya." If she didn't he sure as hell would not be having the privilege of sharing her bed. "Just don't do it again."

"I promised I wouldn't Anna and I'll never break that," he swears.

Speaking of her name. "How did ya know mah surname?"

"What?"

"In tha cave. Ya addressed meh by mah full nahme...which ah nevah told ya."

Clark's face screws up in thought. "I can remember saying it..."

"But ya can't remember how ya know it can ya," Rogue assumes from his previous statements.

"Sorry. No."

What a screwed up situation this is. Rogue strokes his chest with her hand. "It'll come back ta ya," she says trying to be supportive.

Clark hopes so. He can't shake the certainty he is suppose to be doing...finding something. 3 somethings...he thinks. He runs his hand through his hair. God is that frustrating. He is so use to having a perfect memory that it is so weird not to be able to just recall it with ease. "I should probably get going before everyone gets up," he supposes with a sad sounding resigned tone.

While Rogue hates the thought of him leaving she has to agree. If anyone catches him sneaking out of here she will never hear the end of it.

Clark gently rolls Rogue off of him, kisses her sweetly and slides out of bed. Rogue lies there and actually finds herself enjoying watching him dress with a kind of dreamy sultry smile. If only there was time.

Clark glimpses Rogue watching him, her nakedness covered by her bed sheet and wonders if she has any idea how sexy she looks lying in a sex-rumpled bed while she herself has rumpled up hair and that sex afterglow colour in her cheeks. God she has to be the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and the fact she is actually his girlfriend...Clark is not particularly religious but he just has to thank God for giving him Rogue.

Clark dresses himself, moves to the bed and gives Rogue a goodbye kiss. He gently strokes her cheek. "I love you."

"Ah know. Ah love ya too sugah."

His face takes on a momentary seriousness. "I didn't want to ruin last night by raising it but there is still stuff we need to talk about."

Rogue nods. She knows that but she didn't want to ruin last night either.

"And I'll just say now you're my girlfriend and I always love and support you."

Rogue looks at him a bit confused. "What?"

"Wanda Rogue. I want to know what happened between the two of you."

Rogue almost growls and folds her arms across her chest looking stern and distinctly unhappy. He just had to mention _her._

Clark sighs at her reaction. "Look I'm not forcing you to talk about it," he modifies his statement. "Just...if you ever want to talk I'm always here to listen to you."

"Have ya talked ta her about it?" she asks sounding almost snide.

"No. You're my girlfriend. You come first."

That mellows Rogue's temper out a little that he didn't go behind her back to Wanda. "Not today," she tells him.

"Ok," he accepts. He has told her what he wants but he won't force her to tell him. "I'll see you at breakfast." He gives her another quick kiss and superspeeds away, blowing Rogue's hair about in the process, to reduce the risk anyone catches him.

* * *

A little later that morning Kitty is making her way to the nearest bathroom her mind not on anything in particular really. It was too early for any sort of deep thoughts. One thing that does cross her mind many mornings is waking up in her own room and missing Rogue.

Yes it may seem strange how she of all people would miss the emotionally repressed Goth whose tastes were almost the polar opposite of Kitty's but the simple truth is Rogue is her closest and possibly best friend.

Kitty comes to a stop outside the bathroom when she finds the door locked. A knot of irritation puckers her brow. More bathrooms hadn't meant the complete end to queuing and waiting. Luckily it is only a few minutes later the door opens to reveal the very person Kitty was thinking about.

Rogue...and she was practically glowing. Kitty hadn't seen Rogue look like that since before Clark vanished. "Morning," Kitty greets Rogue.

"Mornin!" Rogue greets Kitty back in what Kitty would describe as a disturbingly cheerful manner.

"Did you and Clark make up already?" Kitty asks in a surprised tone, assuming what it is that has Rogue so cheerful looking.

The patented Rogue scowl clouds her features. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

Rogue doesn't buy it and says so with a single arched eyebrow that always makes Kitty crack and it doesn't fail for the first time here.

"It is just...like don't get me wrong I'm totally thrilled you and Clark are ok but I thought you would hold out until he did some big flashy gesture as an apology," Kitty explains her train of thought.

"Or ya know we could talk lahke two reasonable adults," Rogue puts forward the alternative which she and Clark did...although a big flashy gesture would have been nice now Kitty mentions it.

Kitty has to bite back a retort about why Rogue can't do that in relation to Wanda because she values her head remaining attached to her shoulders. Although she really wishes Rogue would just talk to her about it so she could help.

Rogue shakes her head a little aggravated about how everyone around here feels it necessary to nose into everyone else's private affairs before she heads to her room.

Kitty follows. "So I assume you and Clark did talk then?"

Rogue sighs. Here they go. "Yes Kitty," she allows herself to admit. "Ah mean we didn't talk through everything but there's a lot ta go through. We really just decided that we couldn't live without each other so ah forgave him."

Kitty nods in understanding. She smiles. "That's like so sweet," she teases.

Rogue scowls once again at her far too perky friend. They reach the door to Rogue's room where upon habit Rogue opens it carefully so as not to set off any stupid trap one of the New Mutants set-up as a prank. Sure there isn't one Rogue pushes the door open...and her jaw drops.

"Oh wow," Kitty says in awe at the sight before them. She feels envious. She had mentioned a flashy gesture. She never expected Clark to pull it off on his first full day back.

Rogue wanders into the room in an almost stunned state. The room full of varying types flowers of different colours. Reds, purples, blues, yellows...you name it. She can only have been out of here for 20 minutes tops if that and Clark managed to do all this for her. Warm feelings well up inside her.

"What is going on?"

Kitty and Rogue turn to find Scott and Jean, who were just passing on their way down for breakfast, standing at the doorway taking in the sight. Jean had asked the question.

"We're assuming Clark," Kitty says in reply.

"Little bit overboard if you ask me," Scott expresses his opinion.

Jean folds her arms across her chest and looks at her boyfriend sternly. "And what does that mean? Are you saying a boyfriend shouldn't do nice things like this for the person they care about?" she asks him.

Panic instantly rides up inside Scott as he tries to think of a reply that won't get him in trouble. "I...uh...no. That's not what I meant. I just meant you know you can go over the top."

"So you're saying there is a limit of how much you can show your affection?" Jean asks him to clarify.

"Yes...no...uh...I mean...it's the thought that counts," he lamely comes up with.

Jean narrows her eyes slightly at him and her foot starts to tap in an aggravated manner.

Scott takes a step back. "Um...I'm going to go ahead and see what's for breakfast," he says pointing in the direction he is heading desperate to get out of here before he messes up more.

Jean glares at him as he departs.

"You were so totally playing him weren't you," Kitty says.

Jean's stern expression fades into a smirk. "Just because I love him doesn't mean I don't think I need to keep him on his toes," she explains.

Kitty nods in agreement. "I so totally agree."

Rogue is almost impressed by Jean there. Who knew little Miss goody two-shoes could be that sneaky.

* * *

After breakfast Clark and his parents sit with the Professor in his office. Charles wanted them to discuss the entire situation and see where they now stood with everything. When Virgil first brought Clark to Charles' attention he must admit he never imagined dealing with everything they have but he does not regret the decision. Clark is a remarkable person and Charles isn't referring to the powers the teen possesses.

"_**Please protect him and deliver him from evil."**_

Charles can remember the first time Virgil showed him that message and he could almost feel the emotion behind it. The plea of desperate parents who shot their son into space in the attempt to save his life. Charles swore that he would uphold that plea and he will do his best to do so and keep Clark safe from those evil forces that would try to exploit his great power or failing that try and kill Clark.

Clark and Jonathan summarise what happened in the cave which is the only part either can remember with any clarity.

"I'm afraid I have few answers to give Professor," Clark says apologetically since he is missing chunks of memory.

"Perhaps we don't have the full picture," Charles says trying to sooth Clark's feelings. "However we have learned something."

"About Krypton's destruction and the fact there was some sort of war," Jonathan summarises what he thinks it is they learned.

Charles nods. They have learned that Clark's people destroyed themselves in a war and that Jor-El feels personally responsible in some fashion that he couldn't prevent it and is now driven to ensure Clark survives by any means necessary. "Yes. It explains but does not justify some of what it is that motivates Jor-El," he states clearly that while they have a new understanding he can't agree with Jor-El's actions.

"Jor-El's wrong," Clark states bluntly.

"About?" Charles asks.

Clark's brow furrows. "I can't remember exactly but I know what he was trying to do with me was wrong. I feel with absolute certainty that he has come to the incorrect conclusion...and I know that makes no sense when I have no memory of what I'm talking about."

"Be patient Clark," the Professor advises. "I am certain it will come to you," he says trying to instil a confidence in Clark that this is so. "In fact both you and Jonathan should take some time to readjust. A lot has happened in the last 3 months."

"If that's a reference to not rushing out and being the Bayville Blur again Professor I'm already there," Clark says knowing he really needs to catch up on events before he takes that up again which he still wants to do. That belief he has to use his powers to help people hasn't changed.

"That's one area I'm referring to," the Professor says. Another is the fact that being associated with mutants won't gain them a lot of friends at the moment. Charles then notices Clark's gaze has drifted off to the right and upward and his brow has furrowed. "Clark?" he inquiries.

"SHIELD helicopter coming this way," Clark reports what he heard and now sees coming.

A confused expression forms on the Professor's face. Why would SHIELD be coming here?

"We'll continue this later," the Professor says to the Kents as he sends a telepathic summons to Logan. If he is meeting SHIELD best to have someone with him who knows the organisation. He rolls out of his office and meets Logan in the lobby.

"What's up?" Logan asks in a sour mood due to the fact someone stole his beer last night. He suspects Domino because it fits in with the fact she seems to enjoy irritating him. Logan's mood is not helped any when Charles tells him what's up. Logan's face instantly darkens even further. Fury may have helped when they were rescuing the Professor from Stryker. It does not mean Logan trusts the man at all because he doesn't. Fury always has an agenda.

Logan and the Professor head outside as a SHIELD helicopter lands on the lawn. The engine is cut and its blades slowly spin down to a halt. The door opens and Fury leaps down followed by Black Widow and Hawkeye.

"Who's the kid?" Logan asks Natasha in reference to Hawkeye since he has never met the archer before.

Hawkeye points at Logan. "Did he just call me a kid?" Hawkeye asks sounding a little insulted by that.

"Don't take it personally," Natasha says. "Compared to Logan most people are children."

"How old is he?"

A nostalgic smile comes to Natasha's face which freaks Clint out since she almost never smiles. "Lets just say you know how old I am and I first met Logan when I was a small child...not that he remembers it."

Logan lets out an unhappy snort. Natasha had mentioned that to him and all it is is a reminder of what has been stolen from him.

Hawkeye lets out an impressed whistle. "Wow. That's old!" he exclaims because he knows from Natasha's file she is older than she looks.

Logan glares at the archer and lets out a low growl. "Is there a reason you're here Patch?" he asks Fury. "Or are you just setting up Cupid here to be sliced and diced?"

At the Cupid remark Hawkeye is instantly in Logan's face. "You want to go old man?" he asks extremely agitated. He hates that insult.

Logan pops his claws and brings them up to in front of Hawkeye's face. "Any time bub," he says with a feral grin.

The Professor intervenes before this spirals out of control. "Perhaps we can focus on what brings you here Colonel," he says asking Fury to end this.

"Hawkeye. Stand down," Fury orders despite being slightly interested to see how that little confrontation would turn out.

"Logan if you will allow the young man to live for the moment," Charles asks his friend to ease back.

Logan retracts his claws with an audible grunt of irritation.

"What brings you back to my Institute Colonel?" Charles asks, getting straight to it.

"That's a conversation I would like to have with you alone in private," Fury says.

Charles arches a curious eyebrow. "Very well," he agrees. "In the meantime perhaps Agent Romanova and Agent Barton would like to observe one of our training sessions. I believe Domino and Storm are giving the New Mutants one at the moment. Logan if you would be so kind," he requests of Logan to show Widow and Hawkeye down to the Danger Room.

"If I must," Logan says not sounding very happy. "This way," he says and walks off back towards the mansion.

Black Widow and Hawkeye follow. "Ok I have to know. How did baldy know my name?" Hawkeye wonders.

Widow rolls her eyes. "In case it slipped your mind Xavier is psychic...and you should have much better mental defences," she criticises Clint at the fact Xavier must have read his mind.

Hawkeye scratches his head. "Right. I knew that."

"Sure you did Clint," Widow says sounding like she doesn't believe him...which she doesn't.

While Logan leads them down to the lower levels Fury walks beside the Professor as they enter the mansion and towards the Professor's office. Watching the two men go past is Clark who had just hanged around because of curiosity really. The moment he sees Fury an image burns into his brain of the man with the eye-patch standing in some sort of stone structure along with Lex and Lionel. Magneto and Live Wire were there also. Then more images come to him of Magneto's Acolytes fighting SHIELD and him shooting down several jets. Then even more images come to him of flying all the way to Africa from the mansion back right through his time at the mansion, in Smallville, all the way back past when he reappeared in that field in front of Lois and Chloe to when he was imprisoned by Jor-El.

Faster and faster the images...no the memories come to him. Clark snaps almost to attention. He stands stock still. He knows what he has to do right now and in an instant he is gone with a whoosh.

In the Professor's office Fury declines the Professor's hospitality of an offer of refreshment. Charles watches Fury look out of the window for several moments waiting for Fury to speak. Fury's mind unlike Hawkeye's is very disciplined and difficult to read.

Fury turns round to face Xavier. "I'll get to the point. Where is the individual referred to as the Bayville Blur?"

Charles hides the surprise he feels from his face. "Before I answer may I ask why you are seeking him?"

Fury had spent many an hour this morning contemplating how much he wants to reveal. "It is a matter of national security."

"I am afraid Colonel you will have to do better than that."

"Yeah. That's what I thought you'd say. To put it as simply as I can during an operation yesterday he attacked and destroyed several SHIELD jets and took an object vital to this country's security. So I ask you again where is he?"

Charles thankfully has an extremely good poker face. Yesterday...that must have been where Clark flew off to except from their talk this morning Clark said he has no memory of anything that happened after he left until the cave. Charles replies in a calm even tone to Fury. "I have not seen the Bayville Blur since he left us after the fight with the Juggernaut and I am deeply shocked and surprised he would commit the actions you claim he has."

"Do you know where he went when he left?"

"No. He only vaguely referred to personal issues he had to attend to."

"Ok let me ask another question. Who is he?" Fury wants to know.

Well Charles will have to say if Fury hasn't worked out Clark is the Bayville Blur they have done their job well in protecting the alien teen. "That is an excellent question Colonel. Unfortunately it is not one I have an answer to. He was a most secretive person when it came to such details," he deflects the Colonel's probing.

"He was a member of your team," Fury accuses.

"He was an ally as I have stated many times when asked this previously. He did not reveal details of his past and I respected his right to his privacy. In time I had hoped he would feel comfortable in opening up and joining us permanently but to my sadness that never happened," Charles tells the lie.

"So you have no idea who he is or where he is. That about right?" Fury asks Xavier to sum up the position.

"That is the case," Charles affirms.

Fury looks at Xavier and tries to read the man but has to concede Xavier is good at maintaining a neutral expression that reveals nothing. "Well if he ever does show up perhaps you'll be kind enough to let him know I want to have a chat to him," Fury requests of Xavier.

"When or if he returns I'll pass on your message," Xavier assures Fury.

* * *

Down in the lower levels Logan leads Black Widow and Hawkeye into the observation booth of the Danger Room where Storm and Domino are currently overseeing the New Mutants session. Storm in her traditional dark blue uniform with the cape and Domino in hers which is essentially just a tight one-piece suit and despite appearances to the contrary is not black leather. It's black but the material is something Forge conjured up with an unstable molecular structure that absorbs energy like a sponge meaning it can deflect off a lot of impact. In terms of bullets it would stop anything but a straight clean hit which combined with Domino's luck powers means she is extremely safe.

Strapped to Domino's thighs are two pistols Forge also created and Dom just has to say that that kid is a genius. They are what the Professor insisted on and that was non-lethal ordnance. They fired an energy discharge capable of stunning virtually anyone into unconsciousness and they know this because they tested them on the most resilient person here; Logan. That was one of Domino's best days where she got to shoot Logan repeatedly as Forge tweaked the weapons to perfection.

Down below in the Danger Room the scene is of two old sailing ships engaged in battle where the New Mutants are pirates trying to capture the other vessel.

"I thought we agreed we weren't going to do that," Logan says sounding rather annoyed about it.

Domino and Storm turns their head with identical stern expressions. "No. That was your opinion," Domino reminds him of that discussion. "And then you walked out."

Storm picks the story up. "Dom and I talked about it more after you left and decided we would do it."

"You call this training?" Widow asks not very impressed by what she is witnessing.

"And you are?" Domino asks.

"This is the Black Widow," Logan introduces her. "Fury is paying Chuck a visit."

Storm's jaw tightens. Fury around meant something potentially serious was up. She bites back her opinion on that but she will find out why from Charles later.

"And I'm Hawkeye," Clint introduces himself. "It is a pleasure to be in such lovely company," he says with the refined flirtation of a pro.

"Naturally," Domino quips while spotting the small glare from the redhead at Hawkeye's flirtations. Ooh hoo. Dom can virtually see the green eyed monster biting. She could have a lot of fun here.

Logan breaks up this scene. "Alright enough of that. Can someone explain why we are doing this?" he asks gesturing at the DR simulation below.

Storm and Dom simultaneously roll their eyes. "Seriously Hairy. You need to relax. Maybe you should have a beer," Dom says with a smirk.

"I would if someone hadn't stolen them," he accuses glaring at her.

Dom smiles in her own infuriating manner. "Well you know teenagers," she says deflecting off it was her.

Storm rolls her eyes again knowing Domino must have done it. Domino seemed to love to find ways to irritate Logan. She addresses Logan's question and gets things back on topic. "Logan not every training session is about accomplishing a task to perfection. They're teenagers and they need to have fun and blow off steam."

"Besides," Domino starts to say. "If you think about it they are learning important lessons. They are learning how to always be aware of their surroundings in a chaotic situation and watch each other's backs."

And there was the other side of Domino Storm had come to discover existed. She did have a good analytical mind and when she was being serious and focussed she did contribute many useful suggestions about how to improve the training sessions.

Down below the New Mutants are actually winning. An idea strikes Domino and she slides in next to Hawkeye and wraps her arms around his his elbow. "So tell me. Do you fancy the idea of making it just a bit harder for them and aiding me in defeating them?" she asks him with the sultry tone of a professional flirt.

"Well I never could say no to a lady," Hawkeye replies which gets a snort from Logan because in his opinion Domino ain't a lady.

As Domino leads Hawkeye off she spots the increased glare from Widow and secretly smiles. Yep. Definitely fun.

"That's your new partner?" Logan queries from Widow not at all impressed from what he has seen so far.

"Unlike some other people he didn't quit," Natasha hits back in a cold harsh voice that hides the fact she was hurt when Logan left SHIELD and her.

"You know perfectly well why I did that!" Logan snaps back.

"Yes. Because you no longer wished to be a weapon," she recalls his words.

"And I was sick and tired of Fury's manipulations and secrets...and don't you dare think of defending him," Logan warns her off. "You know what he's like."

"Yes...but like you Logan I made a choice and mine was to serve SHIELD."

A decision Logan really doesn't understand beyond perhaps the fact that Natasha is a spy and she can't see herself doing or being anything else. He shakes his head at her and storms off in a foul mood.

Natasha lets out a momentary sigh, an uncharacteristic reveal of her feelings. She turns to find Storm observing her with a cold hard penetrating gaze. Natasha turns to look and see what Hawkeye is doing and what he is doing is cheering like a child as he swings on a rope over the ships. Another uncharacteristic moment has her smile a little bit at the sight of him. God what is happening to her. Once upon a time she could snap men's necks and not feel a thing. She doesn't feel any remorse for those things even now. It was her job but lately around Clint...

Natasha just might have to concede that maybe Sabretooth was correct. Maybe she is going soft.

* * *

Later the Professor watches as Fury and company depart the same way they arrived. Charles had deflected every probe Fury had tried about the Bayville Blur and now that Fury was gone it was time to see if he could get answers from Clark. He turns round and rolls back into the mansion. He doesn't instantly sense Clark which isn't unusual. He has to be in fairly close proximity to sense Clark's mind. Therefore Charles seeks out one of the people most likely to know where Clark is.

Charles finds Rogue in the rec room enthusiastically indulging in her love of pool against Scott and from the look of it winning decisively as usual. It isn't hard to sense for a telepath how much happier she is now that Clark has returned. He is forced to interrupt. "I apologise for intruding," he regrets doing so. "I was looking for Clark."

Rogue's brow furrows slightly puzzled. "Ah haven't seen him," she says which now she thinks about it is odd since he was meant to come find her after his meeting with the Professor. Rogue thinks she should have realised it sooner he hadn't shown up but she was too caught up in her game.

"You don't think..." Scott starts to say and then stops while shooting a concerned glance at Rogue. He was about to say something along the lines that perhaps Clark has gone off akin to what happened only the previous day. After all they have no idea what lasting impact Jor-El's meddling has had on Clark's mind.

"Don't ya think that!" Rogue snaps at Scott having guessed what he was about to say. Besides Clark promised he wouldn't leave her again.

"Now lets not jump to hasty assumptions," Charles says trying to calm the situation. "Clark has lost 3 months of his life. He may just be trying to catch up." Charles takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He reaches out with his mind to see if he can get any impression on Clark and therefore his whereabouts.

Rogue's hands slide into the pocket of her jeans and the fingers of her right hand curl round the silver looking octagonal metal disk that currently resides in there. "He's down in tha lower levels. Lab room 3," she suddenly states in a monotone.

The Professor's eyes snap open and he looks at her in the same manner that Scott is with intense scrutiny. "Rogue. How do you know that?" he asks her.

Rogue shrugs. "Ah just do."

That's...extremely strange Charles has to say. However on a hunch based on her precognitive flash that saved everyone he decides to go with it. He invites Rogue and Scott along and the 3 head for the elevator.

They soon come to the door to Lab room 3, one of the many labs where Hank or Forge or anyone really can experiment. Scott is the one who pushes the door open. The sight that greets them is that the white boards that cover every wall are covered in writing and not just any writing. It is all in Kryptonian script and on the opposite side of the room is Clark, a blur of motion, as he fills up another board in seconds with writing before moving on to the one next to it.

Clark then solidifies as he seems to pause before continuing his writing. The Professor, Scott and Rogue just watch on for several moments more until Clark fills the last board and seems to come to a stop before he slowly looks at his handiwork as if reading it back to himself.

"Clark?" Charles queries.

"Professor," Clark replies without actually looking at the man.

"May I inquire what you are doing?"

"I remember," Clark says cryptically.

"Remember what exactly?"

"The last 3 months. When I saw Fury it just all came back to me and well..." Clark gestures at the boards. "I just had an overwhelming urge to write it all down. This is what Jor-El was conditioning me to do but when the risk to the stone became too great he was forced to release me early."

"Is anyone else confused?" Scott asks pretty much completely lost.

"Very," Rogue says, a little worried about Clark.

Clark finally turns to look at his 3 guests. "You're going to want to summon the others Professor. You are all going to want to hear this," he tells them.

In short order the Professor has managed to telepathically summon the X-Men plus Martha and Jonathan. For now that will be enough. Otherwise it risks the situation having too many here raising too many questions.

Everyone stands along one wall of the room with Clark on the other. He paces a little back and forth as they await for him to explain what he has learned from getting his memory back.

"In your own time Clark," Charles says reassuringly.

"Right. We'll start at the beginning," Clark says as he walks over to one whiteboard which along with some writing has a diagram of what looks like a planet being blown up. He points at it. "Krypton was destroyed. You all know this. What you don't know and what I now do is that we destroyed ourselves."

"How do you mean Clark?" Hank asks.

"There was a war. A global civil war that literally tore the planet apart."

"How did zhat happen?" Kurt asks.

"Zod," Jonathan says repeating a word Jor-El said to him. Jor-El had said 'Before the War. Before the rise of Zod'.

"General Dru-Zod," Clark expands it. "Head of the Kryptonian military until he decided he could run things better than the ruling council."

"A coup," Scott assumes.

Clark nods. "That's what Jor-El told me."

"Jor-El told you?" Kitty queries.

"For 3 months I was locked up as Jor-El reconditioned me. He explained many things to me which I will get to in time but please allow me to tell this in the correct order or it won't make sense," Clark requests of them.

"Please continue Clark," Charles says.

"I don't know everything," Clark qualifies his words so to inform everyone not to expect him to have him every answer. "Only that Zod failed in his attempt at a swift decisive takeover and a war broke out between those loyal to him and those loyal to the ruling council. The war ravaged the planet but eventually Zod was defeated, captured and imprisoned. Only it was too late."

"How was it too late?" Jean asks, her puzzlement and confusion at what Clark has said so far plainly written on her face as it doesn't quite make sense.

"Poisoning the well. That is what the Romans called it."

Hank understands a bit more. "Yes. They did that if they couldn't defeat an enemy and hold land. They would poison all the water sources."

"Why would they do that?" Evan asks.

"It's the ultimate act of spite. If they couldn't have the land no-one could."

"In Zod's case he applied that to the whole planet," Clark explains it. "If he couldn't have the planet then it wasn't fit to survive without him. Before he was captured he unleashed some kind of doomsday weapon...I don't know what it was...only that it would inevitably lead to Krypton's destruction. Jor-El knew this which is why he placed me in a ship and launched me into space."

"By the Goddess," Ororo murmurs. That was monstrous. To exterminate your own race rather than accept defeat.

"I still don't know why no-one else could be saved," Clark says in a quiet sad tone because Jor-El never explained it once during those 3 months. Not desiring to dwell on the fact he the last of his kind Clark swiftly moves on to the next board which shows an image of his ship. "I get sent to Earth dragging pieces of the planet in my wake."

"The meteor shower," Martha fills in.

"Why Earth?" Clark asks. "Out of all the planets in the 28 galaxies Krypton knew of why was I sent to this one?"

"2-28 galaxies?" Kitty stutters out, wide-eyed, unable to believe what she is hearing. Hank's expression is pretty much identical as the infinite possibilities filter through his mind.

"Kryptonian civilisation had been around for a long long time," Clark explains that. "Millions of years I think. Anyway back on topic why Earth?"

"Because you look like us," Domino proposes as the most obvious explanation.

"Technically humans look like me," Clark corrects her. "But you're right. That's one reason. I could blend in. Also due to the powers gifted to me by the yellow sun my chances of surviving were greater. However Jor-El sent me here for a reason...well more than one but we'll get to all that. As much as I hate to do it I'll quote him. 'Humanity has great potential but it is also deeply flawed. Its flaws will lead to its own destruction'."

"Vhich means vhat precisely?" Kurt asks.

Clark smiles in a self-mocking fashion. "I was sent here to prevent it. To put it simply Jor-El expects me to save the world and the entire human race while I'm at it...so no pressure," he quips.

Charles' expression is deeply contemplative. "While I agree that humanity is far from perfect I do not agree we will inevitably destroy ourselves."

"I don't mean to sound rude but it doesn't matter whether you agree Professor. The point is this is the conclusion Jor-El has reached. That's his starting point. He believes humanity is destined to suffer the same fate as my race," Clark tries to get them to understand. "Now this gets us closer to why he was so insistent on me returning to him so I could be 'trained'," he says making air-quotes and making a derogatory facial expression. "If you take it he believes I'm suppose to lead humanity away from its self-destructive impulses...which by the way I'll just say right here and now I don't buy for one second...but lets humour Jor-El. If we assume that then the way I was raised makes that impossible."

"How?" Rogue, who had been silent up this point, asks.

"Humanity is fatally flawed and because I was raised by humans as a human I've inherited the flaw. Therefore to prepare me for my role all humanity had to be purged and thus purging the flaw with it. This would raise me above humans and allow me to see and do what needed to be done."

"It makes logical sense," Hank must concede. "If you start from the conclusion you said."

Logan snorts derisively at that.

"Yes well logical it may be but it is completely wrong," Clark dismisses it. "You can't lead people if you can't understand who they are. Can't understand what motivates them. Can't understand what it is they desire from life. Can't understand what it takes to inspire them to lead a better life. That's what I meant in the cave when I told Kal-El that Jor-El was wrong. By purging me of my humanity he was making it impossible for me to lead them because I no longer understood them. Proof positive of that was the fact that Kal-El never expected you to show up at the cave. He was totally baffled by it as matter of fact."

Charles observes Clark with some admiration. Clark says he doesn't believe he is meant to be a leader but from what he just said he has just proven he has the grasp of what it takes to be a great leader.

Clark moves on to another board. "Now I'll come onto another reason why I was sent here to Earth instead of somewhere else. Kryptonians have been visiting Earth for thousands of years and they left evidence of this but more than that they left something behind. 3 somethings to be exact that I need to protect and to fulfil what Jor-El thinks is my destiny. 3 stones." Clark taps one board over the image of a stone he has drawn. "The crystal of fire." He moves to the next board and taps on the image of another stone. "The crystal of water." He moves to a 3rd board and taps on the 3rd image he has drawn. "The crystal of air." He turns to face the group. "Named after the 3 elements."

"There are 4 elements," Kitty points out.

"In Kryptonian mythology there are only 3," Clark corrects her.

"Fascinating," Hank remarks truly interested in another civilisation's history.

Jonathan notices something about the symbol Clark has drawn on the stone. It is the figure of 8 inside a shield that was burned into Clark's chest. "Clark the mark," he says pointing at it.

"Yeah," Clark says in a tone that shows this is an uncomfortable topic. "It is the symbol for air but it was also the earliest version of the crest of the House of El. It was only later it was changed to resemble what looks like an S. The idea behind what Jor-El was doing is that it was suppose to represent the beginning of my journey and when I was done I would have earned the right to wear the modern version."

"Jor-El told you this?" Charles asks.

Clark nods. "3 months is a long time especially when as it turns out you don't absolutely require sleep and Jor-El is only a computer generated facsimile who doesn't need rest and can just talk non-stop," he says in a faraway tone as his mind drifts off into the memory of that period. He shakes his head and tries to refocus.

Domino raises her hand. "No offence but what does that this have to do with anything?" she asks.

"It's to do with why Colonel Fury was here," Clark answers Domino's question. "But first let me explain what the stones actually are. They are a fail-safe. They were designed to ensure the preservation of all Kryptonian knowledge in a worse case scenario because in simple terms what they are is a storage device that holds the entire collected wisdom of my race...a race that was around for millions of years. Earth was chosen at the time because humans were relatively primitive and could in no way access the knowledge contained within and second Earth is rather out of the way in cosmic terms. No-one would think to look for them here. That is another reason why I was sent here because the legacy of Krypton is here and I'm suppose to protect it and learn who my people really were." Clark moves onto another board with a drawing of a large crystal upon it. "When the 3 stones are united they form this and then the knowledge contained within can become accessible."

"How does this relate to Fury?" Logan finally pipes up with a question not seeing quite how it does.

"I'm getting to that. Jor-El let me out early because one of the stones' resting places was at risk of discovery."

"Clark just before you flew off you covered your ears like you were hearing something painful," Martha raises.

"What I heard was...in simplest terms a burglar alarm. It is a sound emitted when the stone is touched by a non-Kryptonian as an alert. It's designed to be so that it can't be ignored. When I heard it Jor-El's incomplete mental conditioning finally snapped into place and I became Kal-El...or what he wanted Kal-El to be."

"Vhere did you go after you left here?" Kurt asks.

"When I left here I flew to the Sahara, to the temple where the stone was hidden for safety and there I found SHIELD, Colonel Fury and Lex and Lionel Luthor."

"What!" half of them exclaim angrily since Lionel tried to kill them.

Scott looks at Clark and finds his gaze has turned to the Professor. "Clark?"

"Veritas," Clark says simply from something Jor-El said to him about the group and what it knew about him and his people.

Now everyone looks at the Professor. Veritas was the group the Professor was part of along with Lionel waiting for Clark's arrival. Somehow this must relate to that group.

Charles takes a moment to collect himself. "I know of the stories of the stones," he confesses, "and the power they are suppose to possess. Not what they actually were. They are myths about them going back many centuries."

"Did Lionel look for them?" Clark asks.

Charles nods. "He did but how far he got I do not know."

"I think he got pretty close," Clark expresses his opinion.

"How do you mean?" Jean asks.

"Lionel must have been the one to lead SHIELD there. It's the only explanation I can come up with which means he must have figured out at least where that stone was and who knows how much he knows about where the other 2 are."

"But how did he end up zhere vith SHIELD?" Kurt asks still not able to grasp the connection.

Scott answers for Clark having worked it out. "Lionel did a deal. His knowledge about the stones in exchange for his release from prison. I think we can make that assumption."

Logan growls and clenches his fists. He should have gutted Fury when he had the chance.

"This doesn't make complete sense," Kitty says. "Why would Lionel suddenly offer up information like that 3 months after he was imprisoned. Why not at the beginning?"

"I don't have that answer," Clark admits. "And honestly I'm not certain for now we will get one. However it might be related to who else was there."

"Who?" Evan asks.

"Magneto was there. His Acolytes were fighting SHIELD when I arrived. "

Charles bows his head slightly as he takes that in and wonders what it is his old friend is up to now.

"Magneto must have found out about the stones," Hank assumes.

"How?" Ororo asks baffled by how Magneto would know of these stones.

The answer suddenly occurs to Logan. "Mystique." Mystique had been at Luthorcorp for months posing as Lionel's secretary.

"She would have had like plenty of time to have hacked Lionel's personal files," Kitty suggests as she helps fill in the gaps.

"Magneto must think the stones can help create his world of mutant domination," Jean suggests as the reason he would be after them.

"They can," Clark says with utmost assuredness. "The secrets of my people's technology is contained within. If Magneto unites the stones and gains access to the knowledge within virtually overnight he would have access to technology that renders anything else on this planet obsolete. It would be like stone age man trying to fight a modern army. Not to mention the stones themselves are extremely dangerous if you don't know how to handle them. They possess different...you could use the term powers but it is not supernatural in any way. Just extremely advanced technology." Clark takes a moment. "This is why I asked you here. I need your help to find the stones. Now if necessary I'll do it by myself for the stones must not fall into human hands." Clark moves over to another board and points at the writing. "This is a warning. If human blood touches one of the stones a great darkness shall be awoken. Earth will come to the twilight of its existence and humanity will meet its Doomsday."

"What does that mean?" Scott asks.

"Haven't a clue," Clark admits. "However even if we ignore that what I can't ignore is what happens if either Magneto or SHIELD manages to unite the stones first and get access to the knowledge within."

"Ok Magneto I get but SHIELD isn't all bad right?" Evan puts forward. Logan snorts at that.

"Jor-El explained it to me and I know before anyone says it not to trust the man who brainwashed me but I can't find fault with his argument. SHIELD is essentially a department of the US government. Any technology they find would be used to strengthen the country's defences."

"How is that a bad thing?" Evan once again is the one to ask.

"Apart from it being used against mutants?" Domino points out one issue.

"Worse than that," Clark says. "Imagine how the other countries on Earth would react to finding out the US has access to technology that would render their militaries inert."

It coalesces in the X-Men's minds. "They would try and steal the technology for themselves which would start an arms race or failing that launch a pre-emptive attack while they still could," Scott makes the rational assessment.

"Bottom line is that it would upset the balance that keeps Earth in relative peace and possibly start a 3rd World War. The one good thing is that while I was in the desert I did manage to retrieve the stone. It was the crystal of fire."

"Where is it now?" Charles asks.

"Smallville. In the caves behind the wall where it should be safe. Safer than here considering Colonel Fury is looking for me and probably keeping an eye on the mansion."

"That's why he was here because you took the stone from him," Jonathan assumes.

"Yeah and I may have shot down a few of his jets which probably doesn't put me in his good books."

Logan scoffs. "Kid don't worry about it too much. No-one gets into his good books. Hell he doesn't have a good book. He eyes everyone with paranoia and suspicion. Is it hard to see why I quit?"

"It's worse than that Logan," Clark says with guilt and remorse.

"What?"

Clark pauses for a moment. "Kal-El...I decided that I couldn't take the risk of them trying to find the stones so I collapsed the temple on top of Fury, Magneto, Lex, Lionel and Live Wire," he says with shame.

"Yet Fury was here."

Clark sighs. "Kal-El didn't care too much about whether he was sure they were dead or not." Clark thinks back. "I can remember...when I left they were all still alive under the rubble. I could hear their heartbeats but how badly injured anyone was I couldn't tell you. Fury obviously wasn't."

"Clark. It is not your fault nor was it really you," Charles tries to assuage the young man's guilt.

"I know what you're saying Professor. I do. It is just if you agree to help me you have to know that Fury is going to come down on me hard because he thinks I tried to kill him and you all risk the same. That's why all I can do is ask you to help."

"Magneto cannot be allowed to find these stones," Scott states the simple truth of it all. "If that means we have to cross Fury we will but Clark really all you have to do is ask for our help."

"Absolutely," Jean says in agreement. "Clark you're our friend and if this is important to you then it's important to us."

"Ja," Kurt expresses his agreement.

"Like totally," Kitty says.

"Thank you," Clark says genuinely moved. He turns back to the walls. "However finding the other two won't be easy. Jor-El only gave me clues to their whereabouts in the form of cryptic puzzles," he says tapping on the writing on the board which are the puzzles written out.

"Why would he do that?" Evan asks.

"It's a test...another trial. It's going to take a lot of research and considering Magneto and SHIELD were at the location of one of the stones I think it is safe to say they have a head start on us."

Rogue who has been very quiet up to now steps forward next to Clark. "Ya know what there is such a thing as going too far. Ah mean could these things beh any vaguer?" she asks sounding angry about it. She starts gesturing at the board with the image of the crystal of fire upon it. "Ah mean it is ridiculous. Buried by tha sands of tahme on tha edge of tha cradle of civilisation ta tha west of tha flowing lifeblood of a parched land lies that which burns away tha dead and allows life anew ta start over."

Clark looks at Rogue, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"What?" she asks.

"Rogue you just read that word for word...and I never taught you the language."

Everyone looks at Rogue with a mixture of curiosity and puzzlement.

Rogue herself looks genuinely surprised. "Ah...what? That's not possible. Ah can't read that," she insists gesturing at it.

That is when Clark's eyes start to follow the glinting metal Rogue is holding in her right hand. He reaches out and gently encompasses her right wrist with his left hand and holds it steady. He gently pries her fingers open to reveal she is holding the octagonal key that was one part of his spaceship. "Rogue how long have you been holding onto this?" he asks her with concern leaking into his tone.

Rogue shrugs. "Ah don't know. Since just after ya left maybe."

"Can I have it back?" he asks of her.

"Sure," she says.

Clark takes the key from her. The second he does Rogue starts to wobble on her feet. Rogue suddenly feels very light-headed and her eyelids incredibly heavy. She can't stop herself from passing out. Clark catches her and cradles her to him. He kisses her gently on the temple. "It's going to be ok. I won't let him hurt you," Clark promises.

"Son?" Jonathan inquiries with the same concern everyone is feeling at the sight of Rogue passing out.

"The key is more than just the method to access the caves. It can be used by Jor-El as a receiver for his consciousness. He could have been manipulating her all this time on a subconscious level." Clark then remembers being told how Rogue saved everyone by sensing the danger before the mansion was destroyed. He turns to look at Kitty. "Kitty was Rogue holding this that night the mansion was destroyed?"

Kitty thinks back. "Uh maybe...in fact now you mention it I'm like totally sure she was."

Clark frowns. "That doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't Clark?" Ororo asks.

"You're my links to humanity. Rogue most of all. Jor-El would have used the key to make sure you were killed not to save you."

"Maybe he felt guilty?" Kurt suggests.

"No," Clark dismisses that and then explains his reasons. "I spent 3 months listening to him. I understand him a lot better now. He's about saving the entire human race and if a few have to be sacrificed to do that then he will. I know I certainly don't like the idea that he can be so callous but he can. This doesn't add up."

Clark looks down at Rogue and picks her up into his arms. "However it can also wait," he decides about trying to figure this out as he looks to Mr McCoy who leads the way as Clark carries Rogue to the infirmary. If he finds Jor-El is behind this and has permanently hurt her Clark swears that remnant of his father or not, last remaining link to his lost home or not, if Rogue doesn't make a 100% recovery he will reduce those caves to a pile of rubble.

* * *

_Author's Note: I know this is kind of long and wordy with a lot of exposition but I felt it was needed if Clark was going to explain the importance of what he is asking his friends to assist him to find. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up: Lex discovers a side-effect of handling the stone, Clark has his powers tested and tries to fly with...mixed results and we finally catch up with that certain fiery redhead._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

From Rogue's perspective one moment she is in the lab room and the next thing she knows she is lying in the infirmary with Clark sitting next to her holding her hand. She got the summary of what Clark thinks has been going on with the key being used to plant suggestions into her subconscious. It made sense up to a point Rogue supposed. It would explain how she knew what that symbol burned into the grounds meant and the overwhelming sense that they were in danger. Although like Clark's thinking it didn't seem to make sense to Rogue either that Jor-El would save her.

Anyway Mr McCoy did his tests and found nothing physically wrong with her and the Professor couldn't find any evidence of any damage to her mind. Since there was no evidence of any long term damage that could be detected she was quickly released from the infirmary and back to living her life as normal...or as normal as it gets at the Institute.

That was all a couple of days ago now. Rogue had just finished the morning DR session with the X-Men and was looking for Clark who had been excused from DR sessions to allow him time to reacclimatise after missing the last 3 months of his life Storm had explained when Evan asked how Clark was getting out of it. It doesn't make much guess work for Rogue to figure out where Clark is. It is where he has basically been for the last 2 days. Lab room 3 translating everything he wrote on the boards and doing research into trying to find the locations of the other 2 stones.

Now Rogue may be being a little paranoid here but she thinks he has been using this as an excuse to avoid her because she hasn't seen much of him these last 48 hours. Oh she sees him. He keeps dropping off gifts for her as his way of showing his affection and making up for the 3 months he was gone. It was these really expensive chocolates this morning. She doesn't know where he got them from. He would then kiss her, say how much he loves her and then essentially vanish for the rest of the day...and night.

It is not like Rogue is overly sexed or anything but it's lonely without him sharing a bed with her.

Rogue reaches the door to the lab and pushes it open. She finds him at the far wall with his back to her writing a translation.

"How was training?" he asks her.

Rogue steps into the room no longer surprised by the fact he knows she is there without looking. "Tha same as always," she replies. "How long before ya start doin' them again?"

Rogue sees his broad shoulders shrug. "I'm busy," he says like it's an excuse. "And you don't really need me."

Rogue frowns. "Now where did ya get that idea from?"

"Did you or did you not successfully complete the session?"

"Well yeah we did."

"Then you don't need me," Clark explains what he thinks is obvious. If they managed to do it without him then they don't really need him.

Rogue scrutinises Clark intently and places her hands on her hips. "Alright Clark. What is going on?"

Clark turns round, a puzzled expression on his face. "Sorry?"

"What is going on?" she repeats her question.

"I'm sorry I'm still a little lost."

Rogue sighs. Why does he have to make this so difficult and yes she probably knows that's ironic coming from her. "You're avoiding meh," she accuses him.

"I'm sorry if you think that but really I'm just busy and seriously you of all people are going to question me about avoiding issues?" he asks her since she still refuses to talk about what happened with Wanda.

Ok that stung...probably because it had a ring of truth to it. Rogue however pushes through it. She is not someone to let stuff lie. "Is this guilt?"

"Guilt?"

"About what happened ta meh." As she says it the tell-tale signs of guilt creep into Clark's face. "It is isn't it?"

"I have work to do," he says and turns his back to her and resumes his translations.

"Oh no. Ya don't get away that easy," she tells him as she stalks up behind him.

Clark looks to the heavens. He couldn't fall in love with someone who would just accept he doesn't want to talk about it could he. No Clark had to go for the tough as nails one who always went for the straight truth. All too soon Rogue is by his side, her arms folded across her chest, her left foot tapping the floor impatiently. "You're not letting this go are you?" Clark realises.

"Nope."

"Would it make any difference if I actually mentioned the Wanda issue directly."

"This isn't about meh and ah'm not using that to avoid ya."

"No you just avoid Wanda which by the way doesn't create an easy situation for me or for anyone else."

"Ah know that," Rogue says in a quieter voice. "But ah ain't talkin' about it!" she says with some finality.

Clark shuts his eyes for a moment. He has a feeling this issue between Rogue and Wanda is going to drag on for awhile.

"Ah'm still waitin," she says.

"It's not what you think. Yes I do feel guilty. I should never have left that key here."

"Except if ya hadn't we could all quite probably beh dead."

"There is that," he concedes. Although it still makes no sense to Clark that Jor-El would save them. He hasn't decided what to do about it yet. A trip to Smallville and yet another showdown with what remains of his biological father is not particularly something Clark feels like doing at the minute. At least he has the relief that Rogue seems unharmed and that he has the key back in his possession where it can't harm anyone else.

"So what is actually bothering ya?" Rogue asks him, wanting to know.

Clark can see she isn't letting this go so he decides to confess. Truthfully he needs to tell someone. "3 months Rogue. 3 months imprisoned alone in the darkness as my mind was reconditioned and I can remember every single second of it and then..."

Rogue's face morphs into worry and sympathy. She takes one of his hands into hers and gently rubs the back of it with her thumb. "And then?"

"I know what it feels like to not be myself exactly. Red kryptonite does that but that feels good. Jor-El stripped me of everything I was until I was a blank sheet. I lost all sense of who I was and then he forced this arrogant, cold, uncaring personality onto me. Kal-El...you don't want to know just how low an opinion he had of the human race."

Rogue thinks she gets a better understanding of what is bothering him. Kal-El is the antithesis of everything Clark Kent is and now Clark has to live with what that felt like. "But ya beat him Clark and ya said Jor-El was wrong."

"Jor-El is wrong but what he made me do in that temple..." Clark shudders with revulsion at the memory.

Rogue thinks this may be the crux of the matter. "Clark ya didn't kill them," she says softly

"I could have. Under all that rubble they could well have received fatal injuries. Just because Fury survived doesn't mean anyone else did."

"Clark..." Rogue starts to say but he pulls away from her.

"I promised myself Rogue. After what happened with mom and the baby...I promised myself I would never let my actions cause suffering like that again. It was part of why I came here so I could learn to use my powers for the better but I broke that promise."

"No ya didn't."

"How can you say that?"

"Look ah know ya probably don't lahke ta think about this but tell meh truthfully if ya had really wanted ta kill them in a more direct manner could ya have."

"Too easily," he says with disgust. Clark hates to think about, how with his power, just how easily he could kill someone.

"Then why didn't ya?" she asks. "Ya brought tha roof down but there were more direct ways ta do it so why didn't ya?"

Clark's brow drops as he tries to remember back. Why didn't Kal-El just kill them outright? "I don't know," he says unable to find any reason why Kal-El chose to simply bring the roof down. In fact even when he shot the jets down he did it in a fashion that made sure the pilots could eject to safety but again Clark doesn't know why.

"Ya want ta hear mah theory?"

Clark looks at her wondering what she is thinking.

Rogue continues. "Kal-El didn't kill because Clark Kent was in there stopping him."

"I'm not sure about that. Rogue I was buried deep."

"But ya were there. If ya weren't there would have been nothin' for Mrs Kent and meh ta save. It's about what ya choose ta believe and ah choose ta believe ya were strong enough ta influence Kal-El. After all what's tha other explanation?"

"I really don't have one."

"Ah rest mah case."

Clark laughs at her expression, takes a step forward and pulls her into his arms. "Thank you."

Rogue wraps her arms around his broad back. "Feelin better?"

"A bit. I never really thought about it the way you said but you're right. I don't know why that never occurred to me. It's funny."

"What is?"

"I know you like to come off as the dark brooding one but you're the one who often cheers me up."

"Payback for all tha tahmes ya cheer meh up. Besides ah'm your girlfriend. Cheering ya up comes in tha job description."

"You're very good at your job," he assures her.

"Naturally," she says with her inherent sass which elicits another chuckle from deep in his chest. He pulls back from the hug, lowers his head and seals her lips with a kiss. Rogue reciprocates the kiss with a pleasured moan. The kiss ends and Rogue gently strokes his cheek. "Will ya beh alright?"

Clark sighs. "I will be in time but I just hate having feelings and memories that aren't mine but at the same time they are mine...I'm not sure you know what I mean."

"Ah do. Remember ah have tha memories of tha people ah absorb. Sometahmes what ah feel are their thoughts and emotions."

"Oh." Clark mentally kicks himself for forgetting that...not that he really forgets anything but he can be distracted just like anyone else and things slip from the surface. "How do you cope?" he asks her honestly.

"Ah just learned ta deal with it...and tha Professor helps. Ya know we talk and he taught meh some methods on how ta control and contain it all. Sometahmes talking helps."

Clark arches an eyebrow at that statement considering her refusal to discuss the Wanda issue.

"Ah said sometahmes," she says defensively with a scowl threatening her features.

Clark decides to let that go for today since he has enough to deal with with his own feelings. However it is nice to know that Rogue understands how he feels. For so long he felt so alone and that no-one could really understand him but here at the institute he found people that could and a place where he felt he could belong. He turns back to the boards.

"So do ya remember everything now?" Rogue asks of him.

"More or less."

"Including how did ya know mah surnahme?" she asks really wanting to know how he knew it.

"Ask Jor-El. There was a part during my confinement where he was using you and everyone else as an example of why emotional ties are a weakness and when he talked about you he used your full name. How he knew it I don't know."

Rogue frowns and almost scowls. She seriously wishes to give Jor-El a piece of her mind. She forces her temper to calm. Not going to get a proper answer she decides to ask how Clark is getting on with what he has been doing these last couple of days with what he wrote on these boards.

"I've translated most of it. Some of the terms don't have a proper equivalent in English so that makes it hard. A lot of it is technical. Descriptions of what the stones are composed of, the basics of the technology within." Clark points over at the board with the image of his spaceship upon it which along with the Kryptonian script has translations in English including mathematical formulae. "That for example is the basics of Trans-Warp theory."

"Which is?"

"A method of faster-than-light propulsion. You should have seen Mr McCoy's face when I told him that," Clark says with a laugh.

Rogue smiles. "Ah can imagine," she says knowing what Mr McCoy is like.

"I've translated the other 2 puzzles."

"What do they say?"

Clark points at one. "The Crystal of air. In a land to the east it rests. That which allows life to breath, whose turbulence gives us the wind, lies buried at the root of the branch of the river that is not a river."

"Vague much," Rogue says doing a Kitty impression.

"I know and the last one for the crystal of water isn't any better. In the shadow of a lost empire lies that which transfers the spirit of life from the sky to the ocean. Surrounded by the depths and buried in fire you shall find a truth long hidden."

"Ya have any idea what any of that means?"

"A land to the east I believe is using human references so I'm thinking the Far East which really doesn't narrow it down much and the other one refers to an island I'm guessing."

"How did Jor-El expect ya ta find these based on that?" Rogue asks unable to see how it was possible.

"My people have been visiting Earth for a long time and there are many myths about the stones. It doesn't take more than a simple online search to find references to them. The trick will be sorting out what are truths from what are just stories. It's not going to be something I'm going to be able to do tomorrow or the next day. Even at the speed I read at this is going to take weeks of research."

"So really. Ya are going ta find them?"

"I have to. Not because of Jor-El," he contradicts what he assumes Rogue means. "But for what I said. Imagine if Magneto got his hands on them with the power they could give him."

Rogue does. It is not a pretty picture.

"And also...there are all I have left of my home," he says with a pained tone because for as much as he is not particular endeared to Jor-El at the minute it doesn't change the fact he is an orphan of a world part of him wonders was like and these stones could give him those answers.

Rogue slips her hands into his and squeezes it reassuringly. "But if ya have one then surely old Bucket-head can't get his hands on tha information inside?" she queries.

"If you bring two of the stones together it activates the 3rd and the two you have will lead you right to it. They will only be safe once I have two of them," Clark explains.

"Ok ah see," Rogue says in understanding. Her eyes drift over the boards but unlike the other day she can't read any of it which she is going to go with as a good thing. "So ah was meaning ta ask. If mah job is to cheer ya up what's yours in this relationship?" she wonders.

"To always love and support you."

"Good answer."

"Thanks. Well that and a certain other duty."

"What other duty?"

Clark leans down and whisper in her ear in a husky tone, "The one that involves me coming over to your room tonight."

Rogue warms up at that thought. "Oh that one. Yeah that...you're really good at that."

"So are you."

Rogue only wishes it was night-time now but she's going to have wait hours. Dang it!

* * *

**Smallville...**

In his office at the Luthor mansion Lex Luthor was trying to come to terms with what he was being told by his doctors after his last examination. He had left his father in SHIELD's care for the moment and returned to his life. He does have a company to run and more than that he only wanted to be examined by his doctors. He didn't want SHIELD to know of his condition, the one caused by his father's attempt to poison him.

Except there was no condition. The toxin was gone and not a single one of his doctors could give any explanation.

Lex sits behind his desk and tries to make sense of it. How could he suddenly be cured of a poison when for months his doctors couldn't do anything. Whatever his father had poisoned him with was beyond recognition. Lex's best guess was that it was something developed by the biological weapon department of Luthorcorp. However it was gone. He was completely healthy again. Some people would just take it as a miracle and move on but not Lex Luthor. Too many strange events have occurred around him for him to accept that. There had to be an answer.

He was definitely sick before he left on this mission with SHIELD so whatever happened it was during that time period...except nothing happened beyond the nearly dying. The only unusual part was...

The stone.

Lex handled it...it glowed. He thought it his imagination or a trick of the light but what if it wasn't. What if somehow that stone cured him.

If that is the case then the stories relating to the stones really did have just basis which made it all the more urgent to find them.

Lex's phone rings. The caller id is withheld. He decides to answer it anyway because he has a feeling he knows who it is. "Colonel Fury. I suppose I could ask how you got this number."

"I could ask how how you knew it was me," Fury retorts.

"What can I do for you Colonel?" Lex asks getting straight to business.

"We still have an arrangement," Fury reminds Lex of a deal they made when Lex came to him asking for his help.

"Which I will adhere to Colonel. I always uphold my deals but I also have a company to run and my father is going to be in your infirmary for several days. You can also expect him to try and drag this out for as long as possible in an attempt to preserve his leverage. Don't trust him and don't take your eye off of him," Lex warns Fury about his father.

"We can handle Lionel Luthor."

Lex holds back a derisive snort. That is the kind of attitude that will let his father manage to do something. What, Lex does not know...yet but Lex knows his father. If he is given even an inch this will blow up in their faces. "When my father decides to reveal more information call me and I'll have it looked into. In the meantime I will oversee the other part of our arrangement. Good day Colonel," Lex ends the call.

Lex takes a calming breath. The toxin in his body may be gone but dealing with his father is always bad for his blood pressure. However now that he is well again he can go back to his more normal life. For example he doesn't have to be as distant as it relates to Lana. He had hidden his illness from her so as not to worry her. Maybe he could fly to Paris and surprise her. In fact that really is not a bad idea. In fact that is precisely what Lex decides he will do.

* * *

**SHIELD Hellicarrier...**

Fury ends his phone call with Lex Luthor with an ominous feeling that he is going to regret making a deal with the Luthors. He has too many issues to deal with that don't involve the domestic that is the father/son dynamic of Lex and Lionel Luthor. Lionel alone has given him enough headaches to last several lifetimes after what transpired with the Sentinels and what they discovered when they seized Luthorcorp and the many illegal aspects Lionel was involved in...and this is the man he had to scrounge up a pardon for because they needed him to stop Magneto.

Some days Fury thinks he needs another job.

His lamenting of his life is interrupted by a knock on his door. It opens and walking in comes a man of average height, lanky, in his late twenties, with short brown hair and blue eyes framed by glasses, clad in a white shirt and blue jeans under his white lab coat. He is holding a file with pieces of papers sticking out of it at every angle and he seems quietly agitated about something. "C-Colonel Fury...s-sir, the man stammers through a lack of self-confidence and in the presence of such a man as Fury.

"This better be important," Fury says already sounding annoyed because this guy bothers him with trivialities far too often. If he wasn't a genius and if he didn't need to be watched due to his _condition_ Fury would not tolerate him.

"Y-yes sir it is. It's about something we seized from Luthorcorp. Y-you asked me to study it." The man searches through the file in his hand and half the papers fall to the floor.

Fury starts rubbing his head as a knot of pain begins to form. "Get to the point!" Fury snaps impatiently.

"I'm trying," the man pleads in utter frustration as he struggles to against his groggy mind. "I-it's hard to think straight with all these sedatives you inject me with," he complains.

"Banner," Fury addresses the man plainly. "Do we really need to relive what happened last time you were off the sedatives?"

Dr Bruce Banner's face visible pales at the memory of what happened last time. "N-No sir."

Fury nods once. "You were saying," he prompts Banner to start again.

Banner starts again a little more focussed. "It was the platelets of unknown origin. Lionel Luthor was trying to use them to cure his liver disease."

That strikes a chord in Fury's memory. "They produce cellular regeneration but it was never permanent and the platelets can't be synthesised to produce an endless supply."

"That's right. I was rereading the research of the Luthorcorp scientists when it suddenly struck me. The platelets can't seem to permanently repair the damage in a normal human subject due to the incompatibility of the genetic codes between humans and whatever these platelets were taken from. However he is a rather unique case and when combined with the residue of the formula in his cellular structure I believe the very nature of the serum will mean that once the platelets have repaired the damage it will be permanent. Originally the flaw was caused at the very moment he was placed in the machine. This will repair the flaw and he will be what he was suppose to be in the first place."

Fury lets a breath at that rambling speech. "Banner. Could you phrase that in some way I can understand? Who and what are you talking about?"

Banner looks at Fury puzzled. He thought he had been perfectly clear. "Captain America. I believe these platelets can revive him."

Fury had assigned Banner to solve the problems of recreating the Super-Soldier Serum and overcoming the inherent flaw that eventually all but killed Captain America. In the process of doing this Fury had hoped that Banner would find a cure for Captain America's condition. After seizing Luthorcorp and finding the huge breadth of genetic experiments Fury had assigned Banner to look over many of Luthor's biological experiments since the majority of them involved forms of radiation from the meteor rocks and their mutating effects. Banner's speciality was Gamma Rays induced mutation but radiation in general he was also expert in. "You are certain of this?" Fury asks Banner to confirm what he just said.

Banner looks around before he pulls out a piece of paper from his file and hands it to Fury. "In the simulations I ran it worked."

Fury skims over the paper. "A simulation is one thing Banner. Captain America can only be revived once. If it doesn't succeed the first time..."

"He dies. I know and in fact there are only enough platelets to attempt it once...but there are also just enough platelets to try it on a few small tissues samples beforehand."

Fury knows he is taking a risk but if his Avengers Project is to succeed he needs Captain America to lead it and if there is any chance of reviving the man in the near future then he has to take it. "I'll have some tissue samples brought to you. Run your tests," Fury permits.

A smile comes to Banner's face. "Thank you." He turns to leave but stops at the door. "Colonel Fury sir. I was wondering...have you had any word from Dr Ross?"

Great. Relationship issues. Fury does not need this. "Directly no. Last I heard she was taking a break from hard research and spending a semester teaching in San Francisco."

A sad smile comes to Banner's face. Sad she is far away and a smile at the image of her teaching. She'll be great at that he has no doubt. He knows why Betty left him. He doesn't blame her. Who wants to be around a man who turns into a monster but one day he swears he'll get the beast inside him under control and then he'll get Betty back.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

After lunch Clark had been requested down to the infirmary by Mr McCoy to do...surprise surprise more tests.

Clark can see Mr McCoy's brow furrow as he reads over some results. "Something wrong?"

"Not wrong. Just different from the results I got when I tested you after you returned from Smallville," Hank reports. "Primarily the aura your body generates is weaker indicating your powers are diminished."

"Oh that," Clark says with sudden understanding. "I can explain that."

Hank looks at Clark with mild surprise quickly followed by interest in what the teen has to say.

"In the caves Jor-El explained a few things about my powers. He said there was a difference between what I am capable of doing and what my body is ready to handle. Due to the fact he had to release me early he augmented my powers by prematurely bringing them to my physical peak. Without his influence my guess would be they have reverted to what they should be at my age."

Hank supposes it makes sense that as Clark matures his body grows and adapts to handle his powers better and bring him closer to whatever his full potential is. "So I assume you won't be flying away at Mach 7 for the moment."

"I was going faster than that. It only took me minutes to reach that temple in the Sahara."

Hank looks at Clark with astonishment. "Clark to travel that distance in..."

"Uh go with about 10 minutes."

Hank does the maths in his head. "Clark you have to be travelling at 40 times the speed of sound minimum."

"I know and honestly I don't think I was anywhere near my maximum...or what could be my maximum one day. However it's all moot for the moment. I certainly can't travel anywhere near that speed without Jor-El's influence and I most assuredly can't fly."

"You said you remember what happened," Hank reminds Clark.

"I do...mostly," Clark slightly corrects what he said previously. "However the exact mechanics of how I fly are still a little hazy. Basically I don't know how Kal-El did it," he admits.

"Well something to work on," Hank remarks. "I would like to do the same basic measurements of your varying visual and auditory abilities along with your strength strength and speed as we have done before to see where precisely you stand at this juncture," he requests.

Clark supposes this was inevitable so he simply nods in agreement. "Before we go do that can I ask you something Mr McCoy?"

"Of course Clark," Hank permits.

"It's about Rogue."

"Clark that is covered by patient/doctor confidentiality," Hank cautions Clark from asking something he can't answer.

"It's nothing personal. I would never do that behind her back," Clark swears.

Since Clark is a good honest person Hank can trust in that. "Please. Ask your question."

"When we came back after rescuing everyone from Stryker we retrieved these power inhibiting collars."

Hank can guess what the question is. "Therefore why doesn't Rogue have a device to control her powers?"

Clark nods.

Hank removes the small round glasses off his face and sighs sadly. "After the mansion was destroyed we couldn't find them. Even if they hadn't been lost or more likely destroyed as you know the mansion had been picked clean and the collars are obviously a complex and advanced piece of engineering. We wouldn't have been able to analyse them properly for weeks. Even now I'm still waiting for some equipment to be delivered. Also to be honest even the basic physics of how the devices work is not something I currently grasp."

"Excuse me for one moment," Clark says and vanishes in a gust of wind. He returns a moment later holding a piece of paper. He hands it over to Mr McCoy.

"What's this?"

"When I removed the device from Rogue I x-rayed it beforehand to make sure it was only the lock I fried with my heat vision. That is everything I saw. Now my powers were weakening and I'm not sure I saw everything but it should be a basis to start from right?"

Hank looks over what is the drawing Clark has made of what he must have seen within the collar. He can recognise some if not most of the components Clark has drawn. "It could be a beginning but still I wouldn't raise your expectations too high," Hank cautions. "I may not be able to recreate them any time in the near future."

"I know. I'm not expecting the impossible Mr McCoy but if Stryker can do it then it is possible. I know it may take you some time but with Forge's help I'm sure we can do it. Besides Stryker is still out there. The least we can do is try and come up with a way to counter their effect for next time."

Sadly Hank must concede Clark is probably correct in his assessment that there will be a next time they meet Colonel Stryker. Hank puts the drawing aside in a safe place for the moment. He can begin work on that later. For now he wants to test Clark's powers.

* * *

First things first are tests of Clark's visual and auditory powers. The range of both having increased significantly not just due to the fact Clark's powers grow as time passes but that a legacy of Jor-El's brainwashing is Clark having a better understanding of how his powers work. He can see and hear things that are literally many miles away. Clark came up with nickname of Telescopic vision for his ability to see over long distances and appropriately Microscopic vision for his ability to magnify extremely small things, down to the cellular level as it turned out, into crystal clarity. Now some cells are larger and easier to see than others and Clark still has limits. Hank put it at somewhere between 30 and 40 times magnification.

Once that was over it is a trip to the Danger Room to measure Clark's strength that comes next. Clark stands in the appropriate place as the section of the roof drops onto him as he rests it on his shoulders to start with with his hands places flat against the bottom as he waits to begin. Up in the observation booth or more accurately crammed into the observation booth is everyone. They are all here because it is always vital for a team to work successfully to know what each member of that team is capable of.

The hydraulic pumps are activated and Hank supposes they'll see who has a higher limit. The pumps after their latest upgrade or Clark. Last time they measured Clark's strength 5 months ago it was about 2200 tons.

He surpasses that figure in under a minute and the first signs of strain don't appear on his face until the pressure is past 4000 tons. It isn't until 4625 tons that Clark drops to one knee.

"You know for once I'm lost for words," Domino comments never having seen before how strong Clark actually is.

"Miracles never cease," Logan dead-pans.

"No they don't. After all look at me," Domino says gesturing at herself with mock arrogance.

"Every day," Bobby murmurs because seriously Domino was just spectacular to look at.

"That's more than double the measurement from last time," Hank comments as he records it as a chart of Clark's progress. All the students have similar records as it helps Hank and the Professor monitor them and help them adjust to their abilities as they grow and evolve.

"How strong was he when he first arrived?" Dom wonders.

"He could lift just under 900 tons," Jean answers.

"Clark's powers roughly increase by a margin over 50% every 3 months," Hank informs Domino. "Next month he will have been here a year so doing the maths it seems this is where his abilities would be expected to be."

"Amazingly I'm still lost for words," is Dom's reply.

"But not enough to not talk," Logan gripes.

Domino rolls her eyes at him. Logan is still just grumpy about her drinking his beer.

That test done they all move onto the next one. The Danger Room activates and a simulation of what looks like a wind tunnel appears.

"Ok so vhat is zhis?" Kurt asks.

"When Clark regained his memory he also gained the knowledge of a power he was previously unaware of but that Jor-El taught him to use," the Professor explains.

"More abilities?" Jamie asks sounding amazed.

"He really does live up to that Superboy name doesn't he," Tabby remarks with a whistle.

"When you are ready Clark," Hank speaks over the PA.

Clark takes a deep breath and recalling what it is he did as Kal-El unleashes the full force of his lungs. While not as powerful as what Kal-El could do Clark still manages to unleash a wind of substantial force. More than enough to easily blow any normal person off their feet.

Scott can see the potential uses for that when confronted by a close together group of opponents. Clark could literally blow them off their feet and put them at a disadvantage. Storm can do something similar when she summons up the wind. Combining the two of them could be extremely effective at disabling opponents.

Domino leans over to Rogue. "Piece of advice. Don't allow him to eat garlic just before he does that."

"Hey!" Tabby complains. "That was my line," she says with a pout.

Domino smirks. "You snooze you lose Tabs but you're welcome to try and beat me."

"Oh I will be," Tabby promises in what is a friendly little rivalry that has been started up over the summer between the two.

"Lets move on shall we," Hank proposes having gotten enough data for now for him to study from the sensors he strapped on Clark before they started.

* * *

"So why are we doing this outside?" Ray asks as the students hang around on the grounds as Mr McCoy fits a few different sensors onto Clark.

"Because you don't want me inside when I pass through the sound barrier," Clark answers the question and he is certain he will pass that barrier. He did so when he ran to Smallville to confront Jor-El.

Kitty nods in understanding. "Yeah sonic booms can be hazardous."

"Done," Hank says as he finishes attaching one last sensor.

Clark adjusts his X-Men uniform. He hasn't worn this in 3 months but it was still the same blue suit with long red coat atop with the golden X inside a circle on the back and red boots. Clark briefly wonders if he can keep wearing this with Fury after him. He can't help but think that putting some distance between his public persona of the Bayville Blur and the X-Men might protect them better but he can think on that more later.

"In your own time Clark," Hank says.

Clark nods. They had agreed on a circular course he is to run several miles long. In a blur of motion and a gust of wind he is gone while everyone's attention shifts to the device that is relaying the signal from one of the sensors strapped around Clark's arm showing the speed he is running at.

Although when the muffled sound of a sonic boom reaches them shortly after he left that is a give away too. Soon the numbers level out.

"What's the verdict?" Evan asks since he is standing in a position where he can't get a clear view.

"1078 miles per hour which is not far off Mach 1.5," Hank reports the reading.

"Did you not say he was flying substantially faster than that when he left the mansion?" Ororo inquires.

"And when he was flying back to Smallville he was going Mach 3," Scott recalls.

"Clark explained that was due to Jor-El artificially augmenting his powers to make him better able to complete the task Jor-El was sending him on in relation to the 3 stones Clark told us about. This is what Clark is capable of at his current age," Hank responds to the points Ororo and Scott are making.

"What does that mean 'at his current age'?" Jean asks.

"That what Jor-El did was prematurely bring Clark's powers to his physical peak. What he did is what he will be capable of one day but not right now."

"Astounding," Charles has to remark. "I think you can call him back now Hank," he decides that that is enough for Clark running around. The reading has not gone above 1078 so that must be Clark's maximum for today.

Hank activates the communicator he gave Clark and a few moments later Clark appears with his usual gust of wind kicking up some dust.

"Dude ease up," Roberto complains as he coughs on the dust.

"Sorry," Clark apologises.

"So like what's next?" Kitty asks.

"Flying," the Professor answers.

In response Clark groans. He had really hoped to come up with an excuse to avoid trying this. He has an ominous feeling this won't go well because one major difference between himself and Kal-El is that Clark has a fear of heights and flying tends to make him queasy. "It might be best if you stand back," Clark advises unsure what exactly will happen when he attempts this but not wanting anyone too close to him because if he lands on someone with his mass and density it is liable to really hurt them.

Everyone clears a space around Clark while he closes his eyes and tries to remember what he did as Kal-El. He bends his knees and pushes off the ground. Upward he soars until he reaches the top of his arc and the bounds of gravity he has not broken as its relentless pull drags him back down. He impacts the ground, kicking up more dust as his landing creates a small impact crater.

Clark takes a moment and tries again with the same result.

"Maybe ya can try a running take off," Sam, who can fly although it is like a missile and his control still needs work, suggests from his personal experience.

"An excellent idea Samuel," the Professor praises the young man's thinking.

"Alright," Clark agrees as he blurs off some distance away. He slides to a stop, takes a breath and starts running back. He leaps and only rises a short way before landing. He keeps running and leaps again higher and further before landing. He keeps running and puts all his muscle into pushing off the ground and he soars upward and upward, over the others, over the mansion even and heading in the direction of the woods that border the mansion grounds.

With the exhilarating feeling of the wind in his face and himself in the sky for a brief moment Clark can feel what he did when he was Kal-El and his body accelerates under its own power but it is only for a moment before he loses the feeling and he starts to fall uncontrolled right at the mass of trees. "Oh on," he says as he closes his eyes and braces himself for the impact.

At the loud crash sound that follows the students and teachers of the Xavier Institute come running around the mansion, out the front gate and into the woods. They soon find a long trench carved out of the ground with dozens of trees knocked aside and broken like kindling. They follow the trench to its end where upon finding Clark not a single one of them can stop the fit of giggles they break into. Even the adults join in including Martha and Jonathan.

"We shouldn't you know," Martha says to her husband in between her fits of laughter feeling a tad guilty about laughing at her son's misfortune.

In his head Jonathan is mentally agreeing with his wife but it's just too funny the sight in front of him to stop himself from laughing. From what he is seeing he can guess Clark must have hit the ground head first and his head and shoulders were now buried under the pile of earth he had carved out, his coat was flopped over upward and his rear was sticking up in the air. It was too comical for words.

Kitty, between her giggles, pulls out her phone and snaps a picture and prepares to send it to everyone at the Institute to make sure this moment is saved for all prosperity.

"Oh hey now," Kurt says spotting what Kitty is up to. "Zhat's not very nice. He is our friend."

"Is that so?" Kitty asks with a grin. "In that case why are you laughing?"

Kurt looks at his prone friend and can't help himself as he laughs once again but on the inside he really feels bad about it...honestly.

Clark starts to stir. His arms move and he pushes himself up. The dirt falls away easily from him and he ends up sitting on the ground looking at the assembled group who burst into a new fit of giggles at the sight of his dirt encrusted face and hair.

"Smile Clark!" Kitty shouts as she snaps another picture.

Clark just sits there looking completely nonplussed.

"Just wait till I like stick this on my Facebook page," Kitty announces in eager anticipation of the response she could get.

In an instant Clark is off the ground and Kitty's phone is snatched from her hand and into his.

"Too late," Kitty announces as she has already sent it, not to her Facebook page(that was a joke), but to everyone's phone just like the first picture as she snatches her phone back.

Clark's face falls. Oh dear God. He's doomed. He then spots Rogue clutching at her sides laughing her head off. "Hey," he complains making a frowny face. "You're suppose to support me," he reminds her.

"A-Ah am," Rogue promises before spluttering into another laughing fit at the sight of Clark who pouts in response.

The Professor clears his throat and the laughing subsides. "I take it your flying lacks some...refinement," he assumes at what transpired with barely repressed amusement of his own in his tone. Charles knows he above all shouldn't laugh but perhaps with the hard summer they all have had maybe this is just a release they all need and he cannot deny the humour of Clark's appearance.

Clark makes some effort to dust himself off. It doesn't make his appearance any better. "Lacking refinement is an understatement," Clark replies. "But for a moment there I was flying under my own power. I felt it...and then I lost it in more ways than one," he says wryly.

"That's a beginning," the Professor takes the positive. "Now all you have to do is to capture that feeling and hold onto it."

"I guess," Clark agrees with not very much enthusiasm to try again.

The Professor picks that up in Clark's tone. "But perhaps not today. Why don't you get cleaned up and we'll do a proper review of the data we've gathered," Charles suggests.

Clark nods and everyone starts to drift off back towards the mansion many of them still chuckling. Clark sighs. "I'm never living this down," he mutters.

A gloved hand brushes that errant, currently dirt encrusted, lock of hair off his forehead and Clark looks to find Rogue smiling at him with an amused expression. He should be mad but never can be when a smile adorns Rogue's face and any smile always looks so beautiful upon her face.

His parents come up to him with their own amused expressions. "Not you too," Clark whines at them. They're his parents. They're suppose to support him.

"Sorry honey," Martha apologises before she chuckles once again. "But it was funny," she says in her defence.

"Wasn't it," Rogue says laughing.

Jonathan places a hand on his son's shoulder as an apology but he too is barely holding back another fit of laughter.

Clark sighs in resigned defeat. He guesses he'll just have to accept it and he guesses one day he will look back on this and laugh about it but that day isn't today. He takes Rogue's hand into his own which she doesn't resist and the 4 of them start to walk back towards the mansion.

"Clark," his mother says his name.

"Yeah?"

"When you're cleaned up and finished with the Professor, Ororo and I will be having a word with you...and Rogue."

"Meh? About what?" Rogue asks, utterly confused what Mrs Kent is on about.

"About what two got up to in the woods and on that first night back here," Martha adds knowing that Clark and Rogue slept together from the happy glowy feel she got off both the next morning.

"Huh?" Rogue says still lost.

"Two words," Jonathan says with a little relish at what he is about to follow that up with because he feels the two teens need a cooling off. "Sex. Ed."

That is when it hits Clark and Rogue. After they were caught in the woods they were promised a sex education refresher that never happened because of Jor-El and the fake cousin Kara and Clark leaving and then vanishing.

"Now before you protest," Martha pre-empts. "Scott and Jean did not get to avoid it and you two won't either so don't as much as utter a word," she says sternly.

Clark and Rogue both know that voice and don't even try because it is pointless. Martha's mind was made-up. They both blush profusely at the thought of what will happen. Clark looks to the heavens. "I should have stayed brainwashed," he repeats his mantra of the last few days whenever a revelation is dropped on him.

* * *

That night Tabby falls on her bed laughing at the images of Clark on her mobile. This is never going to get old and neither is the teasing she and well everyone has been inflicting upon him since this afternoon. Even Wanda was laughing at it albeit she was standing a long way apart from Rogue as she did so.

That situation between Wanda and Rogue was getting even on Tabby's nerves and believe her she has tried to get to the bottom of it but Wanda wasn't budging about being tight-lipped on the incident.

Tabby's good humour falls slightly when Amara enters their room looking quite sullen. She can guess what this is about. "Mara. Can I ask you a question?"

Amara looks at Tabby surprised she is asking that. Tabby usually just goes ahead and asks. "Sure...I guess."

"Did you like Claire?"

Amara's eyes widen for a moment before she schools her features like a good princess does. "Of course I did. She was my friend," she says evenly.

"Mara. I meant like like and you know I won't judge you on that girl but you have been kinda a mood killer this summer and I just want to know if there is anything I can do."

Amara debates whether to say anything.

"Come on Mara. Talk to me," Tabby pleads.

Amara sighs and sits on her bed opposite Tabby. "Does it matter? She's gone."

"Your feelings haven't and that matters," Tabby says seriously because what she has learned from her hated experience with the Brotherhood and the attempt to mess up her mind by old Bucket-head is that there is a time to be serious and a time for her more usual goofing around. This is a time to be serious because it involves the real feelings of her arguably best friend.

"It won't make sense. I mean I know she was moody and short-tempered...although watching her many attempts at trying to fry Bobby was funny," Amara says with a smile at the memories.

Tabby has to admit that in the short time she was back with Claire it had been funny the way the fiery tempered redhead and Bobby interacted. Fire and Ice definitely applied as the way to describe it. "I don't think feelings ever had anything to do with logic or sense. I mean look at me."

Amara snickers as she applies that thinking to Tabby. Yeah logic and sense don't apply to the blond bottle of trouble that is her friend.

Tabby smiles at the fact she cheered Amara up.

Amara continues. "She was the first person I ever really felt an affinity to...you know power wise. I know Roberto has vaguely similar powers but..."

"He's an egotistical pain in the butt," Tabby fills in.

"There's that."

"But still damn he's good looking," Tabby has to complement Roberto.

"That too," Amara agrees. "Claire...you didn't see it but there is a fun outgoing side to her. She rarely let it out."

"Very rarely," Tabby comments because she had never seen it.

"I think maybe I was the only person who saw it because Claire felt the same way about the affinity bit and I was the only one she was comfortable enough around to show it."

"You really did like her," Tabby has to says from Amara's expression and from Amara's words perhaps that was not unreciprocated...just maybe.

"I did," Amara confesses and then her face falls. "But it doesn't matter now does it. She made her choice. No-one can find her. Not Logan and not the Professor."

"Because Cerebro isn't fully repaired yet. I'm sure the Prof will find her no probs once the old hamster ball is up and running again."

"But it doesn't change anything!" Amara insists in a raised voice that causes Tabby's eyebrows to rise slightly in surprise at the passion. "She chose to leave the Institute!"

Tabby can hear the unsaid angry 'She chose to leave me!' in Amara's words. She gets up off her bed and sits next to her friend and places an arm around her. "Gee you have it bad don't cha."

Amara sniffles a little as long buried feelings threaten to overwhelm her. She gathers herself. She's a princess damn it! She is suppose to be more controlled than this. "It doesn't change anything," she repeats with a more regal air of aloofness and indifference albeit a forced one. "And I do not wish to discuss this further," she declares.

Tabby sighs sadly. She knows that tone. It is the reminder of her friend's royal upbringing that she does her best to break through. "Alright but if you change your mind you know I'm here right?"

"Of course," Amara replies hiding that she feels a little bad at biting Tabby's head off but she doesn't want to talk about this any more. That just makes her feel sad. Although she does wonder where Claire is right now.

* * *

**Boston, Massachusetts...**

In a run down area of the city the homeless and dispossessed gather in what is their last refuge. This is where they end up when they hit rock bottom. People of all ages and backgrounds whose lives have taken a turn for the worse. It is not always the safest place to live as one frightened woman is finding out as she runs away from two men chasing her.

She turns a corner into a dark alley meaning she doesn't see the refuge littering it until she has already tripped over it and fallen to the ground. She lands hard into a filthy puddle and accidentally swallows some water. She coughs and tries to catch her breath. She needs to get moving but it is too late as she is yanked hard to her feet and slammed into the alley wall with enough force to make her call out in pain. She breathes hard as two pairs of cold eyes lock onto her. "Please," she starts to beg but is cut off when she is slapped across her face,

"Did we say you could talk bitch," the man on her left says with venom.

"No I don't think we did," the one on the right says.

Fear and terror light up the woman's eyes.

"Now then I think it is about time you paid up. Don't you," the man on her left says.

"I..."

He slaps her again. "I wasn't done!" he yells. "You owe us. We had a perfectly good business arrangement. We provide the good stuff to keep your little brain in a state of bliss and you pay us our fucking money!" he says in a raised voice.

The man on the right speaks. "Yep. That was a good deal. We even gave you an advance when you were a little short and now it's time you pay...with interest of course. Now are you going to pay?"

The man on the left pulls a gun out. "Or do we just call time on our losses?"

"I-I just need more time," the woman pleads.

The two men roll their eyes. "Time?" the man on the left sneers. "Your time is up whore," he informs her and aims the gun right between her eyes. She closes them and awaits her death.

"Excuse me?"

Both men and the woman turn to face where that came from and walking down the alley comes a young woman with long red fiery hair, dressed in skin-tight clothes covered in a red fiery motif. There is a vest-top, pants and boots which are a lighter colour of red.

"Who are you?"

"Me?" the girl asks as she wanders up to them adding a sway to her hips. "I'm sort of the...what's the right term...I'm a girl looking for a good time and you guys certainly look like you are able to supply my _needs_," she says with a seductive suggestive tone.

"We are a little busy," the man on the left says although he isn't saying no as he gives her a once over. Yes she is young looking but he isn't that picky.

The young woman saddles up to him and playfully drags her finger along his pistol. "Come now. Why waste time with this...person," she says with distaste as her gaze takes the woman in. "Big strong men like yourself need someone with much more energy and I can guarantee to _heat _things up."

The second man smirks. He was liking her.

The young woman leans in to the man with the gun's ear. "Oh one thing. Men with guns in my experience are always compensating for something they lack," she says teasingly.

The man frowns and then cries out in pain as his gun heats up incredibly hot in his hand. He looks down to see fire from the woman's finger turning the weapon red hot. He drops it and his distraction allows her to slam her knee between his legs and then drive him head first into the wall knocking him out cold.

The second man steps back and pulls out a knife. "You," he points at her. "You're one of those mutant freaks!" he accuses with disgust present in his tone.

The woman smiles dangerously. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me," she sing-songs mockingly. "Fire on the other hand," she says as she summons it around both hands. "Fire burns men with tiny genitalia to ash. Want some advice? Basically run."

The man looks down at his knife and then at the woman who can summon fire. Making the smart choice he turns and bolts for it. The woman throws a ball of fire at him and strikes him directly on his ass making him scream like a girl. "If you ever come here again!" she yells after him. "You will answer to me!" she promises as a threat.

Claire Selton aka Volcana smiles as she listens as the man's screams and cries fade away as he gets further away. Since coming to this city she had made it her business to be this area's guardian. Why?

She grew up in places like this always in fear because no-one was around to protect her. After seeing the desperation and fear in the people here's eyes she found she couldn't turn her back on them. May not be exactly what she was planning to do when she left her friends on her journey of self-discovery but it was what she felt she needed to do right here and right now.

As for how she is dressed and how she acted...what can she say? Logan always taught to use every advantage you had and men tend to let their guard down if they think there is a chance of getting some. Zero chance of getting that from her. Only Amara...

Claire shakes her head and stops that thought before it goes any further. Amara is far away and wouldn't want to have anything to do with a murderer like herself even if it was in self-defence when the MRD attacked their home.

Claire turns her attention to the victim. "You going to freak out cause I'm a mutant or will you let me help you?" she asks before even attempting to do anything.

The woman breaths hard struggling to grasp everything she just witnessed. "I...can't go home," is all her brain allows her to say.

"Join the club," Claire says wistfully and a little sadly as she briefly loses her thoughts in how much she actually misses the Institute without quite realising she is thinking of it as home. "I'm Volcana," she introduces herself as. "I know a place where you can stay. It's not much but you'll be safe. Coming?" she asks as she holds her hand out.

The woman hesitates but slowly raises her hand and places it in Claire's who starts to lead them off walking over the still unconscious body of the man she knocked out. "So really I have to ask. You were in hock to those two jack-offs?" Claire inquires because she has been here long enough to know of those two sorry excuses for drug dealers.

"It's a long story," the woman says and it was. It didn't happen over night that she found herself in this position.

"Aren't they always," Claire says with some humour, more than she use to possess but look around at where she ended up. In a place this depressing you need a sense of humour to stay sane. She almost wishes Drake was here to lighten it up. Note she said almost.

Watching the two from a rooftop across the street stand two young men dressed in dark clothing so as not to be easily seen in the dark who have been following orders on carrying out a mission. One a massive, hulking figure, over seven feet tall, and all muscle, with short blond hair and green eyes. The other is a tall large African American man with a bald head. He pulls out a phone from his pocket and dials. It is picked up and he relays what is the success of their mission to their leader. "Miss Frost. We've found her."

* * *

_Author's Note: It was never explicitly said on the show but it can be assumed that the stone somehow cured Lex's condition because after handling it in Crusade his sickness is gone and never mentioned again. We won't be as cynical as to call it a plot hole that got forgotten. Clark won't be figuring out how to fly for a little while yet but it is coming and no freeze-breath was a deliberate omission I'll explain next chapter. I'm still limiting Clark's powers and allowing them to grow slowly over time as in for example his microscopic vision which if you read the comics allows him to see down to the subatomic level and not just the cellular level I'm limiting him to for the moment. Yes that is two of the Hellions after Claire. That can't be good. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Please remember to go to my profile page and vote in my poll if you haven't already. Next up; The X-Men return to school...assuming they're allowed._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**At the Institute...**

It is about 3 in the morning when Clark, dressed in a slightly ratty t-shirt and boxer shorts, trudges down to the kitchen for a snack. He couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts plaguing him about the hunt for the 2 stones of his heritage and worry about the fact that in about 6 hours he is suppose to be going back to school. Truth is Clark has not really been outside beyond the Institute's walls since he came back from 'Brainwashed-ville'(Kitty's term for what Jor-El did) but if some of the stories he has heard from his friends are true even being associated with mutants can get you a lot of abuse.

Clark sighs as he enters the kitchen. He knows prejudice exists. He is not that naïve but it seems completely irrational what his friends were having to endure. Worse still they suffered while he was protected to some degree by the effort they had made to separate him from his alter ego dubbed by the press 'The Bayville Blur'.

Clark makes his way over to the fridge and pulls out a large carton of milk and some left over pizza. He goes and sits down at the table. He focusses his eyes on the plate with the pizza and a warm red glow encompasses it as he reheats it. He picks up a slice and munches upon it as he muses/broods over things. The last couple of days he had endured much teasing about his flying failure. Mr McCoy was still trying to make sense of the data to try and figure out how precisely it was Clark propelled himself through the air. Of course that day had ended with him and Rogue getting that oh so wondeful sex ed lecture from his mother and Ms Munroe. He inwardly cringes as his perfect memory relives it. Clark hopes he never has to endure that again.

Still it was worth the price for the fact he was allowed to be with Rogue. Not tonight because yesterday his parents pulled him aside and made a point about a good night's sleep before school. Being the good son he agreed which may be another reason he can't sleep because he isn't cuddled up with Rogue.

Clark swallows his slice of pizza and brings the milk carton to his lips and takes a drink.

"You know I'm like sure I've heard Mrs Kent tell you off for that."

Clark turns his head to the right to see Kitty, dressed her pink nightshirt and shorts, leaning against the door frame with a lopsided grin.

"Yep. I've heard her tell you the same but tell you what you keep quiet and I'll share the pizza with you."

Kitty's head rocks slightly side to side as she thinks that over before deciding, "Deal." She moves over to the table and Clark pushes the plate over as she sits opposite him. She picks up a slice and bites into it. She is slightly surprised it is warm and looks at Clark.

"Heat vision," he explains.

Kitty nods in understanding. "Handy," she remarks because that sure saves on waiting on the microwave. "Couldn't sleep huh?" she inquires of Clark between chews.

Clark shakes his head.

"No. Me neither." Kitty chews some more and swallows. "Can I confess something to you?"

"Of course."

"I'm afraid about going back to school. People look at us different now. We don't fit in any more," she expresses her feelings.

"Fitting in is overrated. Trust me on that."

"What do you mean?"

"I have spent my whole life more or less pretending to be something I wasn't. Pretending to be normal just so I could fit in and still I was basically a loner. Chloe and Pete were my only two close friends. It was only when I came here and embraced being different that I found my family in you guys."

Kitty smiles at his words.

"I have no doubt today won't be easy," he continues with the hard truth. "I'm worried too but what we always have to fall back on is each other and it's not like there aren't humans who like us. There's Amanda, Paul and Taryn."

"Hey that's right," Kitty says as that just occurs to her as Clark says it.

"If the Professor was here I'm sure he'd say something along the lines of give people time and they'll accept us for everything we are."

"Hey you actually listen to him," Kitty says sounding surprised, teasing Clark.

Clark shrugs. "I hear everything remember," he says meaning it as a joke but saying it a little too solemnly due to the burden of that.

"That must suck," Kitty remarks sympathetically as she remembers what Clark said about how he hears all the people suffering calling out for help within Bayville if not even further afield by now.

"It's not easy," Clark admits. "I hear a lot of bad things..." He momentarily closes his eyes trying to hide his sadness at the things he hears and can't stop. "But you know what."

"What?"

"For every bad thing I hear 3 good ones," he says putting the positive spin on it.

"Really?"

Clark nods. "I hear every new couple when they find out they're going to be parents. I hear people celebrating birthdays, Christmases, anniversaries, weddings with their loved ones. I hear the hope given to people by ordinary heroes like police, paramedics and firemen. The world can be a bad place at times but hope still far outstrips despair."

"Wow," Kitty murmurs. "That...you know Clark sometimes you can be incredibly inspirational...you know when you aren't being the jerk who redecorates my room."

Clark rolls his eyes. "3 months and you're still on that?" he asks unable to believe she still hasn't gotten over the prank he played. "Besides wasn't the pictures you took of my humiliation a couple of days ago payback enough."

"No," Kitty replies with an evil gleam in her eyes that she still plans to repay Clark for that.

Clark slumps down in his chair. Great. Now he has to watch out for Kitty's revenge prank and she could be incredibly imaginative at thinking them up.

Kitty grins at Clark's reaction and reaches over for the carton of milk. She raises it to her lips...

**Bamf!**

Kurt appears in his puff of blue smoke, dressed in a white t-shirt and khaki coloured pyjama bottoms, upon the table and grabs the carton from Kitty. "I knew it!" he proclaims. "You drink right from the carton," he complains because seriously ick. Who knows how many germs she is passing on and he is certain Mrs Kent has told her off for that before.

"Kurt!" Kitty yelps in surprise. "I-I was going to finish the whole thing," she says in a weak defence of herself completely caught off-guard by Kurt's sudden appearance.

Kurt shakes the nearly full carton. "Ok then. Drink up," Kurt says as he peers inside the carton. "Only about half a gallon to go," he says in jest.

"I tried to stop her," Clark says, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. "I couldn't sleep and found her and I tried to stop her but you know what she's like."

Kurt nods. "Oh no need to tell me Clark. I'm sure you did your best to stop her," he says siding with Clark.

"Hey!" Kitty protests. "You were here before me Clark drinking from the carton!"

"Kitty I'm hurt. Are you accusing me of lying?" Clark asks with a put-on wounded expression.

"Kitty," Kurt tells her off. "Now just because you have no manners it doesn't mean you can put zhe blame on Clark," he says sharing a look with Clark before the two boys snicker unable to hold it in any longer.

Kitty glares at her two so-called friends. "I don't know why I'm like friends with you two," she grumbles.

"Two good looking, vell-mannered, cool dudes like us and you need to ask?" Kurt asks her looking and sounding perplexed.

Clark nods in agreement feeling immensely cheered-up now.

Kitty rolls her eyes as Kurt drops down from the table. He sits down as Clark hands him over a slice of pizza. Kurt bites into it and looks puzzled when it is warm.

"Heat vision," Kitty and Clark explain at the same time.

"Handy," Kurt remarks.

"That's just what I said," Kitty says.

The 3 friends sit in silence eating for awhile before the kitchen door opens and in walks Rogue in her green and orange pyjamas, wearing her gloves, stretching her arms above her head as she does so which exposes her mid-riff as her top rides up a little. She stops and blinks when she spots her 3 friends and pulls her top back into place.

"Couldn't sleep either huh," Kurt assumes at Rogue's appearance.

Rogue shakes her head.

"Come on. Sit," Clark says patting the chair next to him offering it to her.

Rogue does so as Clark smiles at her. She also noticed when she walked in the rather heated gaze he gave her. It was something Rogue was only just starting to figure out. A woman's power over men. Of course Clark is the whole reason she can't sleep or more accurately the lack of him cuddling up next to her in bed. It hasn't happened that often the two of them sharing a bed but her bed does seem bigger and lonelier without him.

Clark hands her the last slice of pizza and she bites into it and like Kitty and Kurt before her a puzzled expression comes to her face at how it is warm.

"Heat vision," Kurt, Kitty and Clark say together to explain.

Rogue rolls her eyes and only the fact her mouth is full spares them one of her sarcastic responses.

Clark's head then twitches slightly. "Kitty. Remember what I said about hearing everything?" he asks her.

"Yeah," she says a little puzzled why he is asking that now.

"Well I hear 4 people outside," he says before spinning round to look out the window. The other 3 teens do as well as 4 shadowy figures pass by the window shrouded by the early morning mist.

Kitty gasps. "Intruders!"

"Did they pick ta wrong house," Rogue mutters extremely displeased sounding.

Clark gets to his feet. "You 3 go ahead. I'll catch up," he says before he vanishes in his usual gust of wind.

"I like hate it when he does that," Kitty complains as she pushes her wind blown hair off her face.

Kurt holds out both his hands. Rogue and Kitty take one each and all 3 vanish in a puff of blue smoke. They appear outside the window. There is no immediate sign of the intruders but they know what direction they were heading in. The 3 teens share a look and then split up looking to box the intruders in.

Kitty runs and phases through a corner of the mansion as a short-cut. "Ah ha!" she yells before gasping as she comes across the 4 intruders dressed in blue jeans and the red and white letterman jackets that indicates they are high-school seniors. It is their faces that made her gasp. It takes her a second to realise it is only Halloween monster masks they are wearing. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Kitty demands to know, her resolve regathered.

The 4 say nothing and advance on her when Kurt teleports above their heads and leaps down on one wearing a green sea-creature mask. When the other three turn Kitty leaps on the one wearing this blue creature mask with orange hair.

That leaves two. One in a red-devil mask moves to get Kitty off his friend only to find his arm grabbed and then himself thrown through the air by Rogue with far more ease than she should be able to for someone her size throwing quite a large guy.

The guy with the green sea-creature mask gets to his feet and raises his hands in a defensive posture. Kurt takes the obvious opening and kicks the guy in his exposed mid-section knocking the air out of his lungs. The last intruder, in a Frankenstein's monster mask, grabs Kurt's tail to try and help his friend. Unfortunately for the guy Kurt's tale in prehensile and it wraps around the guy's wrist tying them together and Kurt uses his body to pull the guy off his feet and he crashes down face first.

The guy Kitty is on top of trips over that one and falls to the ground just as Rogue neatly sweeps her opponent off his feet again and throws him down on his back.

The guy in the Frankenstein's monster mask scrambles to his feet and tries to run off only to bump into something hard. He falls on his butt, looks up and finds a tall young man dressed all in black with a strange looking silver S on his shirt. "You? I thought you were gone," he says.

Clark leans down and picks the guy up by his jacket. "Well I'm back," he replies in his guise as the Bayville Blur which is where he rushed off to. To get changed. Clark releases one hand and still easily holds the guy up. He then pulls of the mask as Kurt, Kitty and Rogue pull the masks off the guys they defeated.

"Tha Bayville football team," Rogue mutters through annoyed narrowed eyes as she recognises them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kitty asks.

There is a clang sound as a spray paint can drops to the ground after falling out one of their jacket pockets. Clark, Kitty, Kurt and Rogue all look to the wall where a caricature of the X-Men has been spray painted with phrases like 'Mutie Freaks!' and 'Monsters go home!'

Clark tightens his grip and lifts the guy he is holding up higher. His gaze grows stern and his eyes narrow in anger glowing dimly red. "Let me guess. You were feeling creative and just had to get it out," he says in an angry cold tone. "Although dressing up like monsters seems a little over the top doesn't it?"

The youth in Clark's hands gulp...before he finds some courage. "The only monsters around here are you you mutie freaks!"

Rogue snorts. "That's creative," she says not sounding very impressed because she has heard that many times over the summer.

"Isn't it," Clark says coldly making his annoyance all too clear. "Maybe you should take up poetry because..." Clark peers at the graffiti on the wall once more briefly... "Because...well lets just say I don't think Picasso has to worry any time soon."

"Should ve call zhe police?" Kurt asks.

"No. They would just get out within a few hours," Kitty says with a sigh assuming the police would do anything at all which isn't likely if a mutant calls it in.

Clark has to agree. He knows this is a minor offence at best. He tosses the punk he is holding onto his rear. "Go!" he tells tells in a stern tone. "And consider yourselves lucky. Next time you feel like making fun of my friends I won't be in such a good mood to be this generous," he warns them.

The other 3 teens gather around the one Clark tossed and hesitate to leave. Clark shakes his head before he inhales and blows out a breath which blows the 4 youths head over heels. "I won't say it again. Go!"

All 4 takes to their heels and run but not before they shout out a couple of insults. "You're all freaks! Bayville doesn't want you!"

"Well isn't this a great way ta start tha new school year," Rogue mutters.

"Ja," Kurt agrees glumly. "If ve even get to go," he adds since that was still up for debate even with school only literally hours away.

Kitty's expression saddens. "I think I preferred it when all we had to worry about was the Brotherhood hating us."

"Have faith Kitty. I'm sure it'll work out," Clark tries to cheer her up.

"How do you know that?"

"Because even Jor-El as twisted as it is thinks humanity has potential."

"Those guys are just small-minded jackasses," Rogue adds her two cents in describing the 4 vandals they just dealt with.

Clark sighs and turns his attention to the wall covered in paint. "You guys go back to bed. I'll clean this up."

"Ya sure?" Rogue asks.

"Yeah. It'll only take me a few minutes."

"Hey I zhink zhat's zhe first time I've seen you in zhat since you got back," Kurt suddenly realises in relation to Clark in his costume.

"Because it is," Clark confirms Kurt's speculation. "I was taking it slow trying to catch up on everything I missed...and then there's Colonel Fury. The first time a police report or a news report includes me he'll probably show up back here and I haven't decided what I want to say to him yet."

"Do ya have ta speak ta him?" Rogue wonders.

"If I don't he'll just keep coming back here until he finds me so either I quit being the Bayville Blur or I talk to him and deal with it and while I'm taking time to get back on my feet I don't intend to quit. Now seriously go get some sleep. I'll see you all at breakfast."

Rogue walks up to Clark and brushes a kiss against his chin before Kurt teleports her and Kitty back inside. Clark superspeeds off to the garage and picks up buckets and other cleaning supplies before returning. He soaks the wall and gets to the work. It only takes a few minutes at superspeed until the wall is clean again.

As he cleans Clark thinks on what Kurt said about this being the first time back in his costume. When he started wearing this it was to distance himself from the X-Men but now they are exposed and it is a well known fact the Bayville Blur was their 'ally' maybe he realises he needs to decide on only one costume. There is no longer any reason to have two different ones. That being the case he is going to need help coming up with just one costume. That being the case he needs to talk to the best person he knows to help him decide. That would be the person who helped design his red and blue costume in the first place.

Clark needs to talk to his mother.

* * *

Breakfast at the Institute is more or less its usual chaos. Due to the fact it was still uncertain whether they would be allowed to return to school there was an air of tension. The Professor was still on the phone this very morning to members of the school board trying to ensure the students could return. The only person who could return with certainty was Clark because everyone thought he was human but he had already determined that he wouldn't go if his friends couldn't. His place was to stand with them.

"So any word yet on whether we'll be let back into school?" Evan asks.

Jean shakes her head. "Still nothing," she reports.

"Well that officially sucks," Bobby remarks.

"Preaching to the choir Bobby," Ray says in agreement.

"Tell meh about it," Sam also agrees.

"Sheesh what is with people today?" Domino asks, as in what is with people in general, as she sips on her coffee. "It isn't like we saved an entire town from an angry armour wearing psycho rhino or anything."

"Rhino wears a grey suit," Clark feels the need to gently correct Dom.

"Huh?" Dom asks at Clark's offhanded comment.

"Rhino. He wears a grey rhino suit." Clark sees he is getting a blank expression in returns not only from Dom but from everyone in the room. "Remember I helped put him in prison when we first met Spider-Man," Clark reminds them of who Rhino is.

"Oh yeah," half of them say as that sparks a remembrance.

"Wait," Domino says. "You guys know Spider-Man?"

Kitty nods. "Yeah. Nice guy. I mean Clark knows him better than anyone else. He's kind of a loner. We gave him our number if he ever needed help. He rarely calls though and I think what Clark was like trying to get at is that while Juggernaut is a large armour wearing psycho you called him a rhino who is a totally different large psycho in a weird suit."

Domino just stares blankly. 3 months into living here and she still hasn't caught up on everything. "You know this is just a suggestion but a booklet or something explaining how it works around here would be good for newbies."

Hank sitting having his coffee cocks his head to the side for a moment thinking that Domino's suggestion may not be a bad one.

"Maybe we should put a suggestion box on the Professor's door for ideas like that," Kitty says as a solution to how to get that implemented. "You can ask him later. So anyway back on topic I think what you're saying Dom is that hello! We liked saved a whole town. Letting us back into school isn't asking for much!"

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Domino laughs at the way Kitty phrases things.

Rogue snorts. "Tell that to a bunch of closed-minded middle-aged jackasses," she mutters in reference to the school board. There are a lot of jackasses in this town in her opinion.

"Again couldn't have put it better myself," Domino comments.

Scott listens to everything as he reads the paper with a frown. Their return or not to school is the headline in the local Bayville Chronicle.

Evan snorts as he sees the headline. 'Are Monsters among us?'. "Oh man they're still calling us monsters," he complains. "What is with that?"

Ororo standing to the side can't help shake her head. She finds Martha touches her shoulder in support. "Evan whatever that paper says in time they will come to see you are all people just like anyone else," Martha says trying to be reassuring.

"You know if they don't like us that's their problem!" Evan states in an angry frustrated tone caused by months of taking abuse.

Ororo sighs but she can't really blame her nephew for his outburst. She lets it pass as Evan needing to vent.

Scott browses through the horribly bias article when he spots something. "Hey Kurt. I don't think they have managed to I.D you," he remarks.

Kurt takes the paper from Scott and reads it. Somehow they haven't managed to link the image of him that went to school with his fuzzy true self. "Zhey must not recognise me vithout my image inducer."

"I hate to say it Blue but I doubt that's going to last," Tabby expresses her opinion.

Kurt sighs sadly as he nervously imagines that day. "Ja," he has to reluctantly agree. "I mean people know I live here and it is only a matter of time until zhey figure it out..."

"And then they'll appreciate you for who really are," Jonathan says as he sits next to Hank in the corner drinking his coffee.

Kurt smiles weakly. "Zhanks Mr Kent," he says although he doesn't really quite believe that.

Just then the Professor rolls into the kitchen. "Everyone I have good news," he says sounding pleased by what he is about to announce. "The school board has agreed to allow the more senior students to return today...provided no-one uses their powers."

Something about what the Professor said catches Scott's attention. "Just today?" he queries.

"Yes," Charles replies sounding suddenly more solemn. "Because tonight they are voting whether to impose a permanent mutant ban."

Logan mutters something better off not repeated at that.

"Well if there is a vote there is a chance we can win," Hank supposes. "It's better than nothing," he airs his thought.

"How is any of this good news?" Kitty asks unable to see it because considering the negative publicity mutants get surely the vote against them is as good as in the bag.

"Because this is a chance to show that humans and mutants can co-exist," the Professor replies. It's a slim chance but it is all they have got. "Therefore I hope it goes without saying that I expect you to be on your best behaviour," he adds.

"We will be," Scott vows speaking as leader for all them.

"At the meeting tonight they will allow one speaker to put forward our case." Charles turns to look at Jean. "Jean I would like you to speak for us."

Jean's eyes go wide and she even pales a little at the responsibility she suddenly is being placed with. "M-Me? P-Professor..." she starts to stutter a small protest unable to see how she can do this. She feels a hand slide onto her shoulder and a familiar soothing mental presence.

"I know you can do this," Scott assures her with utter confidence in her abilities.

Jean smiles at that. "Thanks Slim."

"Yes Jean you," the Professor confirms. "I want them to hear the voice of a student and speaking of tonight I want all of you to attend the meeting so that the school board, the other parents, can look you in the eye and see the people behind the powers. All we have to do is remind them that we're human too." It will also give Jean confidence and reassurance if all her friends are there to support her.

"No offence Charles but I think it is better if I'm not there," Logan says because he is liable to skin the first person who says something offensive.

"I won't force anyone to go," Charles amends his previous statement. "However I would encourage it."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Domino chimes up with this mischievous smile which deeply worries Charles.

"Everyone is to be on their best behaviour," Charles says in particular to Domino.

"Be on me best behaviour. Scout's honour guv," Domino promises with a poor impression of a cockney accent which elicits a few sniggers.

Charles sighs and hopes Domino really means that. "Well I'll leave you to finish your breakfast and get ready for school for those that are going," he informs them.

The Professor departs. Moments later Wanda bursts in, her hair still damp from her morning shower, her clothes looking like they have been thrown on in a hurry and missing any of her make-up or jewellery. Her eyes scan the room until they fall on Bobby. "Drake you are dead!" she yells angrily.

"What?" Bobby asks totally lost.

"What?" Wanda repeats incredulous. "You know what!"

"I really don't."

"Oh so my frozen underwear has nothing to do with you?"

"No," Bobby denies any knowledge of what Wanda is on about.

Wanda's eyes narrow and she growls. "Drake let me ask you a question who has freezing powers around here?"

"Uh...just me," Bobby is forced to confirm.

"Someone froze my underwear drawer solid. Now who do I blame for that?"

"It wasn't me!" Bobby insists because for once it wasn't. He isn't that daft to cross Wanda.

"Then who was it? Point him out to me!" Wanda asks of Bobby.

Bobby realises he can't give any explanation that can get him out of this. All he can do is plead, "I swear it wasn't me!"

"Don't buy it," Wanda says dangerously as she advances on him

"Uh...can I get a 10 second head start?" Bobby pleads since he realises she doesn't believe him so therefore all he can do is run for it.

Wanda chews that over. "5 seconds. Final offer," she proposes.

"Done!" Bobby accepts as he leaps off his chair and runs for it exiting the kitchen.

Wanda starts counting. "1...2...3...4...5!" she shouts before she chases after him.

"Gee I didn't think even Bobby would try that on Wanda," Roberto offers his opinion. All of them were terrified of Wanda and therefore not brave nor stupid enough to try and pull a prank on her.

"She gave him 5 seconds. She's mellowing," Hank dryly jokes.

Clark shrugs and picks up his glass of orange juice. He sips it and makes a face. "What's tha matter?" Rogue asks.

"It's just a little warm. I prefer it chilled," he calmly explains how he likes his juice. Clark sucks in a small breath, holds his glass up and gently blows. A thin sheen of ice forms on the outside of the glass.

"Vhat vas zhat?" Kurt asks.

"Hmm?" Clark asks looking a little naïve.

"That," Rogue clarifies. "What you just did."

"Oh that," Clark says pretending he has just cottoned onto what they are on about. "That. I call it freeze breath." Clark looks around the room at all the looks he is getting. "Did I not mention it?" he asks again sounding naïve.

"No," Jean says with a frown.

"Must have slipped my mind," he says with a smirk pulling at his lips. "Turns out I can freeze anything solid with my breath."

"Oh my god! You set Bobby up!" Tabby exclaims as it falls into place what actually just happened.

Clark chuckles in amusement confirming that he really is the one responsible.

"Why would you do that?" Amara asks, not that she is complaining. Bobby so needs to be gotten back at.

Clark turns to Rogue. "Remember when I had amnesia and you lost me for an hour?"

Rogue nods. That was after bringing him back from Smallville and she was looking after him. She found him in a linen closet. She assumed he must have wandered off when she was in the bathroom.

"Take a guess who was to blame."

Rogue's green eyes narrow dangerously. "Bobby," she growls swearing to get back at the resident prankster.

"Wait a second," Jean says bringing a halt to proceedings. "Why didn't we see that power the other day?" she asks referring to the testing of Clark's powers. She looks at Clark and then at Mr McCoy.

Hank grins sheepishly. "Well Clark and I may have come to an arrangement that I keep his freeze breath a secret until he could inflict proper retribution on Robert," he admits.

"What arrangement?" Jamie asks.

"He keeps my power a secret for a few days and I don't tell anyone where his secret Twinkie stash is," Clark explains the terms of the deal. X-ray vision is so handy when you have a Twinkie craving.

"You blackmailed a teacher?" Scott exclaims unable to believe Clark of all people would do that. He would never do that.

"Blackmail is such a strong word. It was more like coercion," Clark defends himself.

All this time Rogue is simply grinning at her boyfriend completely and utterly impressed by his sneakiness. She would have been proud to have pulled that off. God she feels like she just fell in love with him all over again.

From another part of the mansion Bobby's pained screams echo all the way to the kitchen indicating that Wanda caught him. Clark leans back in his chair, folds his arms and grins satisfied about finally getting one over on Bobby.

* * *

**The Bayville Boarding House...**

That same morning Mystique is overseeing the task of getting the Brotherhood ready for school. They were a, part of Mystique can't help laughing at this, more elite group amongst the wider Brotherhood of Mutants that encompassed those that followed Magneto. As they sit around the kitchen table and have their breakfast Mystique can't stop making a face of disgust. Honestly did no-one teach any of them basic manners.

The only one who currently isn't around the table happens to also be her adopted daughter Alicia Baker aka the teleporter codenamed Haze due to the fact that when she teleports she vanishes in a green mist or haze. Mystique can never stop the small smile that comes to her at the thought of her daughter. When they first met Alicia had stolen something from Mystique on Magneto's orders and understandably that had instantly put the girl on Mystique's bad side. However also on Magneto's orders Mystique had trained Alicia to fight and as she spent time with the girl she found herself softening. Alicia was a good pupil. Attentive and eager to listen and learn from what Mystique could offer. When she had to adopt Alicia for originally just legal purposes Mystique ended up taking the role as mother seriously to the point that now as far as Mystique was concerned Alicia was her daughter. Mystique felt all those things a mother should feel. All those things she had had to miss out on with Kurt and Rogue and...and all her other children. To this day though Rogue doesn't know Mystique is the woman who took her out of that orphanage which pains Mystique more than she lets on.

"Morning mother!" Alicia greets her mother with a radiant smile as she enters the kitchen and to Alicia as far as she was concerned Mystique was her mother since her biological parents were just 2 pathetic flat-scans who locked her away out of fear, hatred and ignorance. Alicia had not wasted much thought on them since that day Sabretooth 'dealt' with her biological parents. Good riddance to them as far as Alicia was concerned.

Mystique should be happy that Alicia looks so happy but the problem is that Alicia is suspiciously happy and cheerful and then there is this glow around her daughter some mornings that just ramps up her suspicions further. Call it woman's intuition but Mystique is certain something is going on with her daughter. It is part of why she has been extremely vigilant over the summer in watching over Alicia. So far she hasn't been able to confirm her suspicions but she vowed to remain patient and vigilant. Sooner or later Alicia will let it slip.

"Morning mother," a gangly teen repeats in a mocking impression at what he sees as sucking up.

"I'm choosing to ignore that Toad," Alicia says in reply, through slightly narrowed annoyed eyes, since even the mocking of her fellow Brotherhood members isn't enough to spoil her mood this morning since last night she managed to sneak away and spend some 'quality' time with her boyfriend Remy Lebeau.

Mystique sips on her coffee and observes her charges. Apart from her daughter and Todd Tolansky aka Toad there was a tall dark haired boy; Lance Alvers aka Avalanche. A mountain of a boy with a short blond Mohawk; Fred Dukes aka the Blob. A red haired girl who is muttering in French a few disparaging remarks about the company she is presently stuck with and how they must have been raised in pig sties; Bette Sans Souci aka Plastique. There is a well built but scruffy young man with blond hair; Nathaniel Tyron aka Neutron and a younger girl with brown hair; Valerie Van Haften aka Puzzler. Finally there was Magneto's arrogant and general pain in the neck of a son. The silver haired Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver.

Mystique had hoped to add another over the summer. A telekinetic to counter the Grey girl. His name was Justin Gaines aka Stryfe and also potentially useful he had a grudge against Clark Kent who had put Stryfe into the holding facilities of the Belle Reve asylum. However she had not been able to persuade Magneto thus far that she could use the boy better than for whatever and wherever Magneto has the boy at the moment.

Mystique notes the time. "You need to hurry up and get ready for school," she warns them.

"Why do we have to go?" Neutron asks in a confrontational tone.

Mystique glares at him. Before Magneto used his mutant enhancer to gift Neutron powers he had been a petty thief and thug and still retained that attitude. "Let me remind you what you are...what you all are. You are just a collection of orphans and runaways in my care. As far as the general public are concerned you are just normal teenagers and I am the generous patron looking after you out of the goodness of my heart."

Lance snorts derisively in response. Mystique and kindness are not two words he would ever use in the same sentence.

Mystique ignores Avalanche for the moment. "Magneto wished for you to remain an anonymous team behind enemy lines so to speak. Now the war with humanity may have been postponed but it is still coming and Magneto wishes for you to remain hidden within the general populous. That's why you all remain under strict instruction not to use your powers in public and especially not at school and to answer your question Neutron you are going to school to keep up the pretence. If you have a problem with this then your powers, which Magneto so generously gifted you, will be taken away and we'll find someone else, who is willing to do what they are told, to give them to. Now do you have a problem with this?"

Neutron locks glares with Mystique for a moment before lowering his gaze to the table. "No," he mumbles, not happy but not wishing to lose his powers.

"Didn't think so. Anyone else?" Mystique asks.

"No Miss Mystique. We all understand," Puzzler says politely.

Mystique smiles at her. After Alicia Puzzler was her favourite amongst the group because she was predictable. Magneto was once upon a time friends with Puzzler's grandfather which is why he recruited her and gifted her powers. In return Puzzler is very eager to prove herself to Magneto as essentially he is the closest thing she has left to family. Therefore Puzzler tends to be polite and obedient and predictable. In other words she does what Mystique tells her to do which is a vast improvement on the rest of them shy Alicia.

"Do you all understand?" Mystique asks wanting to hear it from all of them. Her gaze wanders over each of them in turn and each and every one utters an unenthusiastic yes especially Plastique who is only in this to one day get revenge of the Canadian government who imprisoned her father. Pietro is not far behind in his lack of enthusiasm and Mystique gives him an especially stern glare. "I want you most of all to behave Maximoff," she sternly tells him.

"Why are you singling me out?" Pietro complains.

Alicia snorts as if that should be obvious.

Mystique explains, "Because you are still sulking about what happened with Wanda." She then snaps in a cold tone, "Get over it!"

Pietro scowls and folds his arms in an immediate huff. That was all Kent's fault. It was still on Pietro's list to make Kent pay for the fact he lost his sister.

Mystique looks to the heavens for strength. She blows out a breath. She knows of the school-board meeting tonight about whether to ban mutants. In fact she had been invited to attend in her role as the legal guardian of the teenagers in front of her. Odd as it may sound she would love to attend just to see Xavier's face when the ban is voted through and his idiotic dream dies but she actually can't. She has an assignment from Magneto to fill her day and night. As for the meeting itself Mystique basically expects it to be a foregone conclusion that they will vote the ban through which is why it is vital the Brotherhood's mutant status remains hidden. That was Magneto's order since he deemed their future role more important than the fact they could guarantee with a few simple acts of vandalism using their powers to get mutants banned and if that is what Magneto wants that is what he gets as per the arrangement she and he have.

* * *

**Bayville High...**

The first day of the new term and the students of Bayville High are gathering outside the school building. The usual gossiping is under way as they talk about their summers, what they got up to and the rest of the normal chatter of teenagers. Amongst it all is a lot of talk about mutants.

It all starts to die away as a red convertible and a black van pull up and the Institute students step out.

Scott puts on a front of being outwardly calm as he steps out of his car and does his level best to ignore the fact he and the rest are being gawked at. "Everyone just stay cool," he says. "Lets just get to class," he decides is the best course of action.

As they head into the school the other students give them a wide-berth...and the whispering begins.

"What are they doing here...?"

"Did they actually let them back...?"

"I can't believe they had the guts to show up..."

As the whispered comments and remarks continue Kitty lowers her head never having felt this exposed in her life. It was one thing during the summer where she could hide away in the mansion but here she and the rest of them...well it felt like they were on show...like at a circus and they were the freaks.

Rogue restrains herself to a frown at the gossip. Her expressions softens slightly when Clark's hand slips into hers and squeezes reassuringly to let her know that he is standing with her no matter what gets said.

Scott and Jean try to set an example as they keep their expressions mostly impassive but they send reassuring thoughts to each other through their telepathic link.

"You freaks going to blow up our school too!"

At that Evan spins round to glare at whoever said that. Scott quickly steps up next to Evan and places a hand on his shoulder. "Let it go Evan," he advises in a firm tone.

Evan makes a visible effort to calm himself. "Right. No powers. I'm cool," he says although his voice doesn't leave that impression.

With that incident defused Scott leads them towards the main entrance. They are just about at the main doors when there is a shout.

"Jean!"

Jean turns to see her friend Taryn Fujioka come half-jogging up to the group. Jean smiles in partial relief that at least there is one person here who doesn't hate them. "Hi Taryn," Jean greets her.

Taryn takes a moment to take in all the staring people through narrowed annoyed eyes before returning the greeting. "Hi Jeannie," she says giving her friend a quick hug for everyone to see. "I'm sorry we didn't see more of each other over the summer," she laments. "My parents have been on the warpath just because I happened to sneak off with you guys to Washington without telling them. God my mom's reaction has just been completely over the top because I happen to have 'abnormal' friends."

Jean smiles lightly. "I hope I didn't get you into trouble," she expresses her desire.

Taryn shakes her head and waves that off. "My parents are just being majorly hypocritical," she criticises them because seriously her mother, especially, of all people should know better. Taryn's Japanese grandparents after all did end up being put into those internment camps during the War simply because they were Japanese. Therefore in Taryn's head her mother should know way better about not going along with bigoted assumptions about a particular group of people. "They'll just have to get over it," Taryn says in relation to her parents. "You're my friend. That ain't changing."

Jean's smile grows. "Thanks."

"You know I really wish I could pull off shades like that."

At that it is Scott's turn to smile as his friend Paul Anderson walks up to him and they shake hands. "Hey Paul," Scott greets him. "Good summer?"

"Not bad," Paul replies. He then glances at the rest of the gawking student body who are unable to believe any normal person would be friends with the mutants. Paul cocks his head at them. "What's up with them?" he asks lightly, pretending he doesn't know.

Scott chuckles lightly. "No idea," he says with a grin. "Well we better get to class," he suggests breaking this moment up.

"Hang on," Kitty interrupts. "Where's Kurt?" she suddenly asks since there is no sign of him.

Clark looks around. He hadn't noticed Kurt leave because he was too focussed on supporting Rogue. He peers over the top of his glasses and his eyes flash electric blue and he spots Kurt already inside. He pushes his glasses back up his nose. "Uh...I think he went ahead and went inside," Clark phrases it as so as not to give it away he knows for certain because someone would ask how he knows.

Spotting what he did Jean knows Clark means that Kurt definitely went ahead and is in the school so she just says, "We should do the same."

Kitty nods but with a frown. If she didn't know better she would say that Kurt just bailed on them.

The group enter the school...ignoring the whispers that continue to follow them.

* * *

In the school Kurt is already at his locker having slinked in through a side-door. He stands there in the mostly empty hallway dejectedly staring at the door of his locker wondering if this is how pond-scum feels.

Kurt cannot believe what he just did. He bailed on his friends. He had been at the back of the group and when the pointing and whispering started mental images flashed up in his head of the day the Professor found him only it wasn't ignorant villagers chasing him with torches and pitchforks calling him 'demon' and 'monster' it was the students of the school.

Kurt groans and gently bangs his head off his locker a few times to try and block out just how bad he feels at himself right now.

"Kurt!"

Another groan escapes him. How was he going to explain this to her of all people. Kurt sucks it up and turns to face the chocolate skinned girl with long brown hair that happens to be his girlfriend Amanda Sefton.

Amanda runs up to him, smiling and throws her arms around him in a hug. "I'm so glad you're back!" she exclaims happily. "I worried they weren't going to let you."

A ghost of a smile appears on Kurt's face. "Vell here I am."

Amanda steps back and looks at Kurt and for the first time notices he isn't looking all that happy to see her. Her brow furrows. "Kurt is everything alright?" she asks and then looks around. "And where are the others?" she inquiries since she thought they would be sticking together.

Kurt's expression collapses into morose depression as he slides to the floor with his back against his locker. His head drops into his hands.

"Kurt? What's wrong?" Amanda asks now truly concerned for him.

"Oh Mandi," he laments. "I am a total...a kompletter idiot," he berates himself.

Amanda sits down next to him and blinks. "Huh?" she queries completely lost by what is going on with her boyfriend.

The guilt is eating away at Kurt's gut and he looks up into Amanda's eyes. "I...I bailed on zhe ozhers vhen ve came in," he confesses.

"Kurt," Amanda begins to say but Kurt doesn't let her finish.

"I know!" he cries. "I know it vas a horrible thing to do but I-I just panicked," he explains. His gaze drifts to the floor and he continues in a quiet pained voice. "Amanda all my life I've been terrified about being discovered. You know vhat I look like. You know vhat happened zhe day my teleportation powers kicked in."

"Yes Kurt. I do know," Amanda says in a firm even tone. "Just as I know something else too." She gently takes his wrist with the holowatch on it and lifts it up to demonstrate the point she is about to make. "I know that if anyone who can't see that under this," she says pointing at his holowatch, "can't see that under your blue fur is an adorable, wonderful man then that is a person whose opinion shouldn't matter to you because their opinion doesn't matter full stop."

Kurt grimaces as he realises Amanda is right and while she wasn't the first person today to say something similar to him it is when she says it it really hits home. "Oh Gott. I am such a jackass," he berates himself.

Amanda giggles at that. "No," she corrects. "You're were just sacred. You just need to overcome your fears and since you did to show me your true self I have no doubt you can do it."

Kurt briefly looks to the heavens and thanks God for sending him Amanda. He needed that. "Zhank you," he says in a soft warm tone to Amanda.

Amanda leans her head on his shoulder. "You're welcome."

Kurt sighs. "Just don't expect me to be showing everyvone vhat I look like today ok?" he requests of her because he just isn't up to doing that yet.

"One day at a time but when you are ready I'll be there standing by you," Amanda promises.

"How about zhe day ve tell your parents?"

Amanda hesitates and stutters. "W-well l-lets not rush into that."

Kurt looks at the wide-eyed almost terror on his girlfriend's face. "Amanda you did tell them about us right?"

"O-of course. Well they know I'm dating someone from the Institute," she modifies that.

"You didn't tell them it was the blue fuzzy one though did you?" Kurt assumes.

"Must have slipped my mind," Amanda says innocently.

Kurt starts to smile. "Now who is scared?" he asks her as the only explanation for why Amanda hasn't told her parents.

"I'm going to tell them," Amanda vows. "It was just I was building up to it. You know let it sink in a bit first the fact I'm dating a mutant. They're still mad at me for sneaking off to Washington."

"Uh huh?" Kurt queries sceptically giving her a look.

Amanda huffs and gives in. "Alright. I'm scared of how they will react. Happy?"

"With you? Always," he replies sincerely.

Amanda smiles at that reply. "So we're both scared," she says with a shrug. "Guess that's why we're such a good match."

"Now zhere liebe I concur vith you completely."

Amanda's smile grows at what he just called call her. Liebe. German for Love.

* * *

Clark had had to reluctantly leave Rogue to go to his locker. He had tried hard to ignore all the whispering despite the fact he can hear it with crystal clarity. All the things being said about his friends and it was so unjustified. Rogue was right. There are a lot of small-minded jackasses at this school and Clark tried his best to tell himself their opinions didn't matter but it hurt to hear the girl he loved mocked. Not that he is completely immune. He had heard a couple of derogatory 'mutie lover' thrown his way.

Clark tried to remember what his father always said. That the good people always outnumbered the bad. This was simply a period of adjustment for the world. That's all.

"Kent!"

_'Oh I so don't need this,'_ Clark thinks to himself as he turns to find Pietro and the Brotherhood coming his way. They had a few new members he can see. He remembers Kurt mentioning that fact when his friend was catching him up on the summer and Kurt and the others had run into the Brotherhood in the mall one day. Nothing had happened that day. In fact the Brotherhood basically ignored them from how Kurt told the story. "Hello Pietro," Clark says with forced politeness. "How was your summer? I see you have a few new friends."

Pietro stalks up to Clark mentally forcing himself not to use his powers as per his father's instructions. "Spare me the small talk. We still have unfinished business."

"Wanda," Clark assumes as that is the only 'business' he can think of he and Pietro have. "Pietro you had a whole summer to try and talk to your sister yet you didn't as far as I know. Here's a suggestion. Instead of blaming me how about you try talking to her. She's a very smart person and I'm certain if you have something to say she wants to hear she'll listen." Ok Clark may be stretching the truth there. Wanda was still pretty steamed at her brother but the bottom line is that despite that they are still family and Clark would never tell Wanda not to have a relationship with her brother if that is what she desires.

Neutron grabs Clark by his jacket and shoves him into his locker. Neutron had heard all about this guy and was really looking forward to testing his strength against him. "Show some respect!" Neutron says in a threatening manner.

Clark restrains himself for the moment because he has a feeling this is just to make him pay attention.

"Kent I do not need lectures on how to to deal with my family," Pietro says. "Before we commence on the beating though I've got to know something. Why is it in that documentary you're pretending to be a mere human?"

"You actually watched that?" Clark says with some surprise. "I'm amazed you could spare the brain capacity."

Plastique and Puzzler actually giggle together in response to that. Lance, Fred and Toad even snicker slightly behind their hands. Even Alicia's lips twitch in amusement although she is mentally noting this entire incident to report back to her mother. Mystique had been clear about not drawing unnecessary attention to themselves.

Pietro practically snarls. "We'll see if you find it funny when I expose you as the 'Bayville Blur'," he threatens.

"Really? How are you planning to do that? The whole world saw me in Washington at the same moment the Blur was fighting the Juggernaut."

Pietro scoffs. "Please. I know it was someone wearing one of those holowatch things the furball uses."

"Yes but how will you explain how you know that without revealing you're a mutant too and since you've been so quiet over the summer I'm guessing your father ordered you to keep a low profile so again I ask you how will you do that precisely?"

Pietro blinks. How would he do it without revealing how he knows that?

"That's what I thought," Clark says at Pietro's silence as it confirms that as per usual Pietro was acting without thinking things through properly. "Pietro as much as this may surprise you I don't dislike you that much and I'm perfectly willing to go with live and let live. The choice whether that is the situation between us I leave up to you."

"You think you're so smart and special don't you?" Pietro says with a sneering look.

"No. That's what you think about yourself."

Pietro feels like he is going to burst. "You're goin' to pay for stealing my sister and then I'll expose you for what you are to the whole world," he promises.

"Remember what Mystique said," Alicia interjects at the juncture before Pietro steps over the mark and uses his powers especially since there are a few students who have just turned the corner walking by that would see it.

Pietro shoots her a withering glare. Alicia just arches an eyebrow as if daring him to try something. Pietro frowns at the very Mystique-esque look he is getting from Alicia. As much as he wants to he realises he can't go off on Kent without mommy's precious little girl telling on him. "This is not over Kent," he swears because somehow, some way, he will carry out his threat and get his payback on the do-gooder farm boy.

"Have a nice day Pietro," Clark says in a way that shows this conversation is finished as far as he is concerned.

Pietro nods his head at Neutron who releases Clark and the two of them storm off. Clark fixes his jacket and pushes his glasses back up his nose.

"Chaud dirigé crétins!" Plastique mutters with a shake of her head. Roughly she just called Pietro and Neutron hot headed morons.

"Vous êtes une personne très perspicace," Clark says in reply saying she is very preceptive.

Plastique looks at him with warm surprise. "Vous parlez français?" she says asking if he speaks French.

Still speaking in her native tongue Clark replies, "A little bit. My girlfriend speaks it so I decided I should learn at least a few phrases."

"She's a lucky woman," Plastique replies in French.

"I'm the lucky one," he says still in French.

Plastique smiles at that. Yes she may be an angry girl with plans to reek vengeance on the Canadian government for imprisoning her father. That doesn't mean she doesn't appreciate a polite handsome boy who speaks respectfully to her in her native tongue. "I am Bette Sans Souci," she introduces herself.

"Clark Kent," he replies.

"You really speak French?" Lance speaks up when they start swapping names, having been quiet up to this point and allowing Pietro to blow off his hot air.

"Yes Lance because Rogue does," Clark says back speaking English.

"She does?" Toad asks scratching his head puzzled. After all Rogue did live with them for awhile and he never knew that.

Lance assesses Clark. "You could have broken Neutron's grip at any time."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because Freddy is stronger than him and I've seen you beat Fred." Lance turns to his large friend. "No offence but he did."

Fred should be angry. It doesn't take much to anger him but Lance is right. Kent has beaten him although one day Fred determined he would even the score.

"There is no need to start a fight when it isn't necessary. I assumed that you're under orders to keep a low profile and therefore Neutron was it?" Clark asks and Lance nods. "Therefore he was never going to really start something."

"I really don't get you," Lance says in puzzlement. "You have all this power yet you never use it."

"No I do use it for what it is meant for. Not what you or Pietro or probably Magneto too thinks it should be used for. It is not something that can be explained. If you understood you would probably be an X-Man instead of where you are."

"That's not happening," Lance vows. He won't be joining the X-Men because he just cannot believe in Xavier's dream and Kent's right. Lance doesn't get why he won't use all that power he possesses to show humans who is really in charge.

"Lance I won't tell you how to live your life but if you threaten innocent people you will find me there to stop you," Clark states.

"Well then I guess we understand each other," Lance summarises.

"I guess so."

"Come on guys," Lance says signalling that this conversation is over. Pietro is the one with the problem with Kent not him. His problem always was, and still is, with Scott Summers.

Clark lets out a breath as they leave and accidentally creates a breeze. He makes a mental note that he really has to be more careful with his superbreath and practice with it a little more. That incident there wasn't actually as bad as he thought it could have been although there was something in Pietro's tone that just makes Clark worry that the arrogant teen might have been saying more than blowing hot air this time with his threats. Just then the class bell rings and he quickly grabs his books from his locker. On his way to class he thinks he should probably just keep both an eye and an ear on Pietro today.

* * *

As the students of Bayville High head to their classes the number one topic of gossip of the day remains the return of the students of the Xavier Institute for the Gifted.

"Can you believe they let them come back?" one girl of a gaggle asks her friends and no explanation is required about who 'them' is.

"I know," one of her friends replies with a disbelieving shake of head.

"I heard the school-board is voting tonight about whether to ban mutants," a second girl adds to the mix.

"Then today might be the last we see of them. Good riddance," the first girl who spoke says.

"Oh I don't know," the 3rd girl who spoke says with a bit of caution. "They were never that bad. I mean I kinda liked that Kitty Pryde girl."

The 2nd girl who spoke snorts. "That's because without her you would have failed Computing."

The 3rd girl had to nod in concession that Kitty had helped her. They were in the same computing class. "True but really she was nice."

"She was also lying about what she was," the 1st girl reminds her two friends. "And look what happened to that Institute they attend. Blown to pieces. How do we know this school and us aren't next?

The 2nd girl says, "Yeah. Where's the Bayville Blur to protect us when you need him?" she asks.

A 4th girl, the quiet one of the group of friends, asks, "Isn't he a mutant too?"

"I guess," the 1st girl says with a contemplative stroke of her chin because what else could he be?

"Maybe not," the 3rd girl replies. "Maybe he's like Spider-Man. I mean Spider-Man's not a mutant right?"

The 4 girls look at each other honestly having no answer.

The 2nd girl asks, in reference to the Bayville Blur, "I wonder where he went?"

"You're only asking that because you were totally crushing on him," the 1st girl says.

"Like you weren't? Who still has a giant poster on her wall?"

The 1st girl's lips curve up into a dreamy smile. "He was a total dreamboat!"

"Oh totally," the 2nd girl says in complete agreement.

"Didn't that Xavier guy says the Blur was like their friend or ally or something?" the 4th girl asks.

That strikes a chord with the girls and shows them they are having two different opinions of people who aren't that different. "Well maybe we can give them a chance," the 1st girl says.

"Yeah," the 2nd girl says nodding in agreement.

"I mean that human family lives there. I guess they can't be that bad," the 3rd girl supposes.

"Yeah that Clark Kent boy is nice. He helped me pick up my books when I dropped them one day when everyone else just walked by," the 4th girl remembers with a slight dreamy smile. Despite being a little dorky Clark Kent was kinda majorly cute. It's too bad he's dating that Rogue girl and is not single. Otherwise she would make a play for him.

As the 4 girls walk along the end of their conversation is overheard by the star quarterback. Duncan Matthews' green eyes narrow in disgust. 'They can't be that bad!' He can't believe he just heard that. He can't believe the school-board actually let those _freaks _come back to school. Hadn't they caused enough damage and to actually put all the normal people in danger by letting them come back. Duncan just didn't get it. He turns the glare of his anger at his pals standing with him. "I thought you guys were suppose to graffiti that mutie school of theirs and let them know how _welcome _they were here," he mutters and when he says how welcome they are he means that they're not.

"We tried Dunc!" one of them exclaims. "But we were caught and then the Bayville Blur showed up."

Duncan's brow furrows into a full blown scowl. "I thought that mutie freak was gone!"

"He said he was back," a second of Duncan's pals relays what happened.

"Is he even a mutant?" another asks. "I mean I don't think I ever heard anyone say he is."

"What else could he be?" Duncan almost yells.

His 3 pals shrug.

Duncan refocusses back on the immediate problem; Summers and co. "These muties have gotta go," he declares.

"We hear ya Dunc," the first boy says in agreement.

"But how?" the 3rd of Duncan's friends asks. "I mean you saw the tv footage. They beat giant robots! How can we do what those things couldn't?"

Duncan frowns. He hated to admit it but his pal had a point. "Well we just have to start with small steps," he thinks aloud. "First we have to get them kicked out of the school."

One of his pals has an idea. "You know I heard the muties were only allowed back if they didn't use their powers."

Duncan grins as he understands what this means. "Well then I guess we'll just have to make sure they do use their powers." His grin grows larger as he knows precisely which one of the muties to start with.

* * *

_Author's Note: Essentially here I'm roughly following the events of the episode Mainstream. Their enemies knowing who Clark is was always going to be an issue and this is the start of me dealing with it and coming up with a solution. My poll for who gets possessed in my version of Spell remains open for anyone who wishes to vote. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men's return to school continues as Pietro plots to out Clark as the Bayville Blur and then there's Principal Kelly..._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

With the kids away to school and no desire on his part to attend the school-board meeting, that is to be held this evening, Logan had decided the best way to spend his day was to go for a bike ride and blow off some steam.

A lot of anger had built up within Logan during the summer. Losing Firefly when she ran off and not being able to track her down. Volcana had learned too well it seemed from him. Then they lost Jubilee and then Rahne with both being called home by their parents because they no longer felt the Institute was safe and in some ways Logan blamed himself for that perception because he was the one who walked into the trap Magneto and Sabretooth set up and ended up captured by Trask, where he then became the bait to lure the X-Men in so Magneto could expose them for the whole world to see on his terms and now as a result they had to deal with these 'Friends of Humanity' mutant hating garbage, a wary, close to hostile government and on top of that they still had to deal with Magneto. Preferably before he found these alien stones and gained the power to conquer the planet and this search could involve having to cross SHIELD.

In fact it was pretty certain they would have to cross SHIELD at some point if Fury was going to remain determined to get his hands on Clark. The Professor, himself and Clark had already had a discussion about that situation and how to handle it. If Fury tries anything...well first off considering Clark is invulnerable that might be amusing to watch and second off Logan will protect Clark. That's what Logan swore to do for all the students so they would never end up having to endure what he has in his life.

Fury. They use to be friends him and Fury but now he is pretty much just pissed off at the man. Logan is basically, even now, furious at the fact Fury let Lionel Luthor, the architect of so many of their problems, out of prison. Logan was furious but sadly not surprised. This is the kind of stuff Fury does. This is why he quit SHIELD. This is why they really have no friendship any more.

Then there is the other issue Logan needs to blow off steam about. He had not even begun to deal with what Chuck revealed to him over the summer about Domino and how she might have been created by Weapon X and the fact his DNA might have been used to help create her. Then there was how that could also relate to Rogue or more precisely how she might relate to him. Logan didn't even know where to begin with that one. He hadn't talked about it with Rogue. Saw no reason to because it was only speculation until Beast could do the proper tests. They were still waiting for the equipment to be delivered to be able to perform the tests. Still what if he is Rogue's...father?

Logan lost his memory due to Weapon X and in the process he essentially lost any family he had because even if he had any that was still alive, which he personally doubts, he can't remember them and has no idea where on Earth they are. He has no clue how to be anyone's father. He has no clue at all how to deal with any of it which leads back to the beginning as to why he needs to go blow off steam.

Logan accelerates and weaves his way through the morning traffic of Bayville, heading out of town and into the countryside where he can clear his head without distraction or interruption. It is then he hears the sound of another motorbike closing in rapidly upon him from behind. It draws up next to him on his left showing it to be a large man in bike leathers, with his face hidden behind a dark helmet, riding but Logan knows that scent. When the man raises his right hand and turns it to metal it confirms what Logan thought as to the identity of the rider.

Colossus.

Colossus then accelerates away and Logan knows a challenge when he sees it and he gives chase. As Colossus passes a van he slams his fist into the back right-side corner of it denting the metal and causing the van's back to step out. The van's tyres screech as the driver slams the brakes on and tries to stop losing control as Colossus accelerates past it and away. The van driver manages to bring it to a stop but it now sideways, across the road completely blocking it. Logan growls under his helmet, accelerates and uses a car that has also spun to a stop as a ramp as he leaps over the van and continues his pursuit of the large Russian boy.

The chase continues until they hit the farmland and Colossus vanishes into a barn. Logan takes the less subtle way in and drives his bike through the wall. Upon bursting through Colossus transforms into his metal form, completely shredding his bike leathers. He catches Logan's bike, and Logan, and throws it away. Logan leaps off and snarls angrily as he hears the metal of his beloved bike bend upon impact. He lands in a crouch and throws his helmet off. "You've got my attention," he says in a gravelly tone before he pops his claws. "Now lets talk!" he adds as he charges at Colossus.

Logan leaps and plants his feet directly into Colossus' chest with a lot more force than Colossus expected and Logan sends him sailing through the barn's timber wall until he collides with a tractor outside.

Logan strides out from the hole. "Alright bub. What is this about?" he demands to know since this is a lot of show so must be about something.

Colossus briefly rubs his head before he stands up and lifts the tractor above his head. "I am to deliver a message," he explains why he is here before he throws the tractor directly at Logan.

As the tractor sails towards him Logan sidesteps to his left and cuts the front right wheel off with his claws. While the tyre is still in the air he punches it sending it sailing into Colossus' knees knocking the big mutant down face first. "From who?" Logan asks having a feeling he knows who.

Colossus gets to his feet and slams his right fist into the tyre that knocked him down virtually destroying it. "Magneto!" he replies to Logan's question before he visibly forces himself to calm down and reverts to his human form dressed in his red and black costume with the red armoured chest plate, yellow armoured shoulder pads and red boots. "Magneto has heard of the vote to ban mutants from the school. He wishes it to be known to yourself, to the X-Men, to his old friend Charles, that when you tire of the persecution of mutants he is ready to forgive and accept you in joining him in the war that is to come," Colossus relays the message Magneto gave him to deliver. The reason he is here in Bayville.

Logan's eyes narrow. "So I can be a lackey like you? I don't think so!" he dismisses it out of hand.

"I am not a lackey!" Colossus snaps back angrily, rejecting utterly that description of himself before he lowers his head and takes a breath. "I..." he looks away and closes his eyes almost in shame. "I have no choice," he says sadly.

"What does Magneto have on you?" Logan asks, truly seeing for the first time what Clark did that day when they destroyed the Rebirth device, as he retracts his claws.

"Enough," is all Colossus says as he starts to walk away, his shoulders hunched, carrying the burden he must to protect his sister.

"Whatever it is there's a way out," Logan tells him from personal experience. "Let us help you," he pleads with Colossus.

Colossus pauses in walking away. "You sound like the boy whose skin is like steel," he says referring to Clark.

"Listen to him. Listen to me. Join the X-Men. We can help."

"I cannot," Colossus says with some finality turning down Logan's offer because they cannot tell him where Magneto holds his sister and could not rescue her before she suffers should he disobey or defect.

Logan watches Colossus walk away feeling a tad sad for the kid and he really is nothing more than a kid. Can't be more than 19 or 20 at most if that. What in blazes does Magneto have on him that he thinks there is no way out?

* * *

**Bayville High...**

Lunchtime and Rogue is just putting her things away in her locker before she goes to get lunch. To say her morning had been trying would be the understatement of the year. Rogue had always been an outsider. In fact she preferred it but today had, for once, made her wish she could fit in. Her teachers would look at her like she was a bomb waiting to go off and the other students spent most of the morning gawking at her like she was some zoo specimen or something. That is when they weren't busy whispering derogatory terms behind her back like she couldn't hear them when she damn well could. Rogue can't wait to get to the cafeteria and meet up with the others. God she needs Clark's support right now.

"Well. Well. Well. Look what trailer trash they let back here," a peppy voice says, a voice that to Rogue is worse than nails on a chalk board.

Rogue closes her eyes, takes a breath and promises herself not to drain them dry and turns to face her tormentors. The damn cloners. The 3 blond bimbos. The 3 near identical girls who were unable to form a thought that hadn't been forced fed to them from the television or magazines. The 'It' girls of Bayville High; Tempest, Tyler and Carly. "What do y'all want?" Rogue growls unable to stop herself sounding annoyed.

Tempest, the self-imposed leader of the trio asks, "So I hear that that boyfriend of yours is not a mutant. That true?"

"Yeah," Rogue says wary about where this conversation is headed but that is the truth she spoke. Clark is not a mutant.

Tempest looks Rogue over from top to bottom. "Nope. I still don't see it."

"See what?"

"What it is that Clark sees in you."

"How about someone who can think for themselves!" Rogue snaps.

Tyler shakes her head. "Nope. That's not it. The only explanation is that it must be your freaky powers," she has concluded.

Carly nods in agreement. "Must be. Is that your power? Some way to control men? Poor Clark," she mourns with sympathy for what he must have been enduring.

"I feel like we need to hug him and never let go," Tempest says with a deliberate smirk.

Tyler smirks like her friend. "It'll certainly be more warmth than he is use to from a cold fish," she says nastily, fixing an evil look at Rogue.

Rogue's hands clench into fists and she grinds her teeth. If they insinuate one more damn thing about her relationship with Clark she won't be held responsible for her actions.

"God will you 3 like get a clue!" a furious sounding voice tells them off.

All 4 girls look to find Kitty, of all people, glaring at the 3 blond girls with a stern expression.

"Bug off Pryde!" Carly snaps trying to wave Kitty away.

"Yeah. This is nothing to do with you," Tyler says backing up her friend.

Kitty is silent for a moment before she blinks. "I'm sorry what? I didn't catch that. You see your mouths were moving but all I like heard was 'Baaaaa, Baaaaa'. I forgot for a minute there that I was talking to mindless sheep."

All 4 girls, especially Rogue, look at Kitty opened mouthed in complete shock at what they are hearing from the usually sweet, well-natured, girl.

Kitty then looks Tempest up and down. "Gee Tempy how many poor kids in sweat shops had to die for that tacky outfit?"

"Tacky!" Tempest screeches. "I'll have you know this the latest line recommended by..."

"Some lame manufactured run of the mill pop star or tv star or movie star or fashion star or whatever, who, probably, is as incapable of forming an independent thought as you are and is getting paid by some stupid conglomerate who spends their days thinking up how they can exploit the poor so why don't you do us all a favour, stop listening to their propaganda, use the few braincells that god gifted you with and come up with an opinion of your own...and oh stop hassling my friends or you'll wake up one day and find all your clothes replaced with stuff I picked up at the local charity shop."

"Y-you're bluffing," Tempest stutters out.

Kitty shrugs. "Maybe. Maybe not but the point is how would you know? I can walk through walls right into your closest. You wouldn't know until it was too late."

Tempest's lower lip starts to wobble in fear at the mere thought of ending up in...in hand me downs from a charity. A cold shiver runs up her spine.

Rogue jumps in at this point seeing Tempest's expression. "Gawd y'all are just little girls aren't ya. Only caring about looking good in what is tha opinion of tha so-called majority and that by tha way is why Clark will nevah show any interest in ya. None of y'all are woman enough ta handle a real man."

"And then there is what happens when you get old and the wrinkles set in," Kitty piles in. "I like can't imagine what you will do then since you have no personality whatsoever. I can see the Botox injections, immobile facial expressions and trout lips already."

"Yeah. It must beh sad ta know that y'all are already at tha peak of your lives and it is just downhill from here," Rogue adds, really, really enjoying this.

"No!" Tyler wails at the picture Rogue and Kitty are painting. "That won't happen! Right Tempest?" she asks her friend.

No reply.

"Tempest?" Carly asks needing her friend to tell her what to think.

Tempest blinks, her mind frozen.

Rogue leans forward. "Ah think that day has come already Kit." She points at Tempest's face. "Is that a wrinkle?"

Kitty leans in. "You know I like totally think it is. Well you know how bad for your skin those tanning saloons are," she says in reference to how Tempest has a virtual perma-tan no matter what time of year it is.

Rogue nods, grinning slyly. "Yep."

"Y-You're bluffing," Tempest manages to stutter out.

"Are we?" Rogue asks flatly making it sound like a dare to challenge what she and Kitty have said.

Tyler and Carly now lean in to peer closely at their friend.

"They're bluffing right?" Tempest asks her hangers-on.

Tyler gulps. "Well...uh..."

"Shut up!" Tempest snaps not getting the instant reassurance she wanted. "I am not getting old! I am not getting wrinkles! I have so much to look forward to!" she insists a few moments before she cracks. Her eyes mist over with fear. "To the spa! Quick! I need a facial!"

With that Tempest turns on her heels and vanishes at speed Clark would almost envy with her two friends desperately trying to keep up.

Rogue and Kitty burst into a fit of laughter. "Oh mah gawd. That was...Kitty ah don't have tha words," Rogue praises her friend.

Kitty tries to get her laughter under control. "It was the least I could do. After all us 'mutie freaks' have to stick together don't we." And after the morning she has had Kitty appreciates that more than ever about friends sticking together.

"Ah am surprised about ya criticising their clothing though considering," Rogue says referring to the time Kitty spends in the mall.

"Rogue have you ever seen me in anything like what those 3 wear?"

"Can't say ah have," Rogue must admit. "Although ya do crazy ovah every hot pop star and actor."

"Admiring how attractive someone is is not the same as mindlessly buying every product they sell. I won't deny I like to go shopping but if I ever become brainwashed sheep like those 3 please shoot me."

"Oh no worries about that Kit. Ah promise ah will," Rogue says sounding like she is taking that a little too seriously. The two start to head off to meet up with the others when Rogue asks, "So how about ya and meh go ta tha mall somethame?"

Kitty's eyebrows rise up so high they nearly leap off her face in shock. Rogue has never wanted to go shopping with her because of their drastically different tastes. It takes her a moment to get it but this is Rogue's way of thanking her for helping with the 3 girls. She smiles brightly. "Sure Rogue. I would love to."

* * *

_'This school blows!' _Evan thinks to himself as he heads to his locker before heading for lunch. Nothing but abuse or being gawked at or being looked at by his teachers with suspicion and fear like he is a dangerous weapon that could go off any second.

"Freak!"

That would be one of Evans classmates making a not so subtle statement. He stops and frowns.

"Hey I think it heard you," another one says with a smirk. "What's the matter? Don't like being called names...mutie?"

Evan closes his eyes and urges himself to stay calm and not knock these dumb-headed morons into next week.

"No he doesn't...and I don't like people calling my friends names either."

Evan opens his eyes to find Clark has appeared behind his two tormentors who turn to face the tall teen.

"You're that human guy whose family lives with the freaks aren't you?" one of them recognises Clark.

"That human guy? Wow. Real fine memory you have there," Clark mocks, with a sarcastic flare, the fact they can't even remember his name and Evan smiles slightly at it.

The other sneers. "You know that if you hang around them you'll become what they are."

Clark folds his arms across his chest and stops his usual slouching to stand at his full intimidating height. "Yeah I heard that but you know what I would rather be a mutant than a couple of racist, bigoted, close-minded jackasses like yourselves." Behind his glasses Clark's blue eyes narrow. "Now why don't you back off before I happily risk expulsion by kicking your xenophobic asses," Clark warns them, just having had enough of listening to his friends be insulted all morning...and he may have been hanging around Rogue too long.

The two boys glower at Clark but when Clark isn't hiding himself away he is actually tall, big and imposing and they think better of it. "This isn't over...mutie lover," the first one mutters before they both walk off.

"Thanks man," Evan says to Clark.

"No problem. You been getting that all morning?"

"Yep."

"Yeah. I've been getting that oh so imaginative label they muttered as well," Clark says with a sigh.

"It was oh so imaginative wasn't it?"

Both Clark and Evan frown at the new feminine voice and turn to find a girl, say about Jean's age, with shoulder length blond hair, dressed stylishly in a pink shirt and short black skirt that hugs her figure and shows off her curves without being too blatant about it. Her eyes are taking the two boys in with an amused curiosity. "You new here?" Evan asks her having never seen her before.

"Indeed I am," she confirms. She holds her hand out. "Catherine Grant but please call me Cat," she introduces herself with a silky smooth voice.

Evan takes her hand first. "Evan Daniels."

Clark then shakes her hand. "Clark Kent."

The girl arches an eyebrow. "My, you have a strong grip don't you," she compliments Clark.

Clark rubs the back of his neck. "Uh...grew up on a farm. Lots of manual labor," he tries to explain that away.

"It shows," she says in a light flirty tone as she gazes at his physique and when Clark's cheeks redden slightly Cat laughs softly. "Now don't be so shy. I'm teasing."

"You aren't freaked out," Evan observes.

"Why? Because you're a big bad mutant?" Cat waves that off. "Please do I look like I share anything in common with those two Neanderthals that just left? Can't become a journalist without the ability to form your own opinions."

"You want to be a journalist?" Clark inquires with an intrigued expression.

"Oh indeed so. In fact I already talked the Principal over the summer into letting me join the school paper."

"We have a school paper?" Evan queries, scratching his head. He never knew that.

"Yes Evan. We do," Clark confirms.

Cat's gaze assesses Clark. "So you're the human that braves to live at the Xavier Institute?"

"Yes," Clark replies simply and politely because unlike the two idiots who he scared off Cat is asking with simple curiosity without any animosity.

Cat's finger goes to her lower, coated in pink lipstick, lip as she thinks. "You know what people around here need is a perspective on what goes on at that Institute. A human perspective...and well I would not be adverse to a partner," she suggests being very forward.

"Me?" Clark asks since her gaze is focussed on him.

"Didn't you use to write for the school paper back in Smallville?" Evan remembers.

"Excellent!" Cat says excitedly at hearing this. "You already have some experience. Come now Clark...I can call you Clark can't I?" she asks him. He nods. She continues. "Think about what I'm proposing. Isn't it what people around here need?"

"Well maybe," Clark might concede. "But it's a lot duller than you might think. Mutants are just people," he says not really sure if he wants to do what she is suggesting.

"Precisely! That's what everyone needs to see. You could write a weekly article relaying your experiences and demonstrating the normalcy of mutants."

Clark cannot believe he is thinking this but she has a point. "I...I would need to ask Professor Xavier first...for permission," he says, cautioning her about being too optimistic on the chances of getting what she is proposing.

"Of course," Cat says like he just said the obvious. She then fishes out a card from a purse she is carrying and slips it into the top pocket of the plaid shirt Clark has on today. She gives it a pat and in the process takes a moment to feel the solidity underneath her fingers. "That's my cell number," she explains what the card is. "If you or Professor Xavier have any questions don't hesitate to call me. I'm always available," she tells Clark. "Well I should go. Let you go get your lunch. Nice meeting you," she says to both boys. "Clark call me soon," she requests of him with a soft open expression.

"Uh sure. As soon as I can. It was a...um...pleasure to meet you...Cat," Clark says as a farewell as he pushes his glasses up his nose.

A soft smile comes to Cat's lips. "The pleasure was all mine," she says with a soft purr before she turns neatly around to depart. "Ciao darlings!" she says her final farewells to the the two boys as she walks off with a wave back at them.

"Dude what the hell is your secret?" Evan asks Clark as soon as she is gone.

"Huh?"

"She was so coming on to you."

"Huh?" Clark repeats, still utterly clueless.

Evan rolls his eyes. "I mean seriously Clark how do you attract all these hotties? Her. The 3 barbies..."

"Who are selfish airheads," Clark expresses his opinion on who he knows Evan means. Tempest, Tyler and Carly. For the way they treat Rogue alone even Clark's nice guy attitude doesn't stretch to liking them.

"Ok yeah," Evan concedes Clark's assessment of the 3 girls. "But it's not just them. There was Haze."

"I try not to remember that," Clark points out as many of his actions under red kryptonite were ill-advised and hurtful to those he cared about.

"Live Wire," Evan adds because she spent the few days she was at the mansion practically throwing herself at Clark.

Clark makes a face of deep displeasure at that suggestion. "Please Evan," he almost begs his friend to not put that idea anywhere near him. "That woman was...is the most irritating one on the planet...still...despite Magneto's brainwashing."

"Ok true," Evan accepts, "but dude you even dated a cheerleader," he continues his argument about Clark's amazing luck with women.

"Which ended so badly she was still kinda angry at me months later," Clark argues in relation to his failed relationship with Lana. In fact for all Clark knows Lana could still be angry at him since he hasn't seen her in months to know any different. Last he heard, when he was catching up with Chloe over the phone, was that Lana was now in Paris attending a fashion design school.

"Yeah but you still dated her," Evan argues, "and then there's Chloe who you took to a school dance so again I ask dude what is your secret?"

"There's no secret Evan. I don't try to attract girls," he says and in fact if you look at his record before coming to the Institute he was kinda hopeless around the opposite sex. He continues, "Hell when I came here the last thing I wanted was another relationship but I never anticipated Rogue."

"And then there's Rogue who under all that dark make-up I'm thinking is probably pretty hot," Evan says, thinking Clark's mention of her just adds weight to the argument he is making.

"I'm not sure whether to be offended at that or not so I'll leave it up to Rogue."

Evan's face pales. "Dude do not tell I said that," he pleads. "She'll kill me!"

"No she won't. She'll only humiliate you in front of everyone," Clark says with a positively evil grin. He then walks off with Evan following on behind pleading and begging Clark not to tell Rogue what he said.

* * *

After his last class of the morning Scott is heading to join the others, trying his best to ignore the whispered comments as he walks by. The morning had been tough as it most probably had been for the others as well. He was looking forward to meeting up with them and especially Jean. He walks out the main doors intending to meet them at the table outside they normally sit at when he is suddenly blind-sided. He is tackled by two goons and slammed into the wall hard knocking the air out of his lungs. His two attackers then stand back and allow the ringleader to step forward.

"Hey Summers," Duncan greets him with a sneer. He then smiles cruelly as he contemplates what he is about to do.

Scott should have known Duncan would be behind this. "Duncan as much as I can't believe I'm saying this I don't want to fight you."

Duncan laughs mockingly. "Well I want to fight you. I'm going to make sure you use your powers and then it's bye-bye Bayville High for you...and the rest of your freak friends. So come on mutie," he goads Scott. "Throw something at me."

Scott's hand rises to his glasses tempted to do what he has been for years and blast Duncan Matthews' head off but he resists. "As much as I would love to you're not worth it," he dismisses Duncan out of hand with a wave of his hand. He then starts to walk away.

Duncan's eyes narrow in fury. He runs up behind Scott and throws his arms around him making sure he can't go anywhere. "You don't get it do you Summers. This is about sending a message since you didn't seem to get it last night that no-one wants your kind around here."

Duncan throws Scott, in a spin, into his two pals who each grab an arm and hold Scott still.

"You know Matthews I should have figured you were behind that," Scott mutters, through narrowed eyes, knowing Duncan is referring to the graffiti that was daubed on the walls last night after Clark, Kurt, Kitty and Rogue told them all what had happened.

Duncan chuckles as he reaches forward and plucks Scott's glasses off his face, forcing the leader of the X-Men to close his eyes or risk levelling the school building. Duncan pops the glasses on his face and proceeds to mock Scott. "Hey look at me," he says pointing at himself with his thumb. "Aren't I cool?"

The two boys holding Scott laugh. Scott manages to break free from their grip using that moment of distraction, grabs the boy on his right and throws him into Duncan causing the two to fall down in a heap. The other boy runs but out of pure instinct Scott swings his leg round and sweeps the boy's legs out from under him and he crashes down face first. Scott remains on one knee, his hands raised, his eyes closed, listening to his surroundings.

"You've had it Summers!" Duncan threatens now furious and full of hate.

Scott stands up. "Bring it on Matthews!" he challenges, with his brow furrowed in pure determination. "I don't need any powers to handle punks like you!"

Snarling, Duncan and co close in...

"Leave him alone!" a voice says with steady determination.

Curious, Duncan pauses as he looks to see Kurt Wagner has appeared on the scene. "Buzz off shrimp if you know what's good for you," Duncan warns him.

Kurt doesn't move and takes a deep breath. When he saw Scott in trouble he was conflicted for a second about whether to help but deep down he knew he couldn't bail on his friend again. How could he explain that to the Lord and then live with himself. Answer is he couldn't. "He didn't do anyzhing to you. Now please leave him alone," Kurt asks of them.

Duncan laughs in response. "Why would I do that and why do you care...unless...are you a mutie too?"

"Vhat if I am," Kurt says evenly. "Doesn't make vhat you are doing right."

"Hey Dunc I think he is a mutie," one of Dunc's pals says. "Doesn't he live at that Institute of weirdos and freaks too?"

Duncan muses on it for a second. He had seen Kurt at that place back when he was dating Jean. "Well, well two freaks for the price of one," he laughs.

"You really can't count can you," Kitty says as she walks to in front of Scott.

"Yeah try 4 freaks," Rogue says as she joins Kitty in protecting Scott. She places one hand on her hip. She continues, "And droppin' ya losers just might beh worth gettin' expelled."

"That's just what I was saying to a couple of other jackasses who were hassling Evan," Clark says as he and Evan approach from the right. "And you know to be consistent I should apply that to you three."

Evan sneers at Duncan and pals. "Yeah and there ain't a bigger jackass on this planet than Duncan Matthews."

"You got that right." That icy voice makes a unpleasant shiver run up Duncan's spine as he turns to find Jean standing right behind him and a few feet behind her are Taryn and Paul.

Jean's green eyes narrow in cold anger as her eyes drift to her boyfriend's glasses on her ex-boyfriend's face. "Did I not warn you what would happen when we broke up if you picked on my friends Duncan?" she asks him to remember.

Duncan gulps. Jean threatened to hurt his two best friends and he doesn't mean the two boys standing next to him. He means the ones between his legs.

"God!" Jean exclaims. "You are such a...a...a...lughead!"

Duncan looks at the odds and can see they aren't good and not in his favour. He takes the glasses off his face and tosses them to Jean. "Fine. Take them. I was done having fun anyway...but this isn't over Jean," he warns her. "I won't forget or forgive the way you humiliated me. You mutie freaks won't last the week!" he snarls.

Rogue pretends to yawn. "Ya done? Ah do have better places ta beh ya know."

Duncan wears an impressive scowl as he and his two pals stomp off. One of them shouts, "We're going to run you all right out of this town!"

Jean's cherry eyebrows come together in a frown as she glares at those 3 leave. That done she turns round, jogs over to Scott and gently replaces his glasses on his face, taking a moment to gently caress the face of the boy she loves. "Did he hurt you?" she asks with loving concern.

"Nah," Scott dismisses that, not wishing to worry her. "It was nothing beyond his usual antics...just with a new racist twist. Actually it was better than I expected," he jokes.

Jean smiles. "I'm sorry," she feels she needs to apologise. "Ugh," she makes a face as she rubs her face with her hand. "I can't believe I dated him," she bemoans that decision.

"Wasn't your brightest move ever," Taryn has to agree.

With his vision restored Scott turns his attention to Kurt. "Thanks for coming to the rescue."

"No problem," Kurt replies before his expression falls and he looks a little sad. "I'm sorry for bailing on you guys zhis morning," he apologises. "I got a little freaked."

"Can't say I blame you," Scott says wryly.

"There's no need to apologise Kurt," Jean says. "We understand."

"Definitely," Clark says in agreement. "After all I'm pretty certain you were probably just afraid of the same thing I have been since I was 3." i.e. that people would find out he is an alien and he would be called an inhuman monster etc etc.

Kurt wants to slap himself. Of course they would understand.

Scott looks to his friends. "So how's your morning been?" he asks them.

"Don't ask."

"Awful."

"Hellish."

"So need a vacation."

"This school blows."

"I should have stayed brainwashed."

Scott looks to Jean in response to those replies. Jeans shrugs, "You asked."

He did. Next time he'll just keep his mouth shut.

* * *

Looking out of his office window, witnessing that entire confrontation, is Principal Robert Kelly who had spent all summer becoming more and more concerned with the situation as regards to mutants and the threat they pose to the normal population. If he had been listened to that incident right there could have been avoided because those dangerous mutants would never have been allowed back but it wasn't solely his decision. He had to answer to the school-board whose decision it was.

Something had to be done though to protect the normal students. That is what Kelly saw as his job and to do that he had to make sure that the school-board voted in favour of the mutant ban and the ironic part is that what he just witnessed has given him an idea on what he must do. He turns and walks to his open door. "Dorothy," he addresses his secretary. "Have Duncan Matthews report to my office," he instructs her.

* * *

"So like what's your power? Are you going to read my mind?" one male student, stupid enough to come up to Rogue, asks.

Rogue scoffs. "As if ah could find it," she retorts.

The glare she gives him soon has him scurrying off and she lets out an annoyed huff. A hand comes to rest on her shoulder and gently rubs some of the tension away. Rogue smiles as she turns her head to find Clark giving him a warm supportive smile. At least she has him.

The X-Men and friends were sitting outside, having their lunch, and around them there was mostly empty space as everyone else gave them a wide berth or just stood far away and gawked.

"Wonderful reception you guys are getting," Amanda, sitting next to Kurt, snorts. She shakes her head. "You know we went through the whole Civil Rights struggle and just when you think we're getting to the promised land the second a new race of humans pops up it's like some people regress to the pre-Civil War era! Dr King must be rolling in his grave."

Kurt chuckles lightly. "Zhat's just vhat Domino said zhe ozher day."

Amanda smiles. She had met Domino when she had gone to visit Kurt over the summer and despite Domino's predisposition to offer an opinion on everything Amanda did find that she liked her. "Well as the saying goes great minds think alike."

Kitty giggles in response to that. "Don't like say that she has a great mind around Mr Logan. He really doesn't get on with Domino."

"Why not?" Amanda asks.

Rogue smirks as she answers. "She keeps stealing his beer from his secret stash and no matter how hard he tries to hide it she always finds it."

Amanda covers her mouth with her hand and snorts with laughter. In fact most of them have a quiet chuckle because it is funny the way Domino can wind Logan up like no-one else can say perhaps Rogue.

Most of them laugh except Clark who Rogue spots has a rather faraway expression. "Ya alright Clark?"

"Sure. I'm just keeping an eye on Pietro," Clark answers.

"Why in the world would you want to keep an eye on him?" Evan asks distastefully. He tries not to think about Pietro as much as possible.

Clark relays the entire incident this morning when he ran into Pietro and the Brotherhood and Pietro's threat to 'out' him.

"He's still blaming you for Wanda?" Kitty exclaims in total disbelief. "That was like months ago! And he was going to go along with Magneto brainwashing her!"

"Y'all are forgetting this is Pietro we're talking about. Tha alternative would beh that he actually takes some responsibility for his actions," Rogue points out with her usual sarcasm.

"Hell will freeze over first," Evan offers his opinion on that.

"That is what ah was implying," Rogue says with a roll of her eyes.

"You know one of these days you guys are going to have to let us in on him," Paul speaks up for him and Taryn, pointing at Clark, because he and Taryn are sort of out of the loop on Clark. They know he does have powers of some kind without knowing the details yet all summer it has been covered up and Clark portrayed to be a normal human like them.

Jean shares a look with Scott who both look at Clark. Clark sighs and rubs his head. That was a bit of a slip up but this has been coming from the moment Paul and Taryn were let in on the mutant secret. "You're right Paul," Clark concedes the point. "But can we save it for later," he requests. "This is definitely not the place for that talk."

"Ok sure. I guess," Taryn accepts the request with a small frown of puzzlement about just what exactly it is they are missing in regards to Clark.

Paul shrugs. "Fine by me," he accepts.

"Thanks," Clark says gratefully.

Scott gets back onto Pietro. "Do you really think he meant what he said about outing you?" he asks using the phrasing Clark had used.

"Pietro's full of hot air," Evan dismisses the silver-haired teen.

"Usually I would agree with you Evan but there was just something in his tone. I think he means it this time...and also I'll mention that the tall guy with the blond hair I found out his name is Neutron and he's strong...not as strong as Fred but definitely in the super strong category," Clark feels he should share with his friends about what he learned.

Scott makes a mental note of that. Since they had seen next to nothing of the Brotherhood over the summer they knew very little about the new members and their abilities and capabilities. "Did you learn anything else?"

"Not much except the girl with the red hair is called Bette Sans Souci and she is French-Canadian, most likely from Quebec."

"How do you know that?" Jean asks.

"Well she speaks French and on the folder she was carrying was the flag of Quebec and she had the same flag as a pin stuck to her top. She was polite enough to introduce herself...and you know I swear her surname sounds familiar."

Kitty nods. "Yeah I've heard that name somewhere too."

Clark thinks. He does have a perfect memory but since he only has some vague recognition of the name he thinks he must have just overheard it in passing once without picking up the context it was being spoken in. They would have to look it up to find out more. He continues, "Anyway I think they must have orders not to draw attention to themselves because Alicia was warning Pietro off during our little _chat_."

"That's what the Professor thinks too," Scott says when they had tried to figure out why the Brotherhood have been so inactive as of late. "What's Pietro doing now?" Scott asks.

Clark cocks his head slightly as he focusses in. "Uh...he and Neutron are beating up some freshmen for their lunch money." And as much as Clark would like to stop that he can't just go rushing off. They were under orders not to cause trouble.

"Typical," Evan mutters.

Scott's expression becomes deeply disapproving. They really will have to do something about that one of these days but not today as they have that school-board vote tonight. Best behaviour at all times today. "You'll keep an eye on him and let us know if he ends up trying something in regards to you?" Scott asks Clark to continue doing what he has been doing all morning because if Pietro tries something as Clark's friends they will endeavour to prevent it.

"As much as it pains me to do so I will," Clark confirms.

"I feel your pain," Evan says in sympathy because he would hate to have to watch Pietro all day.

"You guys live complicated lives," Taryn comments at all that having been completely lost during at least half of it.

Jean chuckles sadly at that truth. "You have no idea."

* * *

"Y-you asked to see me Principal Kelly?" Duncan asks with an uncharacteristic nervous stutter. On the way here he had desperately tried to think what it is he could be in trouble for. His father will kill him if he gets into trouble on the first day back.

Principal Kelly has returned to looking out his window with his hands behind his back. He doesn't actually look at Duncan. "Yes Duncan," he confirms. "Come in," he beckons the boy. As Duncan draws near, Kelly turns to his right to look at the boy. "Lets get to the point. I am aware of the little tussle you had with Scott Summers out in the quad."

Duncan's eyes widen and he tries to play that off as he waves his hands in front of himself. "No big deal. We were just goofing off," he describes it as since he can't know how Kelly will react if he explained what it was really about.

"Hmm hmm," Kelly replies sceptically, showing how he knows that that wasn't what it was about. He turns back to look out his window. "Well I'd be more careful about _goofing off _with a mutant if I was you."

"What?" Duncan queries a little confused by that. "I'm not afraid of him," he insists.

"You ought to be," Kelly murmurs darkly. "Look what I'm saying is that you can't have a beef with just one of them cause they stick together." Kelly moves and places a hand on Duncan's shoulder. "I'm just concerned for your safety. I'm concerned for all the normal students' safety. I mean what if that incident had been tonight during the school-board meeting and they saw the truth of the danger mutants pose hmm?" he queries with a quirk of his eyebrow.

Duncan gets it and grins. Kelly is on his side. "Well maybe myself and a few friends should attend to _give _our side of the argument."

"I think that would be an excellent idea," Kelly praises him seeing Duncan understands what needs to be done. "As long as for the rest of the day you stay out of trouble," he advises.

Duncan nods. Kelly means save it for tonight. "No problem sir. As I said we were just goofing."

"Well then I'm glad we had this chat. Enjoy the rest of your day Mr Matthews. You can go."

"Yes sir!" Duncan says with a smile. He turns and exits the office. He needs to go round up his friends and plan for tonight. He steps into the hallway.

"Interesting talk there you had."

Duncan's eyes come to rest on a certain silver haired teen leaning against the wall who is accompanied by this large blond new guy Duncan has never seen before. "What are you on about Maximoff?"

Pietro pushes himself off the wall. "I am going on about those dangerous freaks of nature they let back here and that maybe you could do with a few additional voices in _giving _your side of the argument."

"You want to help?"

"Sure do. Me and my buddy here would like nothing better than to see those filthy muties run out of here and I'm sure I can get a few others to join us. I mean the more of us there are the more certain it is that they'll have to use their powers. Think of all the destruction that will cause right in the middle of the meeting."

Duncan imagines it. That would surely get the muties banned. "Alright. Meet you outside the building just before it starts?"

"Sounds like a perfect plan to me!"

Duncan leaves with a wide grin on his face thinking how perfectly this will all go. Once he is out of earshot Neutron asks Pietro, in reference to Duncan, "Has he always been that stupid?"

"Actually that was one of his brighter moments," Pietro insults Duncan.

"So care to tell me what that was about?"

Pietro and Neutron had just been passing, after roughing up a freshman or two for their lunch money, when Pietro overheard Matthews and Kelly talking and an idea struck him about how to solve a couple of the issues that have been bothering him. Pietro explains to Neutron, "Two things. One; Kent. If we ambush him in his 'human' guise at the meeting he'll have no choice but to use his powers and thus exposing himself. Two; we show how Xavier's dream is nothing but a fantasy when we get mutants banned...and actually three things the look on Matthews' face when we use our powers and he finds out he was used by us _filthy muties_."

"And your father's orders?" Neutron asks after. You know the orders not to expose themselves as mutants.

"There is a difference between what my father says and what he desires. If we do this tonight this is what he desires. It will stoke up resentment and prove how right he is about humans and how they treat their superiors. Besides I know you hate it as much as I do the way we've had to pretend to be 'normal'."

Pietro is correct. Neutron hates it. He would love to just go out and show what he could do and have people fear him as they should. Therefore he agrees quite readily to go along with what Pietro is proposing.

"We'll have to be careful around mommy's precious little girl and Puzzler too. They won't go along with it," Pietro cautions.

Neutron agrees. If they get wind of it they'll tattle to Mystique. "We should try and get rid of them for the rest of the day," he suggests.

A grin comes to Pietro as another idea strikes him about how to do that and he whispers it in Neutron's ear who almost guffaws in response. Not only would that get rid of the two girls it would also be highly amusing.

Pietro starts to walk off down the hallway and signals for Neutron to come. "Come on lets go find Avalanche, Toad and Blob. I know I can talk them into helping with this," he tells Neutron with complete arrogant belief in his own powers of persuasion.

"What about Bette?" Neutron inquires after the one Pietro hasn't mentioned so far.

Oh Bette. Pietro has spent all summer trying to work his way into the hot redhead's affections but she has been playing hard to get but hey what's life without a little challenge. She'll come round in time Pietro is convinced. "I'll talk to her. I know she hates being cooped up and would love to just let loose some time," he says having gotten her to basically confess that over the summer.

In his head Pietro tries to picture tonight. He is certain this will go great and even if he is defying his father's orders he is pretty certain his father will be pleased with the result and therefore pleased with him. After all this is what his father wants in the end. Mutants and humans apart...and best of all as far as Pietro is concerned he gets a little way back at the payback Kent deserves. Only a little way mind you because there is no amount of payback that is sufficient as far as Pietro is concerned for Kent taking his twin sister away from him.

* * *

Back with the X-Men a worried expression comes to Clark's face having overheard everything. If Pietro carries out that plan not only will Clark be exposed, which is not his main concern, but it will all but certain get the mutant ban vote carried. "Scott. You know you said to keep an eye on Pietro," he says to the leader of the X-Men.

"Yeah?"

Clark looks Scott straight in the eye with a deadly serious expression. "We've got a big problem."

* * *

_Author's Note: Felt like adding another character from Superman's world hence the addition of Cat Grant. Besides if Clark is going to become a journalist one day he was needing a catalyst to kick him in that direction. Cat's as good as anyone because she is actually a very good journalist. It gets overlooked a little. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. My poll for who gets possessed in my version of Spell remains open. Next up; It's the school-board meeting. Will Kelly succeed in getting mutants banned? Will Pietro succeed in outing Clark? Stay tuned to find out._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

After lunch Jean had gym class and was currently involved in a five on five basketball game. Three of the girls on Jean's team were so obviously uncomfortable that she was on their team Jean didn't need her powers to pick it up. At least she had Taryn on her side. Jean was a little distracted by thoughts and worries over what Clark heard Pietro was planning to do tonight as if she wasn't stressed enough about having to be the one to speak at the meeting. As it turns out Pietro's plan, so far, involved storming in right when she starts speaking from what Clark had managed to overhear.

They hadn't had enough time left at lunch to come up with a plan to frustrate Pietro's plotting but as soon as school was over for the day that was the number one thing to do it had been decided. The one thing they couldn't do was to confront Pietro here and now because they promised not to use their powers and it would not solve the problem as regards to Pietro seeking to out Clark long term. That's why they needed a plan that would solve these issues.

Back to the game the team opposing Jean are on the attack. Jean moves to try and intercept a pass but the girl she is near trips her up. "Oops, sorry," the girl sneers, with a sly grin that shows she tripped Jean up on purpose, as she catches the ball and advances towards the basket rapidly.

Jean gets back to her feet and runs after the girl who luckily is taking some time show-boating before trying to take a shot and therefore she doesn't see it when Jean comes in round the side and steals the ball before quickly offloading it to Taryn.

Jean runs forward while Taryn runs up the line. Taryn passes it back to Jean who is quickly surrounded by 3 girls. Jean leaps and manages to get the ball away over the grasping hands. The ball hits the rim rolls around the edge a few times before dropping in.

"Way to go Jean!" Taryn cheers as she runs up to her friend and they share a high five. That wins their team the game.

"No fair!" one of the girls shouts. "You used your powers to cheat!" she accuses Jean.

Jean's eyes go wide. "W-What?"

"It's true. I saw her!" another girl backs up the accusation.

That's baloney!" Taryn snaps as she squares up to the first girl. "You just suck at Basketball Violet," she quite rudely insults the brown haired girl who first made the accusation. "You've always sucked! Right Linda?" Taryn asks a blond girl from her side. When she gets no instant support Taryn snaps her head round and glares at Linda through narrow eyes. "Right Linda?" she asks again.

Linda sort of shrugs in a helpless manner as if she doesn't want to get pulled into the middle of this.

Taryn's dark eyes narrow further. This is getting ridiculous. Even if it had been a shock about Jean's mutant status, and it had been even for herself, Taryn knows Jean well enough to be certain of one thing. Jean is far too moral to ever cheat.

"Enough!" the coach, a tall African American woman, says in a raised voice as she moves to break up Taryn and Violet. She puts her arm in between the two girls. "The basket stands," the coach insists.

"But she cheated!" Violet repeats her accusation.

"Do you have proof of that?" the coach asks her.

Violet freezes. "W-well no," she has to confess.

"Then from what I saw Grey scored fair and square. End of discussion," the coach shuts the argument down. "Now hit the showers!" she orders.

Violet scowls and shoots both Jean and Taryn a stern, unfriendly, glare as she stomps away.

Jean lightly smiles almost in relief that at least one teacher around here doesn't hate her. "Thanks coach," she says genuinely grateful that the coach defended her.

The coach smiles lightly. "Contrary to the impression some of my colleagues around here may give off not everyone hates you and your friends Grey. Besides I owe that pal of yours."

"Pal?" Jean queries.

"The Bayville Blur. If it wasn't for him I would have ended up another victim of that car jacking epidemic we had around here at the start of the year."

Jean colours slightly as that car jacking gang was who she fought as one of the Sirens.

"I had my baby daughter in the car at the time," the coach says in a quiet voice at the sheer horror of what could have happened. "You seen that pal of yours lately?"

Jean shakes her head. "Uh...no. He said he had some personal affairs to take care of," she gives off the standard reply whenever anyone asked that question.

"Well if you see him tell him I said thanks."

"I will," Jean promises.

"It's a small world after all," Taryn remarks with a chuckle.

"That it is Fujioka," the coach agrees.

Jean has to shake her head. Clark saved Amanda and her parents in exactly the same way and now her coach. Just what does he get up to when he is out patrolling that she doesn't know about she wonders with curiosity. She'll have to remember to ask him one of these days. Jean's attention is suddenly caught by the sight of Principal Kelly outside the gym packing up the trophies from the display cabinets into boxes.

"That wasn't my idea," the coach says ruefully picking up on what Jean is looking at. "But the other schools and parents demanded an inquiry was undertaken."

Jean had been informed about it over the summer but to actually see it happen with her own eyes hurt. She never cheated when she helped win those. She just has got to say something to Principal Kelly in defence of herself so she walks over. Taryn follows.

"Don't waste your breath Jean," Kelly says as he packs away more trophies, trying to cut off a debate he doesn't wish to have.

"But sir it is not fair," Jean protests. "I never cheated. I never used my powers once during those games."

Kelly snorts lightly and shakes his head. "Mutants," he says the world with close to loathing. "You think you can just act normal," he accuses as if they knew what normal was.

"Just because we have different gifts doesn't mean we are not normal," Jean says rallying to the defence of her species.

"This school has been plagued by disaster!" Kelly laments everything he has had to deal with. "Earthquakes, fires, explosions, vicious beasts! It makes so much sense now," Kelly almost kicks himself for not seeing it sooner but at least he knows who is to blame now.

Jean's expression becomes pensive because she can't deny those things happened and that in some way mutants were responsible even if it was never intentional.

"You're a menace," Kelly accuses Jean personally as much as he is accusing mutants in general.

"No. No. Not all of us," Jean argues a little weakly by being caught off-guard by how vicious Kelly is being.

"You're right. Some of you are cheats!" he almost says it in a way that is directly accusing Jean. Kelly picks up the box he has packed. "I'm going to be needing your soccer MVP trophy returned," he orders.

Jean gasps in shock. She worked her socks off to get that trophy. "That is so unfair!" she snaps angrily.

"A fiery temper," Kelly observes. "That's a dangerous combination with your kind of powers. You should be careful Ms Fujioka," he cautions Taryn. "And choose your friends with more diligence."

"I do choose my friends with diligence," Taryn replies in a low, tight tone showing she is standing by Jean. "And Jean is right you are being completely unfair."

"Am I?" Kelly questions that with an arched eyebrow.

"I have control of my emotions," Jean insists. "And my powers," she says in another defence of herself.

"And I have a responsibility to keep the normal students out of harms way," he proclaims pointing at Jean, implying she is someone who puts normal students in harms way.

"What are you saying?" Jean asks, a little puzzled by what that means.

"I'll see you at the meeting tonight," Kelly says in reply and then walks away as Jean places her hands on her hips and watches him go.

"Well there's no guessing which way he's voting tonight is there," Taryn comments crossly as she folds her arms across her chest. "God I knew he was a dickwad but never on this scale," she insults Kelly.

Jean lets out a breath. That...god it hurts to hear all that...all that loathing come from the Principal of all people just because of what she is. Taryn is right. Kelly is clearly going to be voting for getting them banned and it rests on her to prevent it.

"I can't wait until you show that jerk up tonight when you wipe the floor with him at the meeting," Taryn says with some anticipation.

Jean smiles lightly at her friend's support. "It's not a contest Taryn and honestly I think that kind of confrontational approach would backfire. It's about people coming together in a consensus. Mutants and humans living and working side by side in peace."

"Have you worked out what you're going to say yet?" Taryn wonders.

"I have a rough outline in my head."

"I'll know you do it Jean and hey if I have my way I'll be front and centre cheering you on."

"Thank you Taryn," Jean says and Taryn will probably never know how much that means to Jean to have Taryn's support.

* * *

Night falls over Bayville and Bayville High's auditorium is lit up as concerned parents, students, teachers and the school-board pile in eager to put to rest the issue of mutant attendance to the school one way or the other.

Jean is already inside sitting next to the Professor, looking around, feeling extremely nervous. The stakes were so high and then there is still the issue of what Pietro is planning to do. They had talked about it. They had a plan. Jean only wishes they didn't have to do it. They had tried the obvious answer; tipping off Mystique since it was clear that she had ordered them to keep a low profile but far too conveniently Mystique was nowhere to be found at the Boarding House and Pietro had already succeeded in getting rid of the other person to tip off; Alicia. They had a plan and Jean has complete faith in her friends they'll pull it off so she will just concentrate on her speech.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer!"

Jean turns her head to behind her. That was Domino telling someone off who is gawking at her.

The Professor actually smiles slightly. "Take it easy Domino. They are not use to such a unique person as yourself," he says referring to her unique appearance with her bluish-white skin and dark spot around her left eye.

"You old charmer you. I bet you were a hit with the ladies in your younger days," Dom quips.

"I am not that old," Charles defends himself first off. "And my private life Domino is precisely that. Private," he informs her. He is not disinterested in having companionship. It is he is just he leads a very full life which leaves little time for socialising.

"Is anyone else creeped out by the idea of the Professor dating?" Ray asks having overheard that.

Tabby shudders a little at that idea. "Yeah right there with ya sparky."

Charles shakes his head and looks to the heavens. He is seriously starting to regret saying that everyone should come along to support Jean.

Jean smiles at the banter. It takes the edge off her nervousness.

Charles turns his attention to Jean. "I know you are nervous Jean," he says hardly needing to be a telepath to sense it. "But you'll do fine," he assures her. "If I didn't believe that I would never have asked you to do this. You have my complete confidence."

That makes Jean feel a little better but still taking in the audience didn't make her believe her task was any easier. She could feel the waves of disapproval from parents desiring to do anything to keep their children safe. She doubted the emotions of the school-board were any different and she already knew what Principal Kelly thought after their confrontation earlier. There were even a couple of people in the audience with these 'FOH' armbands. That Friends of Humanity group...Gah! They wanted to make Jean scream with their racist agenda of having mutants essentially segregated like what was done to coloured people in the South before the triumph of the Civil Rights movement. Jean wishes Scott was here right now.

At this point Domino excuses herself citing the call of nature as in needing to go to the bathroom.

"Professor Xavier?"

Jean looks up to see a blond girl has come up to the Professor.

"Yes?" Charles inquires politely.

"I don't know if Clark mentioned me yet. I'm Cat Grant."

A subtle smile comes to Charles' face as he recognises the name. "Yes. He did mention your intriguing request. If you are looking for an answer Ms Grant I am afraid I have not yet come to a conclusion. I think you'll understand that tonight's events have taken priority for me."

"Of course," Cat says in complete understanding. "As long as Clark mentioned me. I would go speak to him but I see he's rather stuck in the middle," she says referring to the fact Clark is sitting next to his mother in the middle of the row. "Anyway please take as much time as you need. I'm not going anywhere."

"You will receive my response as expediently as possible," Charles promises the young lady.

Cat smiles and turns her gaze to the red head. "You're Jean Grey right?"

Jean nods. "Yes."

"Knock them dead honey," Cat encourages her knowing Jean is the one going to speak.

"Don't tempt me," Jean quips dead-pan style.

Cat chortles in response to that. "Well when you've won your vote hopefully you'll allow me a few minutes afterwards of your time to get your views."

Both Jean and the Professor both express they are happy to do that as they will have be with anyone who wishes it. The Professor is not above seeing that mutants need as much good PR as possible even if that includes a school paper.

Cat smiles at them before she goes to find a seat. Once sat down she pulls out her notepad and prepares herself. She thinks this meeting will be very interesting material for her first proper article in the school paper.

* * *

Outside the auditorium Scott had arrived along with Kitty, Kurt, Evan on his skateboard, Rogue and Wanda. Despite the ongoing issues between the two Goth girls no-one had been able to stop Wanda coming and volunteering to help when she heard what her brother was up to. Wanda's reaction to her brother's scheming was...lets just say they came awful close to having to rebuild the mansion again.

They approach the entrance looking for any sign of Pietro, Duncan and the rest when Duncan pulls up in a blue convertible blocking their way into the auditorium. Duncan gets out of the car, his face carrying a deadly serious expression. "Hey Summers. We have unfinished business," he says in a threatening manner.

Kitty rolls her eyes. "On brother. Give the macho act a rest will ya," she dismisses Duncan's posturing, as she sees it, as she waves him off.

Duncan gives her a sneering look in return. "The rest of you can go. This is between me and Summers," Duncan tells them.

Evan stalks right up into Duncan's face. "That ain't goin to happen," he promises the taller, larger boy.

Duncan smirks. "Figured you would say that." Duncan puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles. From behind a van parked to Duncan's right come 4 of his friends on the football team and Pietro, Neutron, Toad, Blob and Avalanche. Plastique as it turned out could not be persuaded to participate as Pietro had managed to do with his 3 male friends but she did agree not to tip anyone off that could have stopped this.

"You're outnumbered Summers. You're going to have no choice but to use your powers and then it's the end for you and your mutie friends," Duncan explains his simple plan.

As much as it may not seem so this is going according to plan. The idea was just to keep Pietro and company out of the auditorium until after the vote. A delaying tactic really. It wasn't the greatest plan ever but they were severely limited in what they could do because above all else they had promised not to use their powers.

Pietro's eyes narrow in annoyance when he doesn't see one person. "Where's that good for nothing mutie loving friend of yours Clark Kent?" he asks, keeping up the pretence of being human for Duncan for just a little longer.

"Smart enough not to fall for your idiotic scheme Pie-Pie," Wanda pours scorn on her brother, using the nickname she had for him when they were growing up.

"W-Wanda," Pietro stutters out, suddenly short of breath from fear at the unexpected appearance of his twin sister, as he notices her for the 1st time.

"Cuddlebumps!" Toad cheers at seeing his crush.

Wanda groans at that. This would one reason she doesn't leave the mansion much. Toad's inexplicable and unwanted advances towards her.

"Pie-Pie?" Evan queries from Wanda.

"It was his name growing up," she explains.

An enormous grin grows on Evan's face. "Oh I'm going to be cherishing that one for a long time. What about you Pie-Pie?" he mocks his rival.

Fred and Toad giggle at it because it was funny. Even Lance's lips twitch. When this is over there will be much material for teasing. Pietro scowls in response.

"Remember no powers unless there is absolutely no choice," Scott reminds his friends.

"Don't worry about it. Powers or not I could always kick my brother's ass," Wanda says, as she points at Pietro, relishing the idea of inflicting such a beating upon her treacherous twin.

Duncan frowns in puzzlement at the pointed finger and looks at Pietro as the one it is directed at. "She's your sister? But she's a mutant...does that mean...?"

"Yes Pietro. Why don't you tell him what that means," Wanda says to him in such a tone as to tell her brother that this charade is over.

"Always better to show them. Avalanche. Rock their world," Pietro instructs.

Lance steps forward, clenches his fists and concentrates hard making the ground shake. The look on Duncan's face in reaction is exactly the one Pietro wanted.

Duncan only has a moment to think about his next decision. He was set up...used...by a mutant! Anger courses through him but when he sees Summers rocking off balance Duncan makes the split second decision to get Scott Summers right here and right now. He can deal with Maximoff's deception afterwards so Duncan charges forward right into Scott.

The Brotherhood members look at Pietro with puzzled expressions at Duncan's actions. Pietro shrugs. "I guess he hates Summers that much," he supposes. His lips curve upward in eager anticipation. "Come on guys lets make as much noise as we can," he says and the Brotherhood charge into the fray.

Duncan's 4 pals stand there in shock unsure what to do after having seen this. Without Duncan to instruct them they're lost.

"So you 4 just going to stand there?"

The 4 boys turn to see a young woman with bluish-white skin, dressed casually in a top and jeans, walk up to them.

Domino had left the auditorium using the 'needing the bathroom' bit as an excuse for the very reason she knew this was coming and was never going to leave her charges to fight it alone. She looks the 4 teenage boys over, assessing what threat if any they pose, trusting in the X-Men she helps train to handle the Brotherhood for the moment. "Personally if I were you 4 I would recommend going home. It'll save on your medical expenses," she advises them with a smirk.

One of the boys' faces twists in anger. "Mutie bitch," he mutters. "I'll show you!" he vows and charges at Domino who stands perfectly still, hiding how, thanks to a side-effect of her power, her body is always in the perfect position, stance and balance to give her the advantage in any fight...especially against some hotheaded lug who in reality wouldn't last 10 seconds in a proper fight.

Domino easily side-steps the charging teen, leaving her foot behind and the boy's momentum does the rest as he goes sailing over her foot and crashes down face first. A second boy tries to then hit her. Domino leans back and the swing misses her completely. She didn't even think about the action. It's instinctive. It's all about probability which her powers effect. Instinctively her body just moves to the position with the highest probability that she won't get hit and will put her in the best position.

The boy's miss has left him completely off-balance, which shows he was over extending, an amateur mistake. It leaves him completely open. She kicks him in the stomach doubling him over and then rolls over his back using the momentum gained to lay a kick into the face of a third of Duncan's pals knocking him down. She returns her attention to the 2nd boy and sweeps his legs from under him before delivering a knock-out blow to his face.

This leaves her back turned to the 4th of Duncan's pals who tries to attack her from behind...only he doesn't notice one of his shoelaces is undone. He trips over and falls to the ground. He looks up to find Domino standing over him looking merrily amused by his predicament. "Ooh that's a piece of bad luck," she says with mock sympathy. "You know you'd be amazed how often that happens around me," she says practically laughing since it is another side-effect of her powers that people who attack her tend to suffer streaks of bad-luck.

Domino delivers a quick, but not overly hard, kick to the boy's head. She isn't looking to hurt him. Just keep him down until the meeting is over. She briefly looks at the X-Men/Brotherhood clash and checks her watch. Jean has to be speaking by now and she was the last voice before the vote. They just have to keep them out here a little longer. Domino can only pray it doesn't spiral out of hand before then.

* * *

Back inside the auditorium the debate was nearing its end. Duncan's father, a member of the town council, had been making the argument about how dangerous mutants were and that by allowing them to attend Bayville High put all their children at risk. That had gotten a loud cheer from those 2 armband wearing members of the FOH.

Now it was Jean's turn. As she comes up to stand behind the podium she gets a loud cheer from a certain Asian girl sitting front and centre like she said she would. Jean smiles at Taryn, grateful for that. She takes a breath. "Uh...good evening," she begins, still a little nervous. Her stomach is doing flip-flops if she was being honest but throwing up in front of everyone would definitely not leave a good impression. "My name is Jean Grey," she continues. "I suppose I could stand up here and recite the Fifth or Fourteenth Amendments or quote some passionate speeches from some famous Civil Rights leaders...but to be honest, I don't want to."

In the audience a corner of Charles' lips curve up as he figures out what Jean is doing...exactly the right thing to reach the people here. This is why he asked her to speak. People have heard him speak over and over. They need to hear it from someone they could imagine is their own child.

"Since this is personal lets keep it personal." Jean looks out amongst the crowd as if she is trying to talk to them personally. "Now most of you have children and you love them for who they are. Not what they can or can't do. There is a chance that one of them will have an advanced x-gene and as they grow older they will be considered mutants. You will love them anyway," Jean says with complete, honest, sincerity in her voice. "But other people will hate them. People will want to hurt them," she says with a sadness to her tone hoping to help the people here see and possibly feel what it is like to be a mutant. "You will hope for the day when your child can live in a safe world." Jean's eyes narrow slightly in determination. "Well that world **must **begin now...with you...," she actually goes as far as pointing at the crowd, "by allowing mutants to attend public school. Thank you."

There is several moments of silence before a single applause starts until it joined by another and then another until there is a ripple of applause across the whole auditorium. Not overwhelming, shaking the rafters, applause from everyone present but certainly the majority. Jean starts to smile...

...and the then the whole building shakes violently.

"Avalanche," Jean murmurs with utter dread at what this means has happened to the others.

* * *

The moment after Duncan barrelled into Scott, Pietro zips forward, grabs Evan by an arm(there is no way in hell he is going near Wanda) and stars spinning him round and round and throws him hard into one of the parked cars. Pietro zips up to stand over Evan as he rubs his head. "Gee Daniels you are still so lame. Why did I ever consider you a threat again? I must have been having a really off day," Pietro mocks Evan with a smirk.

Evan grabs at Pietro only for the superfast teen to zip out of the way. Kent may not be here but Pietro can still get his fun out of Evan and with a cruel smile he determines that is what he will do.

Toad starts hopping around Rogue just out of her reach. He spits one of his slime-balls at her hitting her in the chest. Rogue looks down at her ruined purple top. Her eye twitches. "This was mah favourite top dang it!" She looks furiously at Toad. "Vous êtes mort, vous verrue géant!" she yells slipping into French which she only does when she is really mad. Basically she just told him he's dead and that he's a giant wart.

Toad pauses for one instant. "Wow you really do speak French yo," he says in surprise that what Clark said turns out to be true. Pausing turns out to be a mistake as Rogue slams a swing-kick into Toad's side sending him tumbling.

"Yeah and ah can also kick your slime covered ass," Rogue says as more of a promise than anything.

Toad groans and holds the place where she kicked him. "Is it me or is she getting stronger?" he asks out-loud because that seemed to hurt more than last time Rogue clocked him. He then finds himself picked up and thrown hard to rest on top of a parked car. "Yep. Definitely getting stronger," he concludes as he groans in pain.

Kurt finds himself bouncing off Blob's large frame as Fred charges into him and he ends up skidding across the tarmac of the car park. He rubs his head wishing he had used his teleportation powers...heck even a little of his agility would have been good. Blob roaring gets him to look up to see Blob towering over him holding a car up high and about to smash it down on top of him. Kurt rolls and flips out of the way as Fred throws the car which lands on top of another wrecking both.

Wanda wants nothing more than to get her hands on her no good brother but finds the tall blond boy standing in her way.

Neutron looks at Wanda with a strange little smile. "I suppose I could take it easy on you since you are Mags' kid," he says.

Wanda scoffs. "Oh please don't," she says. "That man is not my father!" she insists angrily.

Neutron's smile grows. "I hoped you would say that," he says eager for what comes next. He forms a ball of radiant energy in his right hand. "Tell you what. How about we play my version of dodgeball? Here's the one and only rule. Don't let this hit you because you won't survive it," he says, still smiling, at the prospect of killing Wanda.

_'Oh great,' _Wanda sarcastically thinks to herself at what she has just gotten herself into. This would be a reason she really needs to work on controlling her temper.

Neutron throws the coloured ball of energy and Wanda leaps to the side to avoid getting hit. The ball hits a street lamp vaporising part of its base and it comes toppling down almost on Wanda who barely rolls out of the way. Neutron laughs, highly amused as he forms another ball to throw. He is going to really enjoy this.

Back with Scott and Duncan both teens were now back on their feet. Duncan throws a right which Scott deflects, a left uppercut which misses as Scott takes a step back, another right Scott ducks under. Duncan gets frustrated and charges in closer throwing lefts and rights all which Scott blocks or avoids showing the difference of what proper training can do.

Scott's eyes narrow behind his shades as Duncan's face twists in frustration, anger and last but not least just pure hate at what Scott Summers has done to him and of what type of freak Scott Summers is. Duncan charges in once again, leading with his right. Scott uses the momentum to grab Duncan's arm and throw the blond teen into the back of this pick-up truck hard knocking all the air out of Duncan's lungs. That should buy Scott a good few minutes by his reckoning.

"Lance what are you doing?" Kitty virtually pleads with her ex-boyfriend as they find themselves facing off against each other. "You're acting like...like...like some hood!" she accuses him of.

Lance's face grows dark with anger. "Yeah well I was never good enough for you was I," he spits out with anger, bitter at what transpired between himself and Kitty.

Kitty's hands go to her hips and her face darkens with anger. "Don't you dare blame me for what happened Lance!" she snaps. She then proceeds to jab him in the chest repeatedly as she speaks. "You were the one who chose Magneto's doolally take over the world, mutants are superior, spiel over me! Over us!" she reminds him.

"I chose practicality over fantasy Kitty. Grow up! Look at what's going on here tonight! They're about to ban you from school! Magneto's right about humans! You know he is!" Lance argues back at her with a raised voice.

Well ok Kitty did think that the chances of winning this vote were slim, and getting slimmer by the second at this rate, but Magneto being right...she'll never say that. "You're the one who needs to grow up Lance!" she retorts. "This isn't a game any longer where we can fight and there are no consequences!" she yells trying to make Lance see that with mutants now exposed they can't continue on doing this as if things were still the same way they were before.

Lance's face goes through many expressions as he tries not to lose his temper at her. Despite it all he doesn't want to hit her or hurt her. "Kitty," he says, his voice strained through gritted teeth. "Move aside," he commands her and when she doesn't move he pushes her aside as he slams his foot down into the ground unleashing a huge tremor. The ground cracks under the stress and Lance directs the crack towards Spyke who is still sparring with Quicksilver. Evan is on his skateboard weaving in and out of the parked cars as is Pietro as he runs.

As the ground cracks in front of him Evan is able to jump over it and continue on his way. Blob then throws a car at him. Evan pushes himself faster and drops into a manhole cover that has been left open for maintenance just as the car drops atop of where he was. Lance directs his tremors at Rogue who is forced to run out of the way as Toad hops up on a car cheering Lance on, mostly because it saves him from the beating Rogue was laying on him. A tree in front of Rogue topples over, snapping some power lines and forcing her to change direction suddenly and roll out of the way of the sizzling live cables.

Lance sweeps a seismic wave across the parking lot making the whole area shake. Kurt uses all his agility to jump from one car to another to avoid it. Wanda, who is tangling with Neutron, spots the wave coming at her and smiles to herself. She dodges an energy ball thrown at her, leaps into the air and lands a firm kick into Neutron who goes stumbling back enough to fall into the wave's path where he disappears into the crack in the ground. Wanda meanwhile has used that kick to push herself out of the way and she lands and rolls neatly to a stop in a crouch. She guesses those Danger Room sessions are starting to pay off she thinks proud of herself at her self-restraint.

By now people have begun to pour out of the auditorium, including Principal Kelly, who gasps as a car Lance sent flying comes directly at him. It lands mere feet away upside down on its roof. Kelly turns and covers his head awaiting in fear for the gas tank to explode and end his life. It doesn't. Kelly breaths a sigh of relief. He looks about and sees the terror on the people's faces at what is transpiring and he realises this is the chance he worked so hard at to set up. "You see!" he accuses. "Mutants are not only dangerous but uncontrollable! This is what is in store for our school!" he proclaims gesturing at the carnage around.

"Look again," Charles' patient voice interrupts Kelly's tirade as he tries to salvage the situation. "Despite the overwhelming urge to use their powers my students are exhibiting self-control."

At this point Scott throws himself to push Duncan out the way as another car comes flying at the blond footballer and despite Scott's loathing for Duncan he was never going to let Duncan die.

Kitty meanwhile has to flip out of the way of yet another flying car courtesy of her ex-boyfriend and boy does this ever emphasise why he is her ex if she ever doubted why they broke up.

With Duncan safe Scott runs at Lance hoping to reach him and disable him, still restraining using his powers as they were instructed to. Lance cries out as he makes the ground shake even harder than before, raising a barrier in front of himself which stops Scott's advance. Lance then sweeps another huge wave across the parking lot making the rows of cars parked up fly into the air. Lance had decided that if they were doing this then he might as well put the exclamation point on it and ensure the precious goody goody X-Men could say goodbye to Bayville High.

"We have to do something," Jean says as she witnesses the carnage because they can't let this go on. It's gotten completely out of hand and people are now in danger.

Kurt sees a man and woman in trouble. They have fallen over and a silver car is heading right for them as it soars through the air courtesy of Avalanche. Having no other choice but to use his powers in order to help them Kurt teleports to them quickly, places a hand on each person and teleports them out of harms way just in time.

A green people carrier is pushed and rolls toward the auditorium and right at, of all people, Duncan's father. Jean raises her hand out and brings it to a stop with her powers.

Another car flies right at Martha and Clark who by now have joined many others in fleeing the building. Bobby steps forward, raises his hand and creates a column of ice which grabs the car mid-air and holds it there. He blows on his finger self-satisfied.

"Thank you Robert," Martha says to him gratefully.

"No problem Mrs Kent," Bobby says with a cocky grin. "The Iceman always stays **cool **under pressure."

Roberto groans at that pun. "You just had to say it didn't you."

Many of the New Mutants are now busy pulling people out of harms way as Lance continues to generate earthquakes and send cars flying.

Domino has yanked the 4 morons she beat up out of harms way too.

Wanda hexes another one of the flying cars which changes direction at what would seem to be an impossible angle and lands safely avoiding any innocent bystanders. Wanda can't help a moment of pride at how good her control was there as that was exactly what she was intending to do. _'First time for everything,_' she thinks to herself humorously.

Cat Grant's eyes widen in fear as a car flies at her and there is no time for her to get out of the way. She closes her eyes and waits for the end but it never comes. She tentatively reopens her eyes to find the car has been caught by a young man dressed all in black with a silver S on his chest. He looks at her with gentle concern with incredible cerulean blue eyes and for the first time, in possibly her entire life, Cat Grant almost swoons. "You ok Miss?" he asks her with a warm, deep baritone, voice as he lowers the car back to the ground with ease as if to him it weighs nothing. Cat can only nod in response as her power of speech has deserted her.

Lance gets angry at seeing what the X-Men are up to. He lets out a frustrated cry and uses his power to use the ground to push up a red car and throw it directly at Principal Kelly who tries to run out of the way. Kitty phases up out of the ground in front of him, grabs him by his suit jacket and phases both of them as the car harmlessly passes through them.

Evan, having crawled up out of the sewer, is back on his skateboard. He is leaping over the cracked ground when he spots a street lamp about to fall on a couple. He unleashes several spikes which embed into the auditorium wall and catch the lamp saving the couple.

The X-Men now take the opportunity to regroup as the Blur zips in next to them. The Brotherhood too regroup as Neutron punches his way out from under the ground, where he ended up, to stand next to them. He sneers at his opponents. "Are we suppose to be intimidated or something because we're not!" he insists and then summons up one of his energy balls. "X-Geeks!" Neutron yells using the name the others taught him. "Catch!"

Neutron throws the ball and the Blur zips in front of the X-Men. "That's ok. You keep it," he says as he backhands the ball, as it comes near him, and sends it right back the way it came.

Neutron's eyes widen. _'How did he..?' _is all Neutron manages to think before his own energy ball slams into his chest sending him sprawling onto his back groaning in pain, learning for the first time that his own attacks can hurt him.

The Brotherhood pause. Pietro's eyes narrow and takes in what they are facing and that is when he spots it. Kent being the Bayville Blur in front of him and off to the side Kent standing next to his mother. Pietro snorts and points at the Blur and then at Clark and Martha. "Seriously Kent. You're trying to pull this off with me around? Puh-lease!"

The Blur frowns in puzzlement. "I'm sorry? Are you talking to me?" he asks, his voice as puzzled sounding as he looks.

Pietro zips over to where Martha and Clark are blowing away the New Mutants from around them by running around fast and creating a whirlwind. "Ladies and Gentleman!" he shouts to gain people's attention. "Let me let you in on a little secret! The secret identity of the Bayville Blur!"

Pietro in a blur of motion then rips the watch off Clark's left wrist. He grins in anticipation in the few moments before the hologram will fizzle out...except it doesn't and Pietro's grin starts to slip. A gust of wind indicates the Blur's arrival. Pietro looks on in total confusion. He looks at Clark. He looks at the Blur. He looks down at the watch in his hand. "Ok how? Where...?"

"So let me get this straight Quicksilver," the Blur says. "Just so no-one is confused. You thought I was him?" he queries pointing at Clark. "I apologise for this in advance Mr Kent and it is not directed at you in anyway," the Blur says before he grabs hold of his sides and laughs long and hard. He ends up having to wipe a few tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry Mr Kent," he apologises again, "but that suggestion is ridiculous. I don't indulge in that secret identity stuff. I'm afraid Quicksilver here has been reading too many comic books."

Clark smiles, taking it in good humour, as he pushes his glasses up his nose. "Oh I understand. Honestly I'm flattered by the comparison."

Martha looks between her son and Bayville's hero. "I can see a passing resemblance," she remarks. "But you clearly have a few inches in height," she says to the Blur, who is visibly taller and of larger build than her son standing next to her.

The Blur contemplates her remarks and looks Clark over, glasses and all. "I can see what you mean," he concedes, acknowledging there is a passing resemblance between himself and Clark Kent. He turns to face Pietro. "Now I think you have caused enough trouble. Time to go home," he instructs the silver-haired teen.

Pietro glares at...at whoever! Oh it's Kent. He hasn't figured out how he has done it yet but there will be hell to pay. Pietro swears.

"And you can return Mr Kent's watch before you do," the Blur says in a stern uncompromising tone as in don't bother arguing this.

"You want it? Catch!" Pietro yells as he spins round at superspeed and throws it.

The Blur zips past him with speed that surprises even Pietro, leaps into the air and catches it before landing with surprising softness. He then zips back and around and around Pietro creating his own whirlwind. Caught in it he leaves Pietro comically spinning around across the car park before he returns the watch to Clark and zips back to stand with the X-Men.

Pietro stops spinning. He only wishes the world would. He shakes his head and focusses his anger on one person. He snarls in rage and zips right at the Blur...who inhales deeply and blows. A sheen of sheer ice forms along the ground in Pietro's path who slips and starts skidding right at the X-Men. Rogue steps forward and pulls a glove off. Pietro closes his eyes and braces himself. "I hate this part," he grimaces the one moment before he slides into Rogue's bare hand.

The Blur catches Pietro as Rogue drains him to unconsciousness. He then zips forward to stand in front of Avalanche. "Take Quicksilver and go," he instructs Avalanche. "And in case you think of continuing this make a note of who you are up against."

The Blur steps to the side and Lance can see not only the X-Men but most of the New Mutants have now joined the opposing side as Domino also moves in to stand next to her students. While Lance is as confused as the next guy about what just happened with Clark he is not so stupid not to see this is a fight they can't win. This is over. Lance takes the unconscious Pietro from the Blur and hoists the silver-haired teen over his shoulder. "Blob. Pick Neutron up," he instructs. "We're done here," he says with finality in his tone that transfers that he really means what he says.

Blob picks the groggy blond teen up and the Brotherhood make their retreat.

The Blur zips back next to his friends to find the parents and school-board members looking on with bewildered expressions. The Blur addresses them. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he begins. "I apologise for my tardiness and for my absence these last few months. I had a pressing personal issue to deal with but on the other hand I always had complete faith and trust in my friends, the X-Men, to handle anything. I also have the same faith and trust in you to overlook the actions of those few that would set mutant and human against each other. As for myself, now that I have returned, I pledge myself to protect the innocent citizens of this city, be they human or mutant, against any perpetrator who may wish to harm them, be they human or mutant. I will see that Truth and Justice prevail as I know that you here tonight will see the truth of what has happened here and you will ensure natural justice is done. I will not tell you what decision to make as I believe in the inert goodness and wisdom of humanity. You want a world where your children are safe. That world will be one where all humans of whatever creed, colour and race live together in peace and understanding. In your hearts you know what the correct choice is. All I ask in that you find the courage to make it. With that I will take my leave as there are many people who require my help. A goodnight to you all."

The Blur then leaves with his usual gust of wind.

Jean surveys the damage of the wrecked parking lot. Power lines down, water mains burst shooting up a fountain, most of the ground surface turned up. "Well...not quite the impression I was hoping to make," she says wryly to Scott.

Jean and the Professor then move off to speak to the school-board members and learn what their fate is.

With nothing more to be done for them the X-Men return to their varying vehicles, which survived the carnage, and head home, their thoughts downcast at what fate now awaits them.

* * *

_Author's Note: Originally I thought I could tell the return to school arc in 3 chapters but there were just too many loose ends to tie up so it will need 4. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. My poll for who gets possessed in Spell remains open. Next up; Fury returns looking for the Blur, we catch up with Lionel Luthor making a new friend and find out whether the X-Men get banned from school._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**At the Institute...**

The X-Men exit their vehicles at the front of the mansion and all of them looking decidedly glum. A few moments later a gust of wind indicates the arrival of the Bayville Blur as he comes to a stop next to 'Clark Kent'.

"Well at least one thing went right tonight," Domino remarks pointing at the two Clarks. "By the way where did you hide the holowatch?" she wonders.

'Clark' drops to one knee and rolls up the pant leg before pulling down his sock to reveal the real holowatch strapped around his ankle. The one Pietro pulled off his wrist was a fake. He unfastens it from around his ankle and the image flickers out to reveal Jonathan Kent. He stands up straight and unlatches the voice synthesiser from around his neck that allowed him to sound like his son. Jonathan coughs. "That's better," he says, speaking with his own voice again, as he rubs his throat.

"It was a good plan," Scott admits and compliments Clark who came up with it. Pietro was going to try and expose Clark so the idea was to let Pietro think he was doing that and then when nothing happened, even if Pietro probably knew he had been duped, no-one who saw Clark Kent and the Blur standing together would believe they were one and the same. Pietro looked like an idiot, which was a fringe benefit of the plan, and no-one would believe Pietro's accusations until he could come up with hard proof which the X-Men would do their best to ensure never happened. It made the most sense to have Mr Kent impersonate Clark as it was not widely public knowledge that Mr Kent had woken up from his coma.

"It was also a gamble. One which we lost," Rogue points out. Their plan was to delay Pietro and Matthews until after the vote and to keep it from escalating beyond control. They failed in that part.

"Yeah," Evan says glumly, agreeing with Rogue. "Why didn't you show up earlier Clark?" he asks.

"Because that would have escalated it," Clark argues. "The Brotherhood have at least some vague idea of how powerful I am and they would have pushed their powers to their maximum to fight me and caused even more destruction. When they thought they were only fighting you guys without your powers we all thought they would dial it down...but like Rogue said that was a gamble. I showed up when innocent people were put in danger...well I was always going to show up for the other part of the plan to hide my identity. That just forced my hand a little bit earlier than planned."

"So vhat now?" Kurt asks.

"What do you think Kurt?" Kitty asks him in a rhetorical fashion. "It's over. We gambled we could keep a lid on it. We lost. It like doesn't take a total genius to see they'll kick us out after this." Kitty raises her hand to her head and shakes it sadly. "It's all Lance's fault," she accuses, sounding a little venomous when she says her ex's name, because without him shaking the earth to pieces they probably could have kept a lid on it. "God what did I like ever see in him?" she asks someone, anyone, to give her an answer.

"We all think that about at least one of our exes Kitster," Domino says in an attempt to cheer the teen up. "It's a horrible cliché but there are plenty more fish in the sea."

Martha could say the same remark Kitty made about that man she almost married before Jonathan. Best not to dwell on that part of her life she decides. "I wouldn't give up hope yet," she says trying to give everyone belief. "Like Clark said you need to have a little faith that they will see the truth."

Everyone there wants to do but none of them quite see how...not after what happened. Clark steps next to Rogue, only not quite next to her. "That's your favourite top isn't it," he says pointing at the congealed mess Toad spar up on it.

Rogue looks down and makes a face of disgust and anger. "Yeah. Ah'm goin ta kill that wart infested...con!"

"What?" Bobby asks.

"Yeah. What's con?" Ray wants clarified due to the slightly accented way Rogue pronounced the word.

"It's French and it's best not translated," Clark answers for Rogue.

"Rude?" Tabby inquires with a growing grin.

"Extremely," Clark once more answers for Rogue.

"How many French swear words do you know Rogue and can you teach me them?" Tabby asks eagerly.

"That would be a no Tabitha," Jonathan warns her off sternly.

"Fine. Fine," Tabby relents. "I'll just stick to the English ones Ray mutters," she says with a smirk.

Ray glares at her. "If you want a whole list of them Tabby keep going," he warns her, his short-fuse close to blowing.

Rogue sighs and blows her white bangs off her face. She moves to wrap an arm around Clark only for him to take a step back away from her. "What's tha matter?" she asks him.

"Please don't take this the wrong way," he qualifies first off. "But you stink."

"Yeah I wasn't going to say it either," Kitty says but she will now Clark has. "But pew!" she moans as she pinches her nose closed. "Seriously that's revolting," she says, pointing at the stain on Rogue's shirt.

Rogue lowers her head and sniffs herself. Oh dear God they're right. It does stink. She really hopes she can get this out. Otherwise she will have to have Clark incinerate her favourite top.

Clark gives Rogue a quick peck on her cheek to let her know that he does love her but his sense of smell is just too sensitive to take that for long periods.

Scott has a reflective expression. "You know you guys are going to have to watch that," he says pointing his finger back and forth between Rogue and Clark.

"Watch what?" Rogue asks him to clarify.

"He's right," Clark says, figuring out what Scott means.

Rogue looks to her boyfriend. "Right about what?" she asks, a tad irritated that she is getting talked about without having a clue what is getting said.

"You're dating Clark Kent not the Bayville Blur. Out in public if I'm in costume we can only be friends," Clark clarifies what Scott was meaning.

"So no PDAs when Clark is not wearing the glasses or we'll need to have words young lady," Bobby jokily tells her off like a parent talking to a child.

"Bite me Drake!" Rogue snaps back.

"PDAs?" Jamie queries puzzled by that.

"Public Displays of Affection," Kitty clarifies for the youngest member of the Institute.

It never occurred before to Rogue but she can see the point if they are to keep Clark's two identities separate that when he is the Blur he is only her friend and ally and not her boyfriend. The alternative wouldn't make her look good as it would appear she was dating two different guys at the same time or it would risk blowing the one thing that went to plan tonight by giving people a clue to see through it and realise that Clark and the Blur are the same person.

The sound of a car approaching up to the mansion grabs everyone's attention. The Professor and Jean had stayed behind to find out what was going to happened with the vote. That is why the Professor's car is only coming up to the mansion now. They all wait nervously to learn their fate as he and Jean exit the vehicle.

"So what's the verdict Professor?" Scott asks.

"As if we didn't know," Evan mutters, assuming the worse.

"You don't know Evan," Charles says, "and neither do I. After tonight's events the vote has been postponed until first thing tomorrow morning so everyone can recover," he relays what the members of the school-board decided.

"Great," Rogue mutters at having their whole lives stuck on tenterhooks for several more hours.

"This whole thing could have been avoided if we had just been able to find Mystique," Wanda finally speaks up, adding her opinion. She had also been bitterly disappointed at the fact she never once got her hands on her no-good duplicitous twin tonight...although Rogue draining him dry was almost as good. Not that she'll ever admit that. Not until Rogue apologises to her. Until then her relationship with Rogue, which was never that good to start with, will remain as frozen over as the South Pole in the middle of winter.

"That was awfully convenient," Jean has to say about Mystique.

Charles agrees. He wonders where Mystique is and more importantly what she is up to.

* * *

**Metropolis...**

In the mansion that belongs to Virgil Swann, Bridgette Crosby enters his room and finds the great man lying in bed asleep, hooked up to his ventilator and all manner of drips to treat the infection he caught that has him so ill. She quietly walks by not wishing to disturb him until she reaches the far wall. Her hand reaches up to a painting and she gently pulls at it to reveal it is on a hinge. She swings the painting open to reveal the wall safe hidden behind.

"If he wanted my help he could have just asked."

Bridgette jumps as she is startled. She turns to find Virgil Swann awake and looking at her. "Y-you surprised me."

"Why?" Virgil asks.

"Why?" Bridgette asks back, confused by the question.

"Why do you feel the need for this charade...Raven? Or do you prefer Mystique?"

"Virgil?" Bridgette asks, sounding clearly lost.

"When I lost the power in my limbs I learned to see the world in whole new ways. Bridgette sprained her ankle 2 days ago. She has a limp. You walked in here perfectly even on both legs," he explains how he saw through the charade.

Bridgette's expression becomes stern and her appearance reverts to Mystique's natural blue one.

"Better," Virgil says. "Now you're here because Magneto wants to know how to translate the language of the Kawatche and he thinks I possess the key to do this correct?"

Mystique can't hide her surprise at how this man knew her mission. Virgil Swann was a genius at languages and had been, as far as she had been told, studying the language Magneto seeks to find a key to translate for years.

"I keep a close eye on both of the Luthors. I was aware Magneto stole Lionel's journal and I know what is in that journal," he explains how he deduced the reason Mystique is here.

"Then save us both the trouble and tell me where I find what I want," Mystique tells him with a subtle hint of menace not to refuse her request

"Do I look like a man threats work on Raven? I've accepted my mortality. Have you?"

Mystique dismisses his questioning of her. "Look you know why I am here so what is your answer?"

"As it happens the language still remains a mystery to me," Virgil tells the bald-face lie. "But even if it wasn't I would not help Magnus. What he seeks is not meant for him but for one other and for that one alone."

"You know him," Mystique assumes from the way Swann says Magneto's name.

"We've met," Virgil confirms Mystique's assumption. "It was a long time ago when he still had room for tolerance and forgiveness in his heart. Qualities I am sad to say he has lost," he says, sounding regretful if anything. "Now force open that safe of you wish," he says returning to the reason Mystique is here. "But you will not find what you seek," he promises her. "Besides I think you have more pressing concerns than this after tonight's events."

Mystique's eyes narrow at that last slightly cryptic remark. "What do you mean?"

Virgil speaks up. "Activate screen. Recorded news coverage; 'Mutant Incident at Bayville High'."

On the far wall a screen activates showing a male reporter standing in front of Bayville High Auditorium. _**"Breaking news tonight revolves round a mutant incident at Bayville High where the school-board members were voting on a mutant ban. If passed it would have set a precedent for the entire country. During the meeting the mutant group known as the X-Men was provoked into action by another mutant group, as of this time unnamed. The leader of this group has been identified though."**_

"Don't say it. Please don't say it," Mystique pleads in a pathetic mumble.

"_**The leader is one Pietro Maximoff."**_

He says it. Mystique closes her eyes briefly. She then watches the images of the fight between the Brotherhood and the X-Men, all the while her expression becoming filled with murderous rage. She is going to kill Pietro! To hell he is Magneto's son. There will be a price this time for his constant disobedience. There has to be after this.

"I would escort you out if I could," Virgil dead-pans.

Mystique throws him a murderous glare as well but she won't act on that even if she could so easily. Her form shifts back into Bridgette Crosby's and she stomps out, her every step burning anger.

* * *

**Outside Bayville...**

Mystique was not the only one interested in what the camera caught happening in Bayville. Colonel Fury was too when the very person he sought appeared. The Bayville Blur. In response he was now in a helijet, a cross between a helicopter and jet fighter, on his way back to that Institute.

"Sir!" the pilot calls out to him.

Fury steps into the cockpit. The pilot points outward. They were currently over the last piece of countryside on the edge of Bayville and below them was fire burning bright in the shape of the emblem of SHIELD and standing in its centre Fury could make out a figure dressed in black. "Set us down," Fury orders.

The pilot lands the helicopter and Fury hops out and walks up the figure whose long coat is blowing about in the breeze the rotor blades cause.

"Greetings Colonel Fury," the figure otherwise known as the Bayville Blur, as the press had dubbed him months ago, greets the man. "I heard you were looking for me."

"Well this is one way to get my attention," Fury says referring to the fire.

"I'm sorry. I've seem to have misplaced your number. Must be in my other coat," Clark jokes dryly. From the moment he intervened tonight Clark knew Fury would come and that he would have to meet him which brings him to this point. "I'll get straight to the point shall I?"

"By all means."

"I apologise for what happened in the desert. I was quite literally not myself. I had been, to use the wholly inaccurate term, brainwashed."

"And you expect me to believe that?" Fury asks, his expression as sceptical as his tone.

"What you do or do not believe Colonel is entirely up to you. I have told you the truth."

"Kid I never completely trust anyone," Fury tells the Blur, showing his cynical nature.

"That would explain why your aircraft's weapons are hot and ready to fire and the fact both Hawkeye and Black Widow are inside poised and waiting for orders I suppose," Clark says with a little wry tone about it all.

Fury is literally caught by surprise for once. "How did...?"

Clark cuts the question off. "Those are my secrets Colonel."

Fury regains his composure. "So what? You're better now?"

"I am myself again, yes," Clark confirms. "The question is is that good enough for you not to try and arrest me? Then again if you did and there was a trial you would have to explain releasing Lionel Luthor of all people from prison. Not to mention I highly doubt anyone gave permission for you to be in Libya considering its current political conflagration."

"You've been talking to Logan," Fury assumes from where the kid has gotten this idea from as to what to use as leverage against him.

"That last one was his idea I confess."

"My job is to protect this country and if that means I use Luthor because he has useful information then I do so," Fury states, making no apology for doing what he feels he must.

"Take my advice Colonel. Drop any idea of hunting for those stones. You have no idea what you are dealing with," Clark warns the older man with deadly seriousness.

"And you do?"

"Yes. It was why I was reconditioned. Now I don't agree with the reasons that was done but I do agree that the stones are too dangerous for anyone but me to handle for I am the only one who can handle them safely."

"Forgive me if I don't take your word for that."

"As I said Colonel believe what you wish but I speak the truth."

"I cannot walk away from this," Fury states clearly.

"I guess we have a problem then don't we," Clark says gravely.

"I guess we do," Fury confirms.

"I am going to find those stones Colonel before you and before Magneto. I promise you that. The only way you are going to stop me is if you drag me in and arrest me...and Logan mentioned something about paying good money to see you try that while he was laughing his head off. That was kind of disturbing actually to see Logan merry."

Fury almost smiles at that joke because yeah Logan happy is odd. "Kid what makes you think I can't drag you in?"

Clark sighs. "The fact that even you have no legal basis to do so as far as I can ascertain. No-one, at any level, has called for or sanctioned my arrest and you can't prove anything because your little trip to Libya was 'off the books'. That's why you didn't storm the mansion in the first place because legally your hands are tied."

"You're pretty well informed," Fury says suspiciously, wondering how the kid knows this.

"Logan has some well informed friends."

Logan. Of course. Fury should have figured Logan would still have a few contacts left over from his SHIELD days.

"Since you're not correcting me or trying to arrest me I'm going to assume I am correct in my assessment."

"This is not over kid. I want that stone," Fury tells him.

"In that case Professor Xavier said to tell you that the X-Men stand with me in this and that if you start a war with me you start one with them. Do you really want that Colonel? Please think carefully," Clark asks of the grizzled veteran.

Fury looks directly in to the steely gaze of the Blur's eyes and chooses his next action. "There are two other stones. When they have been found I will come looking for that one you took and then we will have _words_," Fury promises, the threatening intent all too clear.

"I see," Clark says grimly. "Very well," he reluctantly accepts the best he seems he is going to get at the moment and that is to buy some time before he butts heads with SHIELD. "Piece of advice in the meantime Colonel. The stone I have in my possession is not at the Institute nor is it anywhere where you would think of to look for it so I would not take kindly to find that you are spying on my friends."

"I make no promises."

"Well I do. I promise you Colonel the stones in my possession are no danger to anyone. Have some faith that all I want is to use their and my powers to help people."

"Sorry kid. Lost that kind of faith long time ago."

"I'm sorry you feel like that. So we postpone this for another day?"

"Another day," Fury confirms.

Clark turns to leave and then pauses. "Oh may I offer one more piece of advice Colonel. Trusting Lionel Luthor will end in disaster but I will be gracious enough not to say I told you so when that day comes," he says with a mischievous smile at pulling at the corner of his lips. He then vanishes in a blur and a gust of wind.

From the door of the helijet there is a snort of laughter. Fury turns to see Hawkeye with his head poking around the corner with an enormous grin on his face. "You have something to say Barton?" Fury asks, in a cold tone.

"I think I might like that kid," Hawkeye remarks, grinning a little at the joke. Although part of him is sorry they didn't have a showdown but from the sounds of it there will be another day and Clint looks forward to it.

Fury scowls at that. "For that Barton you are walking home," he avows. He then looks in the direction the Blur vanished off in. Unfortunately the kid's assessment was actually spot on. Fury has no legal basis currently to drag him in. However that can change and it will. Fury just needs time for the appropriate laws to be passed. For now he'll put off a showdown with the kid because honestly he doesn't want to pick a fight with the X-Men right now. At least he doesn't until he has no other options and the legal authority to cover his ass.

Then there is the fact Fury, from what he has seen so far, isn't sure what it would take to stop that kid and the worrying part is that he is just a kid. When he grows up there is no question in Fury's mind that that kid will be an Omega Level super-powered being. This is why he needs the Avengers set up and when it is ready and he has the legal right to do so he will give the Bayville Blur the choice. Join up or be dragged off to prison so in one sense Fury allowed this to be postponed until the day he has the stronger hand.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Professor Xavier is in his office looking out of his window contemplating tonight's events and the consequences. He is still hopeful that the school-board members will see reason and allow mutants to return in spite of the Brotherhood's actions. Charles is convinced that is not a foregone conclusion yet that the school-board will vote in a ban.

At least they got a better sense of what the Neutron boy is capable of tonight. When the long delayed parts arrive and Cerebro is finally fully functional again Charles will have to do more thorough scans on the new Brotherhood members.

Charles then senses the presence of a unique mind at his door. "Come in Clark," he permits and the alien teen does so, still dressed in his black costume, a frown upon his brow. Charles smiles slightly at the frown. He gets that a lot because it 'creeps' people out he knows who is there before the door is opened. "Did the Colonel show up?"

"Yes. We talked," Clark confirms.

"How did it go?"

"Not as good as I hoped but not as bad as I feared," Clark replies before he relays the entire conversation to the Professor.

A deeply contemplative expression comes to the Professor's face. He had been reluctant about letting Clark go alone but Clark insisted feeling that a one-on-one talk with Fury was for the better. "We have delayed the inevitable confrontation. It will have to do. At least it buys us time to think of a more permanent solution," Charles tries to put a positive spin on the outcome.

"If it had just been a one-off I think Fury would have left it but because there are still 2 stones out there..."

"He can't or won't leave it alone," Charles finishes Clark's thought. "The stones must be found by us first," Charles expresses his view. If Magneto gains possession of their secrets there will be war. If Fury gains them first Magneto will never allow such power to stay in the hands of what he perceives to be the enemy and there will be war. Not to mention what Clark pointed out in relation to the reaction of other nation states. No. The only answer is the stones in the possession of who they are meant for and that is Clark.

Clark sighs. "I wish I didn't have to drag you into this Professor," he says feeling somewhat guilty and sorrowful about it.

"You never dragged us into anything Clark," Charles assures the young man. "This is a choice we made." Yes it could make their lives a little more difficult than they already are but it must be done which is why Charles has no issue with Clark telling Fury that they stand with him in this.

Still Clark doesn't want his friends put at risk because of him.

"So you promised Fury not say 'I told you so'?" Charles queries from Clark with a mildly amused expression.

One corner of Clark's lips curve up a little. "I was trying to be magnanimous."

"Most generous of you," Charles says with a barely repressed laugh.

Clark sniggers a little before he becomes serious again. "I hope Fury listens to me about Lionel. I can't explain it and usually I'm quite optimistic about things but I just have this felling of foreboding that Lionel's release will bring nothing but trouble."

Charles has to sadly agree with that assessment. He can only hope Fury is keeping Lionel under tight and close surveillance.

* * *

**The SHIELD Hellicarrier...**

In the infirmary Lionel Luthor lies in bed, sore and battered. Broken leg, cuts and bruises, a concussion but he's alive and that is all that matters. As long as he is alive he has a chance to get his life back. Rebuild what he has lost. Get revenge on his enemies. His injuries will heal and then the hunt for the stones will undoubtedly resume. If he could just get a hold of them and their power...

_'Patience,' _he tells himself. Take time. Wait for the correct moment.

"What time is it?"

Lionel looks to his left to see that the boy that was recovered from the desert is awake in the bed next to him. Lionel had overheard the conversations about him and with him as he was 'debriefed'. Not that the boy seemed to know much but from what Lionel could tell he wasn't lying. He was actually quite truthful and forthcoming, almost surprisingly so. Magneto really must get more loyal help if he ever wants to create his mutant-dominated world. "Late," Lionel says in reply to the boy's question.

Cypher lets out a breath. His head hurts. He has dozens of stitches in it. His whole body hurts and Magneto left him for dead. After everything he did he was left for dead which is why he felt no reason not to tell the SHIELD agents whatever he could in answer to their questions.

"How are you feeling Douglas?" Lionel asks.

"Lousy," Cypher complains.

Lionel smiles a tiny little bit at that reply. "I am not surprised. Having a temple fall on you can ruin anyone's day," he jokes dryly.

It is Cypher's turn to smile slightly. "May I ask a question of you?"

"Certainly."

"You're Lionel Luthor right?" Cypher asks the older man to confirm whom Douglas believes him to be.

"I am."

"What are you doing here of all places?"

"Serving my country," Lionel gives the vague reply.

"I was...I was just trying to help my kind you know. That's all. My parents..."

"Are members of the Friends of Humanity," Lionel finishes. "Yes. I overheard that. I don't blame you Douglas. I can understand your reaction. My father and I had our issues too."

"You did?"

"Of course. All children have issues with their parents. Yours is just a little more extreme than most and then you tried to use the gifts you were given in the way you thought best to serve your kind. I did the same in many ways. I created Luthorcorp to try and make the world a better place."

"And the stones?"

"I hunted for them for the same reason. If their power was real then they could transform the world."

"You used that phrase in your journal," Cypher recalls.

"I did."

"No offence but I hear that a lot from people I thought cared about me," Cypher says, sounding a little bitter and angry at being betrayed essentially and left to die.

"And this is the crux of your dilemma Douglas. You want to do good but the people you thought you could trust in the end betrayed you. Your father and then Magneto. I too was betrayed by people I thought I could trust."

"You were?"

"I know you have probably heard a lot of negative press about me and I admit I made mistakes. You see Douglas the truth is I was dying of an unknown disease and in my desperation I made some decisions I now regret but fate has intervened. My disease is in remission. I have been given a second chance and I intend to seize it which brings us back to why I am here. I am trying to do good for my country. Magneto would do harm to it. I think you understand his intentions but for you, like me, fate has intervened. Now you can have a second chance to do good and I will help you," Lionel promises him.

"I...uh...thank you," Cypher says unable to think of what else to say in reply.

"You are welcome. Now go back to sleep and rest," Lionel advises. "There is plenty of time for you to do the good you seek."

Cypher's eyes flutter back shut and he soon drifts back off to sleep.

Lionel watches the boy for several moments. If anyone saw that they would think he has changed his views on mutants. He hasn't. He dislikes and arguably hates mutants but he is a businessman and as such can see an opportunity when one is presented to him. He had overheard all about what Cypher had confessed to doing in the desert. The boy could hack SHIELD's own computer systems and in those computer systems is the information Lionel needs to regain what he has lost so he will pretend to befriend the boy and use the boy's power for his own ends.

All in all, in Lionel's opinion, a perfect deal.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Clark had changed back into jeans and t-shirt. It was in fact quite late now and most of the others had gone to bed. He was still too wound up after his meeting with Colonel Fury to think about catching the little sleep he requires to keep his mind fresh. He thinks back on his conversation with Fury and really hopes that somehow he can find a peaceful solution because while Clark is close to invulnerable, as far as anyone can measure, he seriously doubts in actuality he could realistically stand-up to all SHIELD even with his friends standing with him. Eventually SHIELD, the army and whoever else they try to send after him would probably wear him down. He isn't that powerful to be able to defeat whole armies...well not yet anyway. Remembering back to what he felt like when he was Kal-El and Jor-El augmented his powers he thinks that maybe when he reaches that level he probably could defeat armies. The power he felt within himself during that time...it was amazing and in some ways scary because it wasn't a question of if he would reach that level. It was only a question of how long it would take him.

Clark will have to remember to thank Logan for calling in those favours that gave him the little leverage he had over Fury that at least bought him some time. He sighs a little at the thought of everything he has to deal with now. No wonder he doesn't feel like sleeping. Perhaps some warm milk or something will help calm him down. He strides into the kitchen to find Wanda making the very thing he was thinking about as she is heating some milk up on the stove.

Wanda is momentarily surprised to see Clark before she regains her composure. "You're back," she states the obvious.

"Yep."

"You met Fury?"

"Yep."

"That good huh?" she queries from his tone with a wry smile.

"It could have been better but then again it could have been worse. I bought myself some time. That's all." Clark sits himself down at the kitchen table. "How about you? How are you doing?"

"Feeling extremely disappointed I didn't get my hands on Pietro. I'm tempted to go around and skin him."

"You don't really mean that," Clark says.

"I most assuredly do," she insists. "By the way I could be mad at you for using me to get Bobby," she mentions, having been told what Clark did.

"Are you?"

A tiny grin comes to Wanda's face because it had been fun to make the annoying prankster pay. "Not really. Just don't do it again without talking to me first," she warns him.

Clark raises his right hand. "Scout's honour," he assures her he won't.

That is good enough for Wanda but she still feels she needs to add, "Don't break that or you'll get a taste of what I'll do to my brother."

"Wanda. Look. I know you're angry. You have every right to be but he is still your brother," Clark argues with her.

"Brothers don't do what he did to me," she argues back, her voice low and tight.

"No they don't but you still have a bond of blood that can never really be broken."

"I hate it when you're so logical. Can't you just let me hate him?"

"No...and not for his benefit but for yours. Hate is what drove Lionel Luthor to do what he did. Hate is what drives Magneto. It never leads to a good place and you're too good a person to end up where they are."

Wanda sighs and turns off the stove as her milk is done. Truly she is touched he thinks she is a good person but she can never see herself that way. There's too much emotion in the way. "You sound like the Professor," she confesses in a quiet voice. That is what he says to her, more or less, when they have their sessions. That she has to let go of her anger and hate.

"The truth is a truth that everyone can see."

Wanda pours her milk into a mug and sits herself down at the table. "You don't understand," she says.

"What you went through? No. Not completely. No-one can do that. Although after this summer I do have a deeper appreciation of what it feels like to be locked away in a small space against your will."

Wanda looks up at him. She hadn't really thought of what he went through. "But you seem the same," she comments.

"Because I won't let Jor-El change me into something I'm not...and well maybe it's a weird alien thing. Perhaps I just don't react to events like that as a human would. No-one can really tell me how my mind works expect Jor-El and this may sound a bit surprising," he says with a touch of sarcasm, "but I don't really feel like talking to him at the minute."

"You said you hated Jor-El," Wanda reminds Clark of something he said to her before the summer and therefore should he really be lecturing her?

"I did," Clark agrees but in the past tense. "I don't any more because I understand what drives him and once you have understanding hate becomes an irrelevance. Hate comes from lack of understanding. It's not hate that has me not wishing to talk to my father. I'm just tired of having the same debate with him over and over. He has his view, I have mine and we seem to be rather entrenched in both and can't agree."

"I can't understand my father or my brother. I just...can't," Wanda struggles to convey her feelings.

"Give it time Wanda. I'm not asking you to forgive them. I know that would be too much but they are and always will be your relations."

"I really wish they weren't."

"And I really wish the only connection to my dead race wasn't a seemingly slightly deranged computer simulation of a man who has been dead for the best part of 2 decades. Life doesn't always give us what we want. We just have to do our best with what it does give us."

Wanda looks at Clark oddly. "You know you spout a lot of wisdom for a 17 year old."

Clark shrugs. "Meh. Have to balance out the goofiness somehow," he jests.

Wanda giggles, actually giggles, at that because yeah Clark was goofy.

Clark smiles a bit at the fact he has seemed to cheer Wanda up. "Feeling better?"

"Still wish I had gotten my hands on Pietro but his humiliation was almost as good," Wanda relays her feelings on the matter.

"That was a good moment of schadenfreude I must admit."

"Schaden what?"

"Schadenfreude. It's German. It means deriving pleasure from the misfortune of others."

"The town's great hero deriving pleasure from someone else's misery? What would the papers say?" Wanda teases.

Clark shrugs. "What can I say? I'm only human," he says with no hint of irony at that statement.

Wanda shakes her head in bemusement. She sips on her milk. "You know this isn't the end of it," she says seriously in relation to Pietro because sooner rather than later she knows her brother will try to expose Clark again to try and mend the dent in his overinflated ego.

Clark nods. "I know. It only buys me some time," he accepts as he does the same with Fury. "On the plus side if you're wanting more Schadenfreude I doubt your father is happy with what Pietro did tonight."

As odd as it may seem that could just about cheer Wanda up. She knows what her father is like when he is disobeyed. Pietro is so going to get it.

* * *

A little later Rogue sighs as she stands under the shower, her second for the night, as she tries to get rid of the damn smell of Toad's slime-ball that had soaked right through her shirt onto her skin. Mrs Kent had been hopeful about saving Rogue's top but Rogue has a feeling she was being humoured. Damn Toad. Rogue is going to kill him. She swears it.

In reality all Rogue wishes right now is to go to bed and pretend this disaster of an evening never happened...at least until the morning where they will probably be banned from school. She closes her eyes as she is tired and just feels the hot water pour over her skin and sooth away some of the tension.

Suddenly she lets out a squeal as two hands come to rest on her hips. She is spun round and her lips are claimed by another set she is intimately familiar with. When the kiss ends she looks up through her dripping wet hair and glares. "Clark. What are ya doing here?"

"Well I was looking for you and followed the sound your heartbeat here and decided to help..._scrub _your back," he says, looking amazing boyish as he is saying this.

Rogue arches an eyebrow. "Toad hit meh on tha front."

"I can scrub that too," he says huskily making a pleasant quiver travel through Rogue.

Rogue bites her lower lip, as her eyes travel over Clark's naked form, with water streaming down over him. So, so tempting. "Clark as much as ah would love ta we'll get caught," she argues.

"Almost everyone is asleep and I have superhearing and superspeed. No-one is going to get the drop on us," he points out shooting her argument apart. His hands travel over her skin and Rogue moans, her resistance weakening. "God you're beautiful," he says, his breath almost taken away by what he sees in front of him. His lips once more claim hers before moving down onto her neck and lower and lower and...well lets just Rogue's resistance soon crumples completely and she ends up having a long shower as Clark makes she sure she is thoroughly _scrubbed._

Afterwards the two lovers are cuddled up together in Clark's room on this occasion. Rogue lets out a contented sigh to match the contented smile on her face. She is very...contented...and satisfied and a lot of other words she could use to describe how wonderful Clark can make her feel.

"Way better than warm milk," Clark murmurs, sleepily.

Rogue raises her head to look at him. "What?"

Clark explains how before he decided to join her in the shower he was in the kitchen getting some warm milk to help him sleep.

"So ah rank above warm milk? That what ya saying?"

"Yes."

"Well ah'm so flattered ah beat cow produce," she says with her trademark total and utter sarcasm.

"You should be. I really like milk," he says with a completely straight face.

Rogue wants to be mad at him but she can't. She just ends up playfully slapping his broad chest. "Dork," she says affectionately.

"Broody Goth," Clark affectionately hits her back with.

"Boyscout."

"Uh...that's all I got because you're otherwise practically perfect in every way."

"Oh ya so did not just quote Mary Poppins at meh," she warns him.

"Well you can certainly hit the high notes as good as Julie Andrews," he jests suggestively, with a waggle of his eyebrows, at the way she calls out when in the throws of passion.

"Look who's talkin!" she snaps back sassily.

The two teens then burst into giggles before Clark pulls Rogue closer to him and holds her tightly. He gently runs his hands over her skin which he knows she loves because of how restricted she is in that sense due to her powers.

"Ah guess we'll have a lot more time together from now on," Rogue supposes.

"You mean with the vote?"

"Yeah."

"I wouldn't judge that too soon."

"Eternal optimist right?"

"I try although speaking of time I'm not going to have as much as I should for you with trying to find these stones and school and being the Blur."

"Ah understand," she says. She's a little sad at that but she can see how all that will eat into his free time. In fact it will eat into all their free-time since everyone agreed to help find these stones. Clark had already told her all about his meeting with Fury. There's another problem they could do without but as usual for them life seems to always give them the hard path to travel.

"I promise though Rogue I'll do my best to give you all the time I can," Clark swears and then lovingly tells her, "You deserve nothing less."

"Y'all are always so good ta meh."

"Boyfriend's prerogative." Clark then rolls Rogue over under him and kisses her deeply. Her left leg wraps around his waist as his right hand grips her thigh. "Feeling good?" he queries as he places biting kisses on her neck.

"Better than warm milk," she jokes.

Clark snorts out a laugh pausing his administrations. He brushes Rogue's hair back and looks her straight in the eye. "I love you," he says with all his deep emotions.

"Ah love ya too sugah."

Clark's lips claims Rogue's once again as he murmurs, "Much, much better than warm milk."

* * *

**Very early the next morning at the Boarding House...**

Pietro's sleep is interrupted when he finds himself rolling off his bed and hitting the floor hard. He looks up to find Mystique has tipped his mattress up and therefore him out of bed. "What was that for?" he complains.

Mystique glares at him so intensely Pietro is momentary afraid she might combust him. She stomps over, grabs his arm and yanks him to his feet before shoving him out his door.

"Hey...watch it...ow...that hurts," he complains as he is roughly pushed along the corridor.

"Good," Mystique says with zero sympathy.

"Come on. Rogue drained me last night you know. Give me a break," he begs because he still feels wiped.

"Good," Mystique repeats, again with zero sympathy for him, as she pushes him down the stairs where his co-conspirators from last night are already gathered and lined up.

Pietro finds himself shoved into the line with the guys as Mystique stands in front of them and standing next to her are Haze and Puzzler who are shooting Pietro hateful glares as a result of what happened to them when he got rid of them for the day.

"You are dead Maximoff," Haze's icy-cold voice avows.

"So, so dead," Puzzler pledges her support to Alicia in that act of murder.

Pietro barely finds the effort to roll his eyes. As if he cares what those two think.

Puzzler shivers. "God I can't believe where you sent us with that false message from Magneto," she says with horror as she remembers it. Pietro had claimed to be bringing a message from his father and this ended up with Alicia teleporting herself and Puzzler to the middle of the Amazon rainforest. "There were so many bugs! I'm going to have nightmares for the rest of my life!" she whines because she hates bugs!

Alicia places a supportive hand on the younger girl's shoulder. She kinda liked Valerie and so sympathises.

Mystique turns her attention to the redhead lounging over a chair in the lounge. "And what do you have to say for yourself?"

Plastique shrugs lazily. "I'm suppose to care? I don't."

"Do I have to remind you that your powers can be taken away?"

"Then take them," Plastique lays the challenge down. "I don't care about your cause. In fact Magneto knows this. I only care about avenging my father and he still gave me my powers so your threats on me are meaningless as I have never broken any agreement I made. I never used my powers in public," she points out with an arrogant air as if she can't be touched.

Mystique scowls at the girl thinking she is so clever. "That's for Magneto to decide."

And speaking of Magneto...

A rattling can start to be heard from all around. Under the floors. Behind the walls and then every metal object in the vicinity starts to rattle. Before anyone can react metal strips appear and wrap around Pietro wrists binding them together. The same with his ankles. He is then lifted into the air as the Master of Magnetism himself floats in through the door.

"Hello Pietro," Magneto greets his son in that cold, dark, menacing voice of his.

"F-Father. I can explain," Pietro begins to make his plea.

"By all means do so," Magneto permits. After all that is why he is here.

Pietro gulps. "I-It was all for you. I was just doing what you wanted."

Behind his helmet Magneto's eyes narrow in anger at his disobedient son. When he heard what Pietro had done he was furious beyond words. "How dare you think you can presume to know what I want!" he snaps at his son's arrogance.

"B-but...this is what you want. Mutants and humans apart. Them hating and fearing us," Pietro tries to make his case.

"I want them to **respect** and **recognise** their superiors Pietro. Hate and fear are their natural condition...and if I wanted you to act at the school I would have ordered it!" Magneto rages before he calms his temper and continues. "What I wanted was for you to remain hidden which is no longer possible as you have now been seen by millions. My plans now have to be completely rethought which wastes time and effort when my attention is required on other issues," he lambasts Pietro for the problems his son's thoughtless actions have now created.

"What other issues?" Pietro dares to ask.

"Pietro I have our entire race's future to consider. That means I have many people beyond you to think about," Magneto talks down to his son. "I see the big picture as the saying goes. Now you are my son. That will not change. What will need to change is your attitude. I had hoped you could be a future leader of mutantkind. I see that faith was badly misplaced."

"It wasn't!" Pietro insists. "I can be a leader!"

Magneto gestures and lifts his son into the air and floats him over so they are close together eye-to-eye. "Don't be foolish," he instantly dismisses Pietro's claim. "Your vision of the big picture is your own aggrandisement."

"B-but what I did last night will be a step forward," Pietro still insists, clinging onto that as his last lifeline.

"Will it?" Magneto asks the simple question. "We will see shortly won't we. Until then get out of my sight!" he commands in a iron tone. He releases Pietro from the metal bonds. "All of you!" he adds. "I wish to speak to Mystique alone."

The Brotherhood do as ordered and when Mystique is alone with Magneto she asks, "What do you want done?"

Magneto takes a moment to consider. "Whatever the result of the school vote the boys have been exposed."

"And on the slim chance mutants aren't banned they will probably be expelled," Mystique points out. "If I was still principal it is what I would have to do considering the damage they caused."

"Punish them as you see fit," Magneto permits her as he has no more time to waste on them. "For the moment they have become useless to me. They will remain here until I find a new purpose for them."

"And the girls?"

"Plastique was correct when she spoke earlier. She has not broken our agreement," he affirms having overheard that part. He then goes on to tell Mystique what he wants done now. "I wish you to declare her, Haze and Puzzler as human in the same manner Charles has declared the Kent boy. I want them at that school to keep an eye on him. Publicly condemn the boys' actions and promise, as their legal guardian, that they will cause no more trouble...which they won't. You will see that they don't," he commands her.

Mystique is curious about why and when Magneto shifted his attention back onto the Kent boy. She asks Magneto about it.

"Lets just say that he is in possession of something vital to the future," Magneto answers vaguely. "Have the girls watch him and report everything they see and hear no matter how innocuous or insignificant it may seem."

"He has managed to successfully reinforce this wish of his to remain two separate people."

"I saw the footage. It was extremely clever," Magneto has to complement and admire. "They must have overheard my son talking and set Pietro up. It had to have been planned in advance," he sees as the only explanation.

"And Pietro walked right into it," Mystique says with a shake of her head at Pietro's utter foolishness and folly.

"I am aware of my son's failings," Magneto says somewhat bitterly and extremely disappointed in his own flesh and blood.

"Do you want anything done about Kent?"

"Not for the moment, no. Let Clark Kent think he has succeeded. He is more likely to relax and let his guard down," he explains his reasoning. "That boy is still the key to our ultimate victory," he repeats a belief he told Mystique about before. "The goal remains to find the proper method of controlling him."

"Hence having the girls spying on him," Mystique begins to understand Magneto's reasonings. Spy on him in the hope they find out something that can be used to control the boy.

"That's part of it. It is one avenue I am exploring," Magneto is willing to reveal. The other part is those stones because, if they are, as Magneto believes they could be, related to where Clark Kent actually comes from then the stones themselves might be the means through which he can be controlled. Then if he has to there are the boy's human parents. They could be leverage. That also has the potential to backfire by enraging the boy. That's a tricky balancing act.

Magneto is in no rush though. He will plan and wait for his opportunity and he has no doubt it will come. He has much to do in the meantime. Finding the other 2 stones. Rethinking his plans thanks to his son's incompetence and hot-headed nature. Organising the underground mutant resistance and preparing for the day of the revolution when they rise up and claim what is rightfully theirs.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Logan had gotten back really late last night thanks to the damage Colossus did to his bike. He essentially had to carry it all the way home. As much sorrow as he felt for the kid's predicament he was as angry because no-one messes with his bike and gets to live. Hell not even Domino had dared to mess with it...or at least not yet. Knowing her it was probably only a matter of time.

Logan is on his way to the kitchen when he comes across the kids heading the same way for breakfast, all of them looking completely downbeat, their shoulders hunched, an oppressive air of almost loss. "There a funeral I don't know about?" Logan asks Scott as he passes by.

Scott pauses. "You could say that," he says sadly. "We dug our own graves last night. We gambled and lost."

Scott then resumes his trip to the kitchen looking as downcast as Logan has ever seen him. Logan can tell that Shades there is obviously blaming himself for whatever transpired. He follows Scott into the kitchen.

In the kitchen the mood is very sombre. Even Rogue's mood, despite her wonderful, blissful night with Clark, had returned to depressed as soon as she woke up this morning and she remembered what they would find out about school.

Logan steps next to Clark. "Did Fury show up?" he asks.

"Yep," Clark confirms.

"How did it go?"

"About as well as we thought it would when we discussed it with the Professor. We've bought ourselves some time but he is not abandoning his search for the stones. Thanks by the way. What you found out helped."

Logan grunts as his way of acknowledgement of the gratitude. Honestly he didn't think for a moment Fury would give up that easily. That showdown is coming and it probably won't be a pleasant day when it does.

The Professor now rolls into the kitchen and notes that everyone is present. Good thing they expanded the kitchen when they were rebuilding the mansion or it would be a tight squeeze. "I just got off the phone with the school-board," he says. "Before I announce it I just want to say how proud I am of all of you," he tells them the heartfelt truth.

"How can you say that Professor?" Scott asks, unable to see how. "We let you down. We failed in what we were attempting to do."

Kitty, looking extremely depressed, her head down, resting on her hand, and herself drawing imaginary shapes on the table with her finger, has to agree. "Yeah. It doesn't take a genius to know how they voted."

"You saved their lives," the Professor counters that with. "You showed remarkable restraint despite the provocation. Jean inspired them with her sincerity. Clark touched their better halves with his faith in the innate goodness of people...and as a result they want to welcome you back," he announces with a slowly growing smile.

Evan, resting his head in his hands, says in surprise, "Huh. Go figure."

There is still not an overwhelming surge of happiness amongst anyone. Jean steps forward to explain. "Sorry Professor. It's sort of a good news, bad news thing. Yesterday...it was not easy for any of us or our friends." And, as optimistic as Jean is as a person, she doubts it is going to get massively better any time soon.

The Professor nods. "I realise this is not an easy time for you," he sympathises. "It is not an easy time for mutants anywhere or those humans who try to befriend and defend us but please realise something," he asks of them. "For whatever reason you have been chosen to take the first steps into this new world. To lead the way. To be a beacon of hope for the generations to come and show that humans and mutants can live together in harmony. This is a big responsibility," Charles concedes, knowing the burden he is asking of what are still only teenagers. "It is also an honour. I am always astonished at the wondrous things that can be built out of tragedy or perceived disaster. For even in the face of bigotry and racial discrimination I know one simple truth. The X-Men will endure."

* * *

_Author's Note: Lionel making nice with Cypher is the start of something for later on. For now Clark is only succeeding in postponing his problems. Sooner or later it will all have to come to ahead. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. My poll for who gets possessed in Spell is still open. Next up; The Hellions come calling on a certain fiery redhead._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Bayville High...**

It was the end of a long first week back at school for the students of the Xavier Institute, all of whom, after the school-board vote, were now returned to their classes. The taunts and insults had lessened slightly, but only very slightly, as the other students had no choice but to accept mutants were allowed to attend Bayville High.

The same applied to Principal Kelly no matter how much he hated it, which he did...a lot. Kelly had tried calling every school-board member repeatedly to get them to reconsider. Eventually fed-up of his phone calls they told him to either accept it and get on with it or they would replace him with someone else. That had been enough to get Kelly to snap back into line although on the inside he was fuming. He had been, as a result, a complete tyrant. If he couldn't get rid of the mutants he could make their lives as difficult as he feasibly could get away with. If any of the Institute students stepped out of line even a little Kelly would slap a detention on them with any excuse he could think of.

One group of mutants Kelly could get rid of were the Brotherhood boys. As Mystique had predicted they had been expelled and Kelly relished that moment. The police in the end decided not to press charges after getting a guarantee from Mystique(in her human guise as the benevolent patron of the Boarding House) that they would cause no more trouble. That had been enough. Most probably because the police didn't really have any idea how to contain mutants. It wasn't like a normal jail cell could hold them.

The Brotherhood girls were still attending school now claiming to be human same as Clark. They had been in the aftermath of that night, if anything, nicer to the X-Men strangely. Haze had even, surprisingly, apologised saying the whole thing was Pietro's idiotic scheming and that Magneto had in essence chewed his son out for it. No-one could yet figure out what the game was with that or why they were now claiming to be human but the X-Men would be staying wary and on their guard around the 3 girls until they could figure out what was going on.

The publicity around the X-Men had improved ever so slightly after they had spent their free time this week helping repair the wrecked parking lot, once the police no longer deemed it a crime scene. The Professor made the offer to do the repairs to the school-board who accepted it. It was in its way a good example of how mutant powers could be used to benefit the community as by using their powers they got it finished in a fraction of the time. However despite this one piece of good PR there was still a long way to go before they could say they were getting glowing praise in the media.

Upon leaving his last class of the day Clark has one more thing to do before meeting up with the others and heading home. It had been a busy week for him as he had made a point of getting out into Bayville as the Blur and helping and being seen to be helping people as much as he could after his long absence. He was still discussing the options over with his mother about a new single costume he should wear so was still in the old one for the moment.

Clark makes his way to the office of the school paper and knocks on the door. He pops his head in to find the few students who work on the paper and his eyes scan the room until they fall upon a certain blond girl.

"Clark!" Cat says his name warmly as she stands up and walks over to the door.

Clark pushes his glasses up his nose. "Uh hi Cat. Is this a bad time?"

"Of course not," Cat dismisses that idea. "So what can I do for you?"

"It's about the proposal you made at the start of the week."

"To write about the Institute?"

Clark nods. "Yeah. Sorry it's taken so long to give you an answer. This week has been crazy."

"I understand."

"Thanks. So well anyway I know you gave me your number but I thought I should give you the answer in person. I talked it over with the Professor and he has given his permission," Clark informs her.

Cat's face lights up. "That's wonderful! I've already cleared it with the Editor," she informs him.

"Really? What about Principal Kelly? I don't know if you've noticed but he's not exactly thrilled to have mutants here and I doubt he would be happy to see anything positive about them in the school paper."

"You leave Kelly to me," Cat tells him. "I have my methods of persuasion. Besides freedom of the press is a constitutional right. If he has a problem I'm sure the school-board would correct him and considering the way they voted about your friends I doubt Kelly really wants to be on their wrong side again so soon."

"If you're sure?" Clark asks, in relation to leaving Kelly to her.

"Trust me. I'm sure. Anyway how about I come round to that mansion tomorrow morning and we can sit down with Professor Xavier and talk about what it is you will be doing?"

"Tomorrow will be fine," Clark tells her, since he has nothing specific planned and he can't think of anything going on that would prevent her coming. "I'll let it be known to expect you," he says so she can get through the gate.

Cat smiles at him. "How thoughtful of you," she praises him.

"Well I have to go," Clark says. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Cat confirms.

Clark then turns and makes haste to meet up with Rogue whom he finds waiting for him outside the main doors, looking a little impatient.

"Took your time," she criticises slightly.

Clark gives her cheek a quick peck. "Sorry. I was letting Cat Grant know about agreeing to that article idea I mentioned to you."

Rogue nods. Clark had told her about that. She wasn't sure if it would work but at this stage anything to try and raise positive publicity about mutants is worth a try.

Clark's arm snakes around Rogue's waist and he holds her near to him as they start the walk home. "She's coming round to the mansion tomorrow so we can talk with the Professor about the exact details," he tells her.

"Ah wish ya had said she was coming tonight instead."

"Why?" Clark asks with some confusion.

"Because it would give meh an excuse ta say no ta Jean."

Clark is still confused. "Say no to Jean about what?"

Rogue sighs. "She wants us ta go out with her and Scott on a double date," she says with no real enthusiasm for that idea when Jean had suggested it earlier in the day.

"Oh," Clark says. "But is that really a bad thing?"

"Ah suppose not," Rogue concedes. "Ah would just prefer it ta beh tha two of us. Call it selfish or greedy but ah lost ya for 3 months Clark and ah would just lahke some tahme for us 2 alone ya know?"

"I know," Clark says in sympathetic agreement. "I agree but they are our friends Rogue," he reminds her. "And it would only be one night. We'll have lots of others for just us two."

"Ya promise?" she asks him.

Clark plants a kiss on her temple. "I promise."

Rogue sighs once more as she relents in her objections to the double date. "Ok fahne. Ah'll tell Jean we're coming."

Clark chuckles lightly. "It won't be so bad. You'll see."

"Ah'll beh holdin' ya ta that."

* * *

**Boston, Massachusetts...**

Darkness descends. Claire Selton looks out of the broken window of the abandoned apartment block she calls home. The building she lives in was up for being knocked down and rebuilt as part of a regeneration scheme before the economy tanked. Now she guessed it was to be forgotten until things turned around.

Forgotten.

Like she had been?

Like she wished she could forget the many things that had happened to her in her life?

Losing her parents the day the meteors fell from the sky in Smallville. Gaining her fiery powers. The orphanages. Running away from the orphanages. Living on the streets of Metropolis. Lionel Luthor's men capturing her. The glass jar she was imprisoned in. Lionel offering her a way out and ending up being trained by Stryker as an elite unit for Lionel Luthor's Mutant Response Division. Facing off against the Sirens and ending up at the Xavier Institute.

At this point Claire can't help but sigh sadly. The Institute had been the first place she had ever felt like she could call home. Before she gained her powers and lost her parents...there's practically nothing she can remember. At the Institute despite her prickly and not very friendly personality no-one wanted her gone. When she had accidents with her powers no-one tried to be rid of her. In fact Mrs Kent would always give her a hug, stroke her hair and say soothing words.

Claire misses that. She can admit that to herself but she can't go back. Messing up with her powers and being forgiven for that is one thing but she killed. She can't be forgiven for that especially since she doesn't want forgiveness because she doesn't feel bad about it. Really she doesn't. She did what had to be done just like she does here everyday to protect the people here. They had no-one but her. Back in Bayville there was a whole mansion full of people to help others. Claire did not yet have the answers to the many questions she asked herself after she left. She just feels, for the moment at least, this is where she is meant to be.

With her reminiscing for the day done Volcana turns from the window. She moves to what passes for her bed and grabs a long coat of dark fiery red and slips it on. Yes she is aware of the similarity to the bright crimson red coat Clark wore...probably still wears but it looks like it might rain and she needs a coat. This one she found happened to be in her colour to match her red outfit. Claire strides to the door. It's time Volcana did her job, patrolled this area she called home and made sure she kept the people here safe.

Volcana strides out into the street unaware of the group of figures watching her from the rooftop above.

"There she is," one of them says pointing at her.

The leader of the group steps forward. A voluptuous woman, 21 years old, with long, golden blond hair, cold blue eyes, clad in tight white leather pants, white high heeled boots, a white tube top and a white cape. Emma Frost's eyes narrow slightly as she takes in the target she had had observed for the past week.

It had started as a rumour amongst vagrants of an area of Boston protected by a 'freak of nature' who could command fire. These rumours reached Emma's ears and her interest had been pricked enough for her to send a couple of her students to investigate and see if there was any substance to the rumours. There was. What got Emma's attention to the point she is here tonight was what her students found when they searched the girl's laughable accommodations. They found a picture of her with the more recognisable students of the Xavier Institute. The girl was one of the old fool's former students it seemed. Just like Emma herself is.

Emma's brow puckers slightly as she tries to get a telepathic impression of the girl's mind. Even at this distance Emma can sense mental blocks...Xavier's mental blocks keeping her out of everything but stray surface thoughts. Emma wonders if the girl even knows Xavier did that. Probably not if dear old Charles is still anything like Emma remembers him to be.

Emma turns to face the seven of her students she brought with her, all clad in red and black body suits that all on the top left had a white triangle, the symbol of Emma's academy. Xavier has his X-Men. Emma has her Hellions.

One who stands out is a massive, hulking figure, over seven feet tall, and all muscle, with short blond hair and green eyes and this is him at only 17 years old. His name is Buford Wilson aka Beef and his mutant ability, naturally, is superhuman strength.

Next to Beef is the student she sent with him to track down the girl originally. He is a tall large African American man with a bald head and brown eyes. His name is Christopher Aaronson, 18, who calls himself, arrogantly in Emma's opinion, King Bedlam. His mutant power was to be able to project a psionic interference that can disrupt thought patterns making it next to impossible for the person subjected to think coherently. The most common signature of this is that someone affected spouts gibberish. After Emma he was next in command and out in the field when she wasn't there he was the field leader.

Another who stands out is a 15 year old girl with fairly long bright purple hair. Her eyes are golden and slitted like a cat's. Her suit accents her slender feline frame and her most notable feature is a long, prehensile purple tail she possess that even now twitches and moves seemingly of its own accord. Her name is Sharon Smith aka Catseye and her mutant ability allowed her to transform completely into a panther-like creature or a half-feline 'werecat' form. This gave her the speed, agility and enhanced senses of a wildcat even in her more human form.

Next there is a short, slender French girl with long dark hair and green eyes. Her name is Marie-Ange Colbert aka Tarot. She is 16 and her power is to generate animated constructs composed of tangible psionic energy based on the two-dimensional figures of the tarot cards that even now she is shuffling in her hands. She was also always the most cheery and peppy of people.

Another girl who stands there has shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes. Her name is Jennifer Stavros aka Roulette and she possesses a relatively voluptuous body even for her age of 17. Her costume is deliberately low cut because she insisted it was as she wished to show off her body to maximum effect. Her mutant power is to generate disks of psychic energy that alter the laws of chance of anything they touch, resulting in either good or bad luck for their subjects by altering the probabilities field around the victim at whom she throws the disc. Her black energy discs create 'bad luck' while her red energy discs bestow 'good luck'. She was also, as far as Emma is concerned, a habitual flirt who would chase after anything with a Y chromosome.

Next is Fabian Marechal-Jublin, 16, aka Bevatron. He is of average height, and of lean frame, with short, sandy-blond hair and blue eyes. The French youth's mutant ability enabled him to generate bio-electrical blasts of considerable force. It is a similar power to that possessed by Bezerker.

Finally there is another 16 year old boy. He is fairly tall for his age with an athletic frame, short dark hair and cold blue eyes. His name is Julian Keller aka Hellion. He is a telekinetic and potentially could be the most powerful telekinetic Emma had ever seen. Unfortunately he is also a spoilt brat. His family is wealthy and powerful and Julian expected the whole world to see him as special and respect him as their superior. It meant that he spent his time flouting and undermining Emma's authority because he felt the rules she laid down didn't apply to him.

Now, due to Julian's attitude, normally Emma wouldn't list him as 1st choice when picking a team for an assignment but in this assignment his powers would be useful so he got picked. If he messes up though she'll crucify him. Julian is not as irreplaceable as he thinks he is. Emma's school has many students she can use. This was the 7 she chose for this mission.

And speaking of this mission it was time it got started. "Now you all know what to do," Emma says to them, reminding them of the pre-mission briefing where they planned out tonight's activities earlier this afternoon. Emma never took anything for granted or left it to chance.

"Hey chill teach. We got this," Julian says, full of arrogant self-confidence.

Emma frowns. Julian's glib attitude was par for the course but it irritated her no end. "Just remember this is only to test her. I don't want her hurt so restrain yourselves," Emma repeats her instructions from this afternoon and with that she and her team move off. They had watched and learned the route the red-haired girl took every night and knew the perfect place to ambush her.

It was time for this girl to learn, and soon Xavier would learn as well, just what a proper mutant team could do. The time of the Hellions had come.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

In Charles' study, himself, Ororo, Hank, Logan, Domino, Martha and Jonathan were having the routine end of week meeting to discuss any issues with the students. In truth despite everything they had been through and were still going through things could be worse. Domino had already made her standard joky opinions known much to Logan's irritation that she never seems like she is taking anything seriously.

The New Mutants were improving slowly and steadily. They were now just a little under the required level to be considered for more active use as one of the X-Men but they weren't there yet. Even though she started behind them Wanda had caught up with the other New Mutants and was making progress with both her powers and her temper.

As for the X-Men themselves their training was fine and they were performing to their usual standard but Domino had one issue. "So how long are we giving Clark off?" she asks since he still hadn't returned to training.

Charles briefly looks at the Kents before answering the query. "I wished to give him some time to adjust Domino. He was locked up for 3 months while his mind was reconditioned," he explains.

"Sure. I get that. Sort of been there myself with Stryker trying to indoctrinate me into his thinking but Clark seems alright." Dom looks at the Kents. "I mean if I'm wrong tell me," she requests of them.

"Clark hasn't talked about it much," Martha admits.

"What he does say is that he won't let Jor-El turn him into what he is not," Jonathan explains what Clark has admitted to them. "That doesn't mean he has gotten over it."

"You don't get over it," Logan argues. "You just learn to live with it."

"Hairy's right," Domino has to agree. She smirks a little when Logan growls at the fact she called him 'Hairy'. "And you learn to live with it by getting on with life."

"You have a point Domino," Charles concedes. He looks to the Kents. "Unless you suggest something else I believe the best answer is for myself to talk to Scott tomorrow. As leader of the X-Men I'm inclined to let Scott decide how to approach Clark and ask him to restart training."

Martha and Jonathan take a moment to consider it. Clark hadn't been too forthcoming to them. Maybe Clark might feel more comfortable talking to someone his age so they agree to Charles' plan. If that fails then maybe they will take a more direct approach with Clark.

Since Scott was out with Jean, Clark and Rogue on that double date everyone agrees that it can wait until tomorrow. It wasn't that urgent.

They discuss the few normal minor issues that rise up with teenagers as well as the ongoing angst of Wanda and Rogue that everyone is still clueless about. None of the adults has yet to come up with a solution that gets Rogue and Wanda to talk about it beyond giving the 2 girls some more time to realise on their own this situation can't continue and hope they voluntarily break the wall of silence.

The meeting then reaches the last topic to be discussed. Charles looks to Hank to begin this one. Hank clears his throat. "This is a sensitive issue," he begins cautiously, needing to step carefully. "Today the equipment we have been waiting for arrived. The equipment I need to run the parental tests on Domino, Rogue and Logan," he explains in a tentative manner as his gaze shifts between Domino and Logan.

"Hey hear that Logan. We get to find out if you're my father, brother, cousin, mother or sister," Dom quips.

Logan says nothing, unsure what to say.

Charles closes his hands together on his lap. "For Rogue this must be handled sensitively Domino. With her concerns elsewhere over the summer I am not sure it has occurred to her the true consequences of what Stryker revealed to her. Unless you and she spoke about it?"

Dom shakes her head. "Nope. She never raised it and neither did I...and I get it Doc I do. I ain't that insensitive."

Charles lets the 'Doc' name she uses pass this time. "First thing tomorrow I'll discuss it with her," he nominates himself to be the one. Charles then looks to Logan. "Logan whatever the outcome no-one expects anything from you," he tells his friend. "This is solely about knowing the truth. Something you yourself have been denied for too long."

Chuck has that right. Logan can't deny how much it burns at him how much of his life has been stolen away from him. He needs to know even if he doesn't know what he will do with that knowledge just yet.

* * *

**Boston, Massachusetts...**

Claire wanders her usual patrol route. Right now she is taking a common short-cut of hers through a narrow alley, between a couple of warehouses. It's been a quiet night but there is just something at the fringes of her awareness bothering her. She can't quite place it though. It is like...

Before Claire can complete that thought a couple of trash cans, up ahead against the wall on her left, start to rattle with no sign as to what is causing it. Claire slows her approach to slower, quieter, more cautious steps. That uneasy feeling she has had all night grows steadily with each footstep she takes. She steps up to the trash cans and sees nothing. She lifts the lids off and finds...surprise, surprise, garbage. She lets out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. Probably just her imagination.

"Bonsoir manquer," a cold voice says in French.

Or maybe not her imagination. Claire's head snaps to her right to spot a guy with blond hair at the far end of the alley.

"What he means is hello."

Claire's head snaps 180 to the left to spot a huge, muscled guy, again with blond hair at the other end. They have her pinned in.

Bevatron summons up an electrical charge in his hands. "This is nothing personal. It's business," he states in an even tone.

Claire's eyes narrow as she takes in the French guy. He sends what she can see is an electrical discharge at her. Little does he know she spent months hanging around and training with Berzerker who has virtually identical powers which means she knows all about the limits of electrical attacks. In her hands she still has the two trash can lids...plastic lids. Claire uses one like a shield. The force still knocks it out of her hand but it protected her enough. With the other lid she superheats the air around her hand. The lid starts to melt but it lasts long enough for her to propel it forward with a blast of fire and heated air and give it enough force that when it hits her attacker she can hear the audible 'oof' as the air is knocked from his lungs from here.

Claire then hears a roar behind her and rolls forward just in time to be missed by Beef trying to slam his fist down on top of her. The paving stones shatter under the force. Superstrength and usually that means extremely tough to hurt Claire knows. She uses the momentum from her roll to help her break into a run. The old her would have already lost her temper and turned and fought the guy but she learned a lot from her time at the Institute. This is a terrible place to fight. She needs to move this fight to a ground of her choosing.

Claire runs towards the fallen Bevatron. A new figure moves to block her path. A girl with purple hair and a tail. The girl smirks and transform into some kind of purple panther. "Great," Claire mutters. "Rahne never mentioned anything about having a long lost sister," she grumbles.

The panther roars and gallops toward Claire who surprisingly accelerates towards the cat bearing down on her. The panther leaps to strike only for Claire to throw herself to the right and through a missing window. She lands not as she quite have hoped and bangs her right side when she lands on the floor inside.

Claire ignores the pain and scrambles to her feet. She is inside an old warehouse which is a much better place for her to have this fight. She knows all the short cuts, all the ins and outs through here. This is her world. She doesn't have a clue who these guys are but she will make them sorry they crossed her.

Claire sprints forward only to slide to a halt when confronted by a boy with dark hair. He is clapping slowly.

Hellion just felt the girl needed an applause to have gotten this far. Of course if it had been him out there this charade would already be over. "You know you're kind of cute," he comments at seeing her this close up.

"You're butt ugly," Claire retorts.

Julian frowns. Fine. He tried to be nice but he can be nasty too. He holds his hands out to the side and gestures with his hands. Two half-smashed crates left behind, when this warehouse stopped being used, rise up as he uses his TK to lift them and he hurls them at her.

Claire summons up fire into her hands. She turns to the side and blasts one crate turning it to ash before she smoothly pirouettes and blasts the other one.

Julian's frown becomes deeper. She's just lucky Frost said not to hurt her.

"Two can play this game," Claire tells him as she smartly throws herself behind an old oil drum and as with the trash can lid superheats the air directly behind it sending it flying at the boy.

Julian pretends to yawn before, with a mere gesture of his hand, he brings the metal drum to a stop inches from his face. "Not bad carrot-top...for an inferior specimen," he insults her. "Now let me show you how you throw something," he promises her. He grins savagely as, at his will, he crushes the drum into a metal ball before he draws it back and throws it at the girl hard.

Claire can't get out of the way in time and the ball half-catches her sending her spinning to the floor. At this point the wall is smashed down as Beef makes his own entrance. Behind him come Catseye and Bevatron.

Claire pushes herself to her feet.

"I would stay down if I were you."

Claire looks to her right as a blond girl walks into view, her hips literally swaying in an exaggerated manner.

Roulette smirks. "No-one's luck is that good," she quips.

"I am afraid the cards don't look promising."

Claire looks to her left as a dark haired girl steps forward holding a few tarot cards in her hand as if examining a hand. They have her surrounded. Claire shrugs her coat off her shoulders and starts to spin it in the air above her head.

Hellion scoffs. "And what is that suppose to do?"

"It's suppose to make you look at it," Claire says before with a surge of heat, fire and light the coat ignites with a blinding bright burst of flame. The Hellions all have to close their eyes and by the time they stop seeing spots Claire is gone.

"Dammit!" Julian curses. "You guys are useless!" he insults them.

"Us? Don't leave yourself out Keller!" Bevatron hits back with.

"_Enough!"_ Emma's telepathic commands shoots through their minds with enough force to make a couple of them wince in pain. She was currently outside the warehouse with Bedlam and had sensed this was heading for an argument. Honestly how unprofessional could they get arguing in the middle of a mission. _"The girl is still there, upper level, 20 meters to the north. I suggest you __find her,"_ Emma mentally orders them with cold disdain at their attitude.

The Hellions head off in that direction as Emma looks at Bedlam. "This is not acceptable," she tells him bluntly.

Bedlam shrugs. "Don't blame me. You wanted me here. If I was in there I would be telling them off."

"It's just one girl," Emma argues. "And I wanted to see how they coped without being given commands every second. When we get back they are getting more training. You are all getting more training," she warns him.

"Come out! Come out! Wherever you are!" Roulette singsongs as the Hellions search the warehouse for their target. They had split into pairs and spread out. Tarot was her partner which she was happy with as Tarot was also her closest friend.

"Be careful! Be careful! What you wish for!" Claire singsongs back from an unseen location but she was close. "You know what I love in here is how the floor is made of wood!"

Roulette and Tarot look down and see that is it an elevated **wood **walkway they are on. "Oh shit," Roulette curses as she realises what this means. The unmistakable sound of something catching fire hits their ears. She and Tarot look behind them as the floor becomes ablaze. They both run for it as the fire chases them. The dive into what must have been an office of some kind at one point.

They hear a 'thump' from above them as something or someone lands on the roof.

Roulette and Tarot share a look and know what to do. Roulette fires a black energy disk at the roof which, as bad luck would have it, breaks under Claire's weight. She tumbles down into the room with them. Tarot grabs her favourite card. "Time to give the devil his due," she says cheerfully as the image on the card glows and the energy grows outward until a perfect 7ft psionic representation of the devil figure appears.

Roulette makes a face at the stench. "Ugh. How do you make it that he smells like brimstone?" she wonders.

"It's a gift," Tarot says proudly.

Claire groans as she gets back to her feet. Ok that did not go as planned and now she is facing what appears to be the devil. Luckily she isn't religious. No benevolent god would give her a life that has sucked as spectacularly as hers has. "Is this all ya got?" she goads her foes. "I've been to hell already. It started when I was 3 and it hasn't stopped for the last 14 fucking years!"

"Ooh potty mouth," Tarot chides in a childish manner before she commands her creation, "Get her!"

The devil strides forward towards Claire. "I don't have time for this," she complains as she runs, slides under the devil's legs, is back to her feet and throwing herself out the office window. She throws her hands forward and projects a stream of fire that slows her descent enough to make a reasonable landing. She rolls forward into a crouch before spinning round and throwing fireballs at the supports that hold the office up. The rather decayed supports. She grins as the floor creaks, gives way and the two girls scream as they plummet down to the floor.

Claire cracks a few bones back into place. This is going to hurt in the morning but she has no time to rest. She runs off into the shadows of the building. When the others come she needs to fight them on her terms and not theirs.

As Claire predicted it isn't long Beef, Bevatron, Catseye and Hellion come running. Hellion looks at the two girls groaning in pain amongst the broken pieces of wood rather derisively. These morons are ahead of him in getting picked? Frost is an idiot in his opinion.

"You know I'm really, really pissed now!" Claire's voice echoes from the shadows.

"You and me both honey!" Hellion shouts back.

A flaming object flies at him and Hellion blocks it with his TK.

"Oh but you don't get it jackass! When I'm pissed everything around me burns including your misshapen ass!" Claire's voice echoes from another location.

Julian growls, his temper rising at the insult.

"Where is she?" Beef asks as he looks around and can't see her anywhere.

"Catseye?" Bevatron queries, hoping her senses can help. He could hit her long range if he knew where to aim.

"Too much burning. Her scent is everywhere. Catseye can't see nor smell nor hear," Catseye reports with an animal purr under her tone.

"That's because I am everywhere fire is and everything burns!" Claire strides forward into view, her work in the shadows complete. The Hellions regroup and prepare to face her. Claire bends down to one knee, places her hands on the ground and concentrates. Her hair transforms into fire as she activates the full depth of her power. Fire shoots from her hands across the ground in lines in every direction into the shadows. Burning objects then start to come flying at the Hellions, propelled from where Claire left them.

The Hellions dodge, or block or shoot them down or smash them with their fists in Beef's case but it is achieving what Claire wanted. They are in a small circle with their backs to each other protecting themselves. Claire summons her fire back to directly under her and as she has been propelling objects now she propels herself into the air towards the Hellions.

Claire somersaults head over heels in mid-air and raises her hands which are consumed by blazing fire. She cries out as she lands in the middle of the Hellions and slams her hands down with everything she has. The superheated air explodes, creating a shockwave that sends the Hellions flying in very direction.

Claire is on her knees, breathing hard, sweat pouring down her face in rivers as a ring of fire surrounds her keeping her foes she blasted away back. Her fire form fades away as her hair returns to normal. Claire gasps for air. That's it. She's done. That little stunt pretty much drained her. She then hears footsteps and looks up in the direction they are coming from. A figure walks through her flames untouched by them. It's a woman who looks as if she is made of diamond.

Emma walks up to the drained girl. "Impressive," she remarks with genuine admiration of what the girl has done.

Claire forces herself to her feet despite the fact she can barely stand. "Are you responsible for this?" she demands to know.

"I am," Emma admits.

"Who are you?" Claire growls out.

"Emma Frost...and do I get to know your name since we're making polite conversation?"

"Volcana."

"Very suiting," Emma remarks with an appreciative smile.

"Why?" Claire asks the simple question.

"A test. You see I run a little school for mutants but I only accept the absolute crème de la crème and I needed to see if you were and anyone who can survive a battle with my Hellions for any length of time certainly qualifies."

"A school?"

"Just like the one dear old Charles runs."

That catches Claire's attention. "You know the Professor?"

"Like you I was once a student of his."

"How did..."

"I know that?"

Claire nods. At the very least this talking is buying her time to recuperate.

"We've been watching you for days Volcana and we may have peeked through your belongings."

Claire's face darkens at the idea someone has been touching her stuff. "What do you want?" she growls out.

"To offer you a place at my Academy."

"Why me?"

"You see, Volcana, Charles and I had a slight philosophical disagreement awhile back. In theory his 'lets all live in peace' is a wonderful ideal but not very practical. When I left the Institute I determined to prepare our kind for the day of our inevitable reveal. I would train the best mutants in the world to do whatever it took to protect our kind and ensure their survival. Charles is incapable of doing this and since you are here and not there I'm taking a gamble that you had a similar philosophical disagreement with Charles which I believe answers your question of why you."

Claire finds she can't argue with that. In theory the Professor's ideals are wonderful but she knows better than most the world is cruel and heartless and it crushes ideals like that. Besides she doesn't hold to the X-Men's philosophy. She killed. They don't. She doesn't feel guilty. They would if they ended up killing by accident. She needs to know something first though before she decides anything. "You don't work for Magneto do you?"

Emma smiles. "Ah very direct. I admire that. No. I do not work for Magneto. I am not in this to create a new world order under his tyrannical iron fist. However I am allied with those who work behind the scenes. Influencing a politician here and one there can work wonders in keeping anti-mutant laws off the statute book. In return I use my Hellions to protect my allies' interests. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement I think you'll agree."

"You're just admitting all this?" Claire asks because she doesn't get why this woman would do that.

"I don't lie to my students. That's Charles' department," Emma insinuates that the Professor isn't as benevolent as he appears to be. "Everyone who joins my academy knows precisely what it is I ask of them," she lies because they don't know everything she plans. It's better that way. "Here is my offer Volcana," Emma prepares to lay it out. "You come with me this very evening to my academy and I show you everything. At the end you can come join me or you can leave with no hard feelings. It's your choice. What do you say?"

Claire takes several moments to think on it. Emma seems to be promoting a view of doing what is necessary to protect mutants that she agrees with. To do whatever is needed to be done. She makes her decision. "I say you get one shot at making a sale."

Emma smiles. "Excellent!" she says almost sounding enthused. She then finally allows her diamond form to slip away and to resume her human one. She takes a moment to adjust her cape and dust herself down a little. "Your fire?" she requests to have Volcana lower it.

Claire closes her eyes and quenches the circle of fire until it fades away to nothing.

The Hellions, rather sooty in appearance, close in. Emma turns to face them. "You'll all be glad to know that Volcana has here has agreed to a tour of our fine academy. You'll be especially glad of this considering the defeat she has been inflicting upon you."

Hellion snorts. "She was not defeating us!" he protests, insulted by the accusation.

Emma's eyes narrow. _"Silence Julian!" _she telepathically commands with enough force to make Hellion wince. She will be having stern words with him later about questioning her in front of others. If he even possessed a modicum of intelligence he would realise she said that in an effort to butter Volcana up. She turns her attention back to the red-headed teenager. "Now how about we take a nice trip in my car so you can rest on the trip?" Emma offers.

Claire nods her agreement, still extremely cautious, but in the worse case scenario this is buying her time to recuperate should the woman turn out to be setting her up for something.

"Bedlam!" Emma raises her tone one octave. "Regroup back at the academy. We are done for this evening," she commands.

"Yes Miss Frost," Bedlam replies obediently as he leads the Hellions away back to their transport home.

Claire follows Emma to the road outside the warehouse where a long white limousine is pulling up to the kerb. The driver gets out and opens the door for Emma and Claire.

"This is your car?" Claire queries.

"Oh this little old thing I just use for running about town," Emma downplays it.

Claire's eyebrows rise. The Professor was a rich man too but his car was on the more modest size.

"Come now. In we get," Emma encourages Claire.

Claire steps inside taken a little aback by the space and luxurious fittings of the interior. All in white naturally. Emma steps in and the two of them are soon being driven off through Boston.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Rogue will have to about concede that going out with Jean and Scott hadn't been as bad as she feared. They were just home, after Scott drove them back in his convertible, and were walking from the garage to the mansion. Clark and Scott were a few steps ahead talking while she was left walking with Jean. Rogue had never really talked with Jean about anything beyond school or X-Men stuff and therefore they were walking in silence. For once the silence was bothering Rogue. "So how long do ya think till we live it down?" she suddenly asks Jean.

"Live what down?" Jean wonders.

"Tha embarrassment of those two dancing," Rogue pointing ahead of them.

Jean was up to speed. They had gone out to a club and discovered that Scott and Clark were horrid dancers. "I could always wipe our minds," Jean offers.

"Tempting...but no."

Jean sucks on her lower lip for a moment. Now she and Rogue were talking she wanted to try and keep them talking. "So...uh...how are things with you and Clark?" she asks.

"Fahne."

Right. Rogue is never the most talkative of people. She's nearly as subdued as Logan on that front. Jean keeps going regardless. "It's a little strange you know."

"What is?"

"Clark. Never being able to read his mind and not knowing how he is."

"Ya ask him."

"I do. It's just...strange. It's hard to explain. I can sense him if he's nearby but it's just incomprehensible thought patterns."

Rogue's brow furrows a little. "Ah understand a little bit what ya mean," she admits. "It's strange being able ta touch someone and not have ta worry about draining them."

From ahead of them Clark speaks in a loud voice. "You are aware I can hear you right?"

"Stop evaesdroppin Clark!" Rogue tells him off.

"I'm not! I can't turn my hearing off remember. I can only try and tune things out."

Rogue knew that but still. She looks to Jean who taps a finger to her temple. Rogue nods in agreement to what Jean is asking.

"_Does that get annoying the fact he can hear everything?"_ Jean telepathically asks Rogue.

"_Ah guess someone could ask tha same of Scott about ya,"_ Rogue points out in the sense Jean can, if she so chose to, read everything in Scott's mind.

"_Never thought of that,_" Jean confesses. _"Scott never complains."_

"_Of course not. He loves ya too much. As for Clark's hearing it has its benefits."_

"_What benefits?"_

"_Uh...forget ah said that."_

"_Why?...it involves sex!"_

"_Dang it! Stop readin mah mind!"_

"_I didn't,"_ Jean insists. _"It...just popped to the surface of yours and I'm kind of already in there."_ There is a mental silence for a moment as Jean lets Rogue's quick temper cool off. _"Rogue?"_

"_What?"_

"_You know if you ever want to talk about that kind of thing I know where you're coming from."_

Rogue supposed that was true. Jean was at the same level of her relationship. _"We never discuss __this out loud," _Rogue lays down the condition.

"_You have my word,"_ Jean readily gives it.

"_It's not that weird really. Ah'm pretty certain ya can do something similar with your telepathy. Clark's hearing just allows him ta hear stuff like mah heart-rate, mah breathing, so he kind of knows when he hits a...sensitive spot."_

"_Oh. Yeah I get it. I can sense the same thing from Scott. In fact I can link our minds so he knows what I'm feeling."_

"_And there's imagery ah could do without."_

"_Hey!"_

"_Ah'm kiddin," _Rogue smirks and Jean can hear Rogue's mental laughter.

Jean can certainly remember a time when Rogue would never come close to even appearing to have a sense of humour. She really wasn't like that closed-off girl who was their enemy when they first met any more. Jean had decidedly not liked Rogue then but things change and that has changed for the better. By now they have reached the foyer of the mansion. Jean stops for a moment and gently touches Rogue's arm to stop her and says, out-loud now, "Rogue if you ever need to talk about...stuff I just want to say you can come to me."

"Uh...thanks," Rogue replies caught a little off-guard. "And ah guess if ya need ta talk about...stuff ah can listen."

Jean smiles before a yawn escapes her as the lateness of the hour catches up. "Well I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah." Jean walks off until Rogue stops her. "Jean?"

"Yes Rogue?"

"This was...tonight...ah enjoyed it," she confesses the truth.

Jean smiles in return, seeing this as that moment they missed at the beginning of the summer for her and Rogue to be closer friends. She confesses the truth of her feelings about tonight. "Me too."

* * *

**The Academy of Tomorrow, Massachusetts...**

The Academy of Tomorrow was a very different place to the Institute Claire could see instantly as she stepped out the limo. It had the almost opposite aesthetic. The Institute was literally the Professor's family home and was an old traditional building. The Academy's architecture was decidedly more high-tech. The Academy's main building was around the same size as the Institute itself, built of silver metal, and large glass windows, with a large glass dome in the centre of the building's roof which would during the day let sunlight shine in. A few meters to the west of the main building was another, slightly smaller building, similar in design to the main one. Maybe a gymnasium or something. That's all Claire could think it might be.

It had taken awhile to get here. By Claire's reckoning they were deep into the countryside outside Boston. It was too dark to know precisely where.

By the van that was already here Claire reckons the Hellions, as this Frost woman called them, had gotten back ahead of them.

Emma elegantly steps out of the limo and brushes herself down. "Well now. Here we are," she announces cheerily.

Claire folds her arms across her chest, her expression stern. This night has already cost her a coat. She isn't here to have her time wasted as well. "Lets just get on with it," she states, almost rudely.

Emma lets the attitude wash off her back. She gets worse from Julian on one of his better days. "Very well," she agrees. She then strides purposefully towards the entrance of her school as Claire follows.

As they step inside the entrance hall Claire finds the mutants she fought lined up alongside other teenagers and adults.

"These are my students and fellow instructors," Emma explains. The instructors are of course employees of the Hellfire Club but Emma hand-picked them for their loyalty to her. Inside the Club it was important to have allies in key positions for inside the Inner Circle treachery was the unspoken constant. Emma then proceeds to introduce first the seven mutants Claire has fought tonight before they come to the ones she didn't.

First up is Sooraya Qadir aka Dust. She is a 14-year-old Afghani orphaned girl Emma's contacts found. She is wearing her traditional black robe and veil, leaving only her dark eyes and a part of her nose exposed. Her ability enabled her to become a living sandstorm of deadly force. Claire isn't overly impressed since back when she was Luthor's spayed puppy on his MRD mutant team called Alpha Squad one of her team-mates was the Sandman who basically did the exact same thing.

Next is a 15 year old Spanish boy with brown hair and eyes called Manuel Alfonso Rodrigo de la Rocha aka Empath. He possesses the psionic ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of other sentient life forms. As he greets Claire with a smile she gets a cold shiver up her spine. There is something she sees in those eyes she does not like at all. They're dark and cold.

Next is another girl. Angelica Jones aka Firestar. She is 15 with long, light-red hair, blue eyes, and a slender frame. Her ability enabled her to manipulate microwave radiation, to generate powerful heat-rays from her hands, amongst other things. She is also one of Emma's most prized pupils and Emma had big plans for her.

Claire is finding this a little tedious but she agreed to the tour so she keeps her mouth shut and holds back her complaint. No-one can ever say Claire did not live up to her agreements. The introductions continue.

Next is a 16 year old Moroccan boy with curly black hair called Haroun ibn Sallah al-Rashi aka Jetstream. He can generate thermo-chemical energy and release it from his skin. This energy is accompanied by plasma. So far Jetstream can only release this energy in one direction, beneath him. The equal opposite reaction to this thrust causes his body to be propelled into the air like a human rocket. In Claire's opinion that makes him the poor man's Cannonball and since she almost liked Sam, he was always polite to her and a gent, this guy is automatically way down in her estimation.

Finally Claire hits the Twilight Zone part of the introductions as last are 5 identical girls, dressed in identical blue dresses, all 13, with blond hair and slightly glowing ice blue eyes.

"I didn't know we had fallen into the Village of the Damned," Claire can't help but remark.

Emma smiles slightly. "Yes. That comparison has been made. The girls don't mind that joke do you girls?"

"No Miss Frost," the 5 say as one.

"It's very amusing," one says, in a flat, rather emotionless monotone.

"We find it very funny," another adds in the same monotone.

Claire's skin crawls. That is seriously creepy.

Emma introduces them as Celeste, Mindee, Phoebe, Esme and Sophie aka the Five-in-One, jokingly referred to by the other students as the Stepford Cuckoos. Claire misses that inside joke having never seen the Stepford Wives movie. It is explained that the girls are telepaths and being quintuplets this has resulted in them having a hive mind. They too are amongst Emma's most prized pupils.

After that Claire gets introduced to the instructors. She gives them, what for her passes as, a civil nod of recognition. The tour then begins as Emma escorts Claire around her academy. As they walk through the academy Claire must admit it is very impressive but it is sort of off-putting as well. All shiny, new, modern, slick lines. She preferred the mansion. That was more...homely.

Claire shakes her head. What a stupid thought. It's not home. Not for her. It can't be.

During the tour Emma is...or at least seems to be very honest about what she trains mutants for and what she expects from them. Claire can't deny the thought she had earlier tonight that this was closer in line to her own thinking. What Emma isn't is very revealing about is herself beyond admitting to being a telepath.

The tour reaches its end as they come full circle and stand beside the main entrance.

"So Volcana I have lived up to exactly what I promised and here we are," Emma declares. "Time to choose. Stay and have a vital part in the future of mutantkind or walk out that door and my driver will take you back to where we picked you up."

Claire looks at the door. "I promised to look after those people you know."

Emma cannot for the life of her understand why the girl would choose to look after life's refuse but can see it obviously matters to the girl. "Then help them," Emma says. "Amongst other things I am extremely wealthy. I can see to it they are taken care of."

"That sounds like a bribe," Claire points out.

"Lets call it an incentive shall we."

Claire looks at the blond woman who is very good at masking her true feelings behind a cold expression.

"The choice Volcana remains the same," Emma points out. "Return and spend perhaps the rest of your life protecting those few people or join me and not only will they be helped regardless you can join a bigger world and help protect all of your fellow mutants. The question is who do you see yourself to be and who do you want to be. Here I can help you achieve your true potential. Out there...well lets just put it that the chances of that are slimmer."

Claire looks back at the door and then back to Emma. It's a choice. Not the first one she has had to make. She made a similar one when she first ended up at the Institute to either stay or leave. That choice didn't work out as hoped but this place seems to offer the possibility of it being different this time round. "We'll end up opposing them as some point won't we," she comments upon a notion that struck her before clarifying who 'them is. "The X-Men."

"Well I hope that could be avoided," Emma tries to placate Volcana's concerns.

"The truth," Claire demands.

"But it is a possibility, yes," Emma concedes. "Sometimes our methods will be contrary to the X-Men's although we both want a world safe for mutants. Will this be a problem for you?"

"Don't know yet," Claire says, undecided about how she feels about the possibility of fighting her friends. "May not know until the situation arises but it alone is not enough for me to say no to your offer."

There is silence as Claire tries to make possibly one of the most important decisions of her life.

"Volcana?" Emma queries at the long silence.

Claire draws breath. Time to choose her future. "It's Claire. My name is Claire Selton."

A smile grows on Emma's face at what this reveal might mean. "Claire," she repeats the name. "What is your decision?"

Claire looks to the door for one brief moment and then looks Emma squarely in those cold blue eyes with her orange ones so Emma can see the truth of what she is about to say in them. "I'm in."

* * *

_Author's Note: Claire's in...whoa wait a second. Did I write that? Why yes. Yes I did. It looks like those who bet on Claire turning evil are quids in. I showed all of Emma's students because it allows me to interchange and mix-up the Hellions as I deem fit and Emma will be actively recruiting new members. Just adds to the fun. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. My poll for who gets possessed in Spell is still open. Next up; Domino, Rogue and Logan find out how they're related to each other and how do they cope with that?_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**At the Institute...**

It was early...very early in the morning and Domino is down in the infirmary as Beast pulls a blood sample out of her arm. She wanted to get this over with and begin to learn who she is.

Hank takes his sample and places it safely down on the side as he sticks the plaster on Domino's arm.

"So while we're in each other's company I've got to ask if there's been any progress with the kill-switch in my neck," Dom asks in relation to the control chip Stryker implanted in her neck that is capable of killing her.

Hank's expression is not one that fills her with confidence. When Clark first x-rayed Domino to investigate the chip all those months ago, at the dam at Alkali Lake, he speculated that it could be removed with delicate surgery but when Hank started to examine the device more closely, with proper medical scans, it became clear, fairly quickly, that it would be a much more difficult process. It couldn't be removed without cutting out part of the nerve upon which, as it turned out, it is attached to with microfibres which is a bad idea to put it lightly considering the vital nature of the nerve in question.

From a purely scientific point of view Hank couldn't help but admire it as a sophisticated and advanced piece of technology. Morally and ethically he was outraged. "I am afraid Neena there has not been much progress," he has to regretfully inform her.

Domino knows it must be bad when her proper first name gets used. "Well just don't go praising that asshole we all lovingly call William Stryker and I won't have to go all Jackie Chan on you," she jokily threatens.

"Him personally will never get praise from me I assure you...as I also assure you Domino I won't rest until I find a way to safely remove that chip."

"Thanks...and I really do mean that."

"I know," Hank says with a soft smile. "How are you coping with what you will learn today?"

Domino thinks on it. "Well if Logan is one of my parents it does explain my inexplicable love of crashing on the couch and watching Canadian football while drowning my sorrows in the home of the maple leaf's beer."

Hanks shakes his head in amusement. Domino's unique personality had certainly brightened things up around here.

* * *

A little later that morning up in the Professor's office he is preparing himself for the talk he must have first with Rogue before they begin the tests. He has to know whether this is something she wants to know. The knock on the door signals her arrival. "Come in Rogue," he beckons her.

The door opens and Rogue walks in. The Professor asks her to sit which she does. "Ya wanted ta see meh?" she inquires.

"I did. Yes." The Professor clasps his hands together and places them on his desk. "I was wondering how you have been with the revelation of your creation."

Rogue's eyes widen in surprise for a moment. No-one has really talked about that with her since they discovered it. "Ah...ah'm fahne," she expresses her view on how she feels.

"Rogue. There is no need to hide what you feel," Charles tries to gently encourage her to open up.

"Ah'm...angry ah guess."

"At Stryker?"

Rogue nods to confirm that. "He...it's not just meh. Thanks ta him ah could have a whole family out there somewhere. Others who share mah parentage in some fashion. He used us...wanted ta use us as weapons."

"He has a lot to pay for," Charles expresses his sentiment. "If we can ever trace the others Rogue we will do what we can to help them," he assures her. "However for the moment I want to know how you are feeling. Finding out how you were..._born_ could create a loss of certainty for some people. Take away a pillar you built your life on. Even though you are an orphan I'm certain you thought you had parents somewhere."

"Ah did feel that way at first," Rogue admits. "But Clark said some words ta meh that helped."

"If it is not too personal may I enquire what they were."

"He said that it wasn't important how someone came ta beh. It's only important what they do with tha life they have been given. He...um used himself as an example and pointed out that he could have been grown in a tube lahke ah probably was. Ah mean it has nevah bothered meh he's an alien so it kind of strongly resonated with meh."

Clark. It amazes Charles just how wise Clark can be for someone so young. It also amazes him how strong Rogue is. She had her whole life turned upside-down, learning she had been created as part of an experiment to create the ultimate weapon and here she is getting on with her life.

"Dom helped too," Rogue mentions. "In tha couple of days before we were rescued she was there for meh. Ah mean she knew what ah was goin through since she was created tha same as meh."

"Not precisely the same," Charles amends that which is a good leap off point. "That brings me to why I called you here this morning."

Rogue cocks her head to the side, her eyes looking at the Professor curiously.

"You and Dom were created from DNA samples taken from members of the Weapon X project. While she was created by combining many samples, as best we know, you were only created by combining two."

"Yeah?" Rogue queries, not seeing where the Professor is going with this.

"Rogue we have **the** Weapon X under our roof."

"So? Ah don't see..." Rogue trails off as the epiphany hits her. He can't possibly mean... "Ya think Logan is mah fathah," she says barely at a whisper in complete shock.

"I believe it's a possibility," Charles says in a calm, even tone. "Now he may not," he adds. "This is about finding out the truth Rogue. Nothing more. Nothing less. There are no expectations of you."

"Why now?" Rogue asks. "Why not before now?"

"The equipment needed to do the tests only arrived yesterday."

"Oh," is all Rogue can think of to say to that.

"I understand if you need time to think," the Professor says. "I'll just say that Domino has already agreed to the tests. She wished to know if she could call Logan her sister...and then there might have been some mention of braiding his hair," he adds in a light-hearted voice with a slight playful smile on his lips.

Rogue snorts with laughter at that. That was typical Dom.

"Again I say if you need time..."

"Do it."

Charles is caught out by the abruptness of that. He blinks. "You're sure?"

"Yes. Ah've been lied ta and used practically mah whole life Professor. Ah need ta know tha truth."

"I understand," Charles says and he does. When he and Rogue talk the fact she has been lied and used by others is one of the issue that hurts and defines her the most. "Beast is down in the infirmary. He will take a blood sample to perform the test."

Rogue nods and gets to her feet. She walks to the door, her mind awash with conflicting emotions but one thing she is certain about. One way or another she is determined to know the truth.

* * *

Mid-morning and Cat Grant pulls up in her pink Mini convertible car. So yeah her car might seem to be a little cliché in style...or it would be for anyone who doesn't actually know her. Two things. One she genuinely likes the colour pink and two a Mini is very fuel efficient and she has a budget to live on.

She presses the buzzer at the gates which are opened for her and she drives up to the mansion. She pulls to a stop and gets out. Cat takes a moment to form an opinion on the building before her. Swanky. One day when she is a rich and famous reporter she'll live in a place like this. She rings the bell and waits for it to be opened.

"Can't anyone ever answer the door around here!" Bobby shouts in complaint as he slides to it on one of his ice-slides. He means seriously. With so many people living under one roof you would think someone would answer the door. He hops off his slide and opens the door...and his jaw drops open at the sheer cuteness of the girl standing there. She smiles at him and Bobby feels like he is literally melting on the spot.

"Hi! I'm Cat Grant. I believe Professor Xavier is expecting me."

"Guh," is Bobby's not so elegant reply before he is shoved to the side by Roberto who also happened to be coming to open the door when Bobby beat him to it.

"I'm sorry about him," Roberto apologises. "I'll escort you to the Professor's office," he offers.

"Thanks!"

"No problem," Roberto says as he ushers Cat inside. "I'm Roberto by the way."

Cat gives the handsome Brazilian boy the once-over with her eyes. "Pleasure to meet you." She turns to the blond boy who opened the door. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name," she says with a pleasant tone and a smile to match.

"Me am Bobby," he replies and Roberto closes his eyes momentarily and shakes his head. Gee with eloquence like that Roberto can't possibly imagine why Bobby is single at the moment. He's pretty certain that that was award winning sarcasm.

As soon as Cat is safely escorted to the Professor Bobby has to complain to Roberto, "You just couldn't give me a chance could you."

"What?" Roberto asks, lost at what Bobby is complaining about.

"Don't play stupid," Bobby tells Roberto off.

"The only stupid one around here is you if you suddenly think I'm capable of reading your mind," Roberto insults Bobby. "Not that I can think of any reason why I would want to read your mind even if I could. Not sure there's anything there to read."

Bobby frowns. "Fine!" he snaps in a petulant tone. "You want to me to explain it I will...and I'll use small words for you," he says being deliberate in his implication. "You stole my chance with her."

"That's..." Roberto trails off as he bursts into a fit of laughter. He wipes a tear from his eye. "That's a good one," he says finding it beyond funny that Bobby thought he had a chance with a girl that fine.

Bobby scowls. All the way to the office Roberto was chatting with the girl...or more accurately chatting her up. He knows flirting when he sees it.

"Bobby there's nothing wrong with aiming high but equally you've got to know when someone is out of your league," Roberto says in a patronising manner and even goes as far as to give Bobby a patronising pat on the shoulder. "And that girl is way out of your league."

"We'll see about that," Bobby vows, giving Roberto a sneering look. Roberto may be his friend but the Brazilian is so full of himself that some days you just want to smack him one. This is one of those days.

* * *

In the Professor's office Cat is maintaining a cool air of professionalism whilst on the inside she could barely contain her excitement. She was only the 2nd reporter of any kind to be invited within the walls of the Xavier Institute. She is sitting on the opposite side of the desk from Professor Xavier and to her right sits Clark, pushing his glasses up his nose.

The Professor locks his hands together and places them on his desk while he gives Cat a gentle look over. She had seemed genuine in her offer of simply allowing a forum for people to see the true nature of mutants and while it may only be a school paper it was a place to start. Charles did momentarily think of postponing this for another day considering the parental tests that were being run but that would take most of the day before Hank was done. The meeting with Cat would only take a short time during the morning so he decided it could still go ahead. "Miss Grant. Welcome to my Institute. I'm glad you managed to come," Charles greets the young lady.

"That's no problem Professor. I'm certain this will be the start of a mutually beneficial arrangement," Cat says in reply, trying to sound professional.

"I hope that is the case," the Professor expresses his wish. "Now there must be some ground rules. My students must still be able to retain their privacy," the Professor starts laying down his conditions.

Cat nods in agreement. "Sure. I understand. What this is about is seeing mutants from the human perspective which is why I approached Clark. You know from his point of view what is the typical day to day life of a student in your institute. Now in a perfect world anyone could write that. With the world the way it currently is it will only gain traction if Clark, as a human of the same demographic, writes it."

Charles can see that Miss Grant is a very clever person with a fairly comprehensive understanding of the situation.

Cat continues. "People need to see how humans, Clark and his parents, interact every day with mutants. That way they can see how your vision of us living side by side can work in practice. Now I realise it is only a school paper but like everything else today we are online and available to anyone who wants to read it."

"I'm willing to do this," Clark says. "But I'm not sure how much space you think this will fill up. It is mostly dull day to day stuff everyone in the world does."

"I'm not expecting an article a day Clark," Cat laughs in a friendly manner. "Once a week would be sufficient and I'm certain what any article includes will need a few tweaks before we get the final format down. This isn't a sprint. We can take time to work on it together and get it right. It'll give us a chance to get to know each other," she says, rather looking forward to that idea.

Clark looks uncertain about all of this but he is willing to try. Besides what he found out when he was doing all that investigating into Lionel Luthor from the start of the year onward is that he missed doing that very thing as he and Chloe use to do together. Now she did most of the writing true but Clark can't deny that sometimes there was an urge inside him for him to do the writing...to express how he felt those situations should have been viewed. He deferred to Chloe because, as is his instinct, he didn't want to draw attention to himself.

Now it hardly matters. Being a 'human' living at the mansion he has attention whether he wants it or not. He might as well try to use that for something positive.

There is a little more chat between the 3 to agree ground rules but essentially they have an agreement. Cat gets the offer of being shown around the mansion but before that she is asked to leave the room so Clark and the Professor can have final words in private.

"You are certain you wish to do this Clark?" Charles asks one last time.

Clark nods. "Yes. I mean I realise there will be events and secrets that can never be written about and I think it best to allow the others to see anything I write first and make any objections they want but I'm pretty positive we can make this work for our benefit Professor."

"I agree."

"Although the irony of me writing something from a 'human' perspective is staggering," Clark says wryly due to the fact he is the one person who is most definitely not human.

Charles chuckles. "Clark you want a truth. For all your powers and unique origin you are the most _human_ person I know."

* * *

**Academy of Tomorrow...**

That morning Claire had taken the opportunity to familiarise herself more with the layout of her new home, especially the ways to escape just in case. They don't have her complete trust yet.

Her few personal belongings had been collected and brought to her new room and Claire guessed the lingering uncomfortable feeling she still had would pass as she got use to her new surroundings. Still she doubts it will ever feel as...homely as the Institute had.

Claire turns a corner and almost walks into Emma dressed in what Claire thinks must pass for casual for her. Relatively modest top, skirt, jacket, all in white naturally, and if Claire is any judge probably incredibly expensive.

"Settling in alright?" Emma asks.

Claire's orange eyes shift slightly from side to side. "I guess. Like anything new it's all just...new." _'God that was lame,'_ she thinks to herself.

Emma holds back the 17 cutting remarks she could reel off and would if she wasn't trying to woo this girl completely to her side. "Follow me," Emma says. "I have something I wish you to see."

Claire follows Emma and can't help but note how elegantly the woman holds herself and walks. That can't be natural.

"It took years of training. I assure you," Emma says.

Claire's brow furrows in confusion. "Huh?"

"Telepath dear," Emma reminds her. "You're thinking very loud."

"Oh," Claire forgot. "Uh...sorry. I'm out of practice," she gives as the explanation because one of the classes taught at the Institute was psychic defence but she had lost the habit of hiding her thoughts since leaving.

"Think nothing of it," Emma assures her. "We'll soon have that corrected," Emma promises and as she works to correct it she can also work on finding away round Xavier's blocks. All Emma can read off the girl currently are her surface thoughts. It's the deeper memories she needs to reach.

Claire follows Emma into that building off to the side she had noticed last night. Once inside she finds herself in an observation booth looking down at the other students in training. "It's a Danger Room," Claire realises. It was almost identical right down to the holographic constructs.

Emma chuckles lightly. "They're still calling it that?" she inquires.

Claire nods.

"Tell me does Logan still spend his days thinking up sadistic runs to put the students through?"

"You really were a student," Claire concludes from the remark about Logan's sadistic tendencies.

"I'll take that as a yes. How is the old man?"

"Rude, grumpy, ill-mannered, short-tempered, smokes too much, drinks too much..."

"Just the same then," Emma draws the conclusion.

Claire spends some time watching the training session. Her brow furrows when the girl...Firestar Claire thinks the name is takes to the air. "How does she fly?" she is curious to know as while Claire controls fire Firestar in essence controls heat. There are similarities.

"The microwaves she generates can be focussed to heat up the air creating thermal up-drafts capable of lifting her," Emma explains.

"Shouldn't I be able to do something like that?"

"Yes. You should. Which is why it is a boon for both us you decided to stay. I will help you explore your powers to their full potential. Charles' teaching techniques are obviously lacking," Emma says with a little enjoyment at putting Charles down.

Claire wonders if Amara could do that too. Oh how she misses Amara. Her gaze drifts back to the others and a thought occurs to her. "Am I going to have get one of those outfits they wear?" she asks in reference to the frankly hideous, in her opinion, red and black outfits the Hellions are wearing.

Emma could make many, many comments about the girl's lack of fashion sense but again she bites her tongue. "It is not beyond discussion to allow you to perhaps wear something different," Emma offers a concession, again all to make the girl more comfortable until Emma can get what she wants from her.

Claire hopes so about the outfits because...yeesh. She would rather let Kitty pick her outfits than have to wear that. Not even the New Mutants uniforms were that bad.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Clark is just seeing Cat off after finishing her tour. She seemed, unlike a lot of people, extremely opened minded about mutants and seemed to make a connection to just about everyone. She spent a good 20 minutes swapping fashion tips with Kitty alone along with joking about having near identical names although Kitty spells her with a K while Cat spells her with a C. There was also a few quips about them being cat lovers in reference to their respective nicknames.

Cat smiles at Clark as she steps back into her car. "Well Clark I'll see you Monday and we can continue to discuss what should be included in your first article."

"Sure. I look forward to it."

"As do I," she says in an almost sultry tone. She starts up the engine. "Bye Clark. Tell Roberto I'll meet him at 7!" she says as she drives off.

"Huh?" Clark queries at the last bit. He turns to find Roberto standing behind him waving Cat off. "You have a date with her tonight?" he asks at the only conclusion possible about what Cat meant.

Roberto grins. "What can I say? Ladies love the Sunspot!" he says with his usual cockiness. He then checks his watch. "Now if you'll excuse me Clark I only have 7 hours to get ready." Roberto then turns and heads inside.

Only 7 hours? Clark shakes his head. If his life wasn't complex enough. He walks into the mansion and heads off to find Rogue. He really wished he could have spent more time with her this morning considering what is going to happen today.

Clark is about to slip into superspeed when he finds Bobby leaning against the wall with this kind of far away dreamy gaze. He waves his hand in front of Bobby's face and gets nothing. He snaps his fingers. "Krypton to Bobby," he says.

Bobby blinks. "Oh hey Clark. What...wait. Did you say Krypton to Bobby?"

Clark shrugs with a goofy grin. "Makes more sense coming from me."

Bobby guesses so. "So what is it?"

"That's my question. You were pretty far away there."

"I was just thinking about tomorrow."

"What about tomorrow?"

"Lunch date with the delectable Cat Grant," Bobby says with a cocky grin of his own.

"You have a date with Cat?" Clark asks, unable to believe he is hearing this.

"Yep!" Bobby cheerfully confirms. "Now Roberto can eat his words!" he promises, loving the idea of sticking it to the Brazilian boy, not knowing Roberto too has a date with Cat Grant.

Clark then watches Bobby walk off wondering where was he when all this was going on and how did he miss it. Possibly when he went to the kitchen to get some refreshments. So to summarise, his 'partner' at the school paper has dates with two of his friends. "I should have stayed brainwashed," he mutters with a shake of his head.

* * *

It takes most of the day and the sun is nearing setting by the time Hank finishes the tests. The Professor calls the involved parties together to his office. Logan is leaning up against the wall, a picture of frustration because simply this wasn't anything he had ever been prepared to deal with and he didn't know how to deal with it.

Domino had spent her day distracting herself with cleaning her gun collection. She may use the non-lethal stun weapons Forge created for official missions and stuff but she likes guns and had started a collection now that she had a permanent place to live. As agreed with the Professor they were never loaded and always locked away securely. For Dom she saw this parental test as another piece of the puzzle that is rebuilding her life after Stryker destroyed it.

Rogue had reacted in her fairly typical way. She had retreated inward and brooded. Clark kept her company all day as much as he could but really what is she suppose to think. All she knows for certain is that she has to know the truth.

"Hank in your own time," the Professor tells him.

Hank adjusts the glasses on his face and reads the papers on the clipboard, he is holding, over once more. "Yes well I closely examined the readouts and the comparison of the genetic strands..."

"Just get on with it!" Domino snaps, her anxiousness, which she had been hiding behind her humour, bursting through to the surface.

Hank knows he is stalling. "Very well. I'll start with Domino. First off I've still not been able to precisely narrow down how many genetic parents you have. As we speculated it is several...and it does include Logan," he reveals.

"Cool," Domino says. "So is he my sister? Does that mean we can have slumber parties and braid each other's hair?"

There is a low growl from Logan at that.

Hank has to let the chuckle out first from Dom's joke. "Cousin," Hank corrects. "Genetically you are cousins...or I think that is the term we are all most comfortable with."

"And meh?" Rogue asks. "What about meh?" Clark standing next to her takes her hand and squeezes it gently. Rogue had wanted him here for this.

Hank flicks over a page. He'll just get straight to it this time. "Logan is your father."

Rogue's head snaps round to look at Logan whose eyes have gone wide in shock. In the next instant he is out the room and gone. Hurt passes over Rogue's face. Clark can sense her losing the strength to stand. He lowers her into a chair as her legs give out and her eyes mist up with moisture.

"Perhaps we should give them some time alone," Charles suggests to Hank who nods in agreement as the two leave.

Domino moves and places a hand on Rogue's shoulder. "Hey sis," she says in a soft, warm tone.

Rogue gives her a watery smiles. "Ah guess we really are...sort of."

"And we have at least 4 brothers for certain," Dom points out in reference to her old comrades in Beta Squad; Ramrod, Hairbag, Slab and Gorgeous George. "And who knows how many others there are out there that Stryker created," she adds.

"Is that suppose ta help?" Rogue asks, because she isn't seeing how at the minute that the fact she has who knows how many 'siblings' out there helps her deal with this.

"Yes," Clark answers for Domino. "Because it means you do have family. You are not alone."

"And if they're evil?"

"Uh...they're still your family and you'll just have to beat some sense into them...in your case that's a literal beating," Clark jests.

Rogue smiles some more and then it falters. "Logan doesn't seem to be handling it well."

"I'll go talk to him," Domino vows giving Rogue a reassuring pat on the shoulder before chasing after Logan.

That leaves Rogue alone with her boyfriend. She sniffles a little and Clark hands her a tissue from his pocket for her to blow her nose.

"Try not to be angry at Logan," Clark says in a gentle tone. "You know what he's like and that he's not really good with his emotions. He just needs some time."

"Don't we both. Gawd Clark he's mah fathah," Rogue says it out-loud as if trying to make it sink in.

"I know," he says with a sense of dread. "I am so dead."

"Huh?"

"He knows I'm sleeping with his little girl...and those claws of his can hurt me you know.

Rogue giggles with laughter at Clark's expression of mock terror. "Don't worry sugah. Ah'll protect ya," she promises.

"I'm holding you to that," he says with a slight smile that Rogue seems to be ok. He kisses her on the temple. "This changes nothing," he assures her. "Just like I said in the woods after we rescued you. I still love you regardless...although this does explain where you get your temper from."

Rogue slaps him on the arm with a trademark eye roll thrown in for good measure. "Ah keep tellin' ya Space Boy. Ya ain't that funny!"

Clark smirks and gives her another kiss, this time on the lips before he wraps his arms around her.

Rogue rests her head on his shoulder, closes her eyes and lets Clark comfort her. She likes how safe and loved she feels in his arms. Thanks to her powers it is a feeling only Clark can convey to her. "What am ah suppose ta do now?" she asks him, having no answer herself.

"Whatever you want. Nothing has to change if you don't want it to. Logan may be biologically your father but I'm in a good position to tell you that biology does not define who we call a parent nor does who your father is define you."

"Ah'll need ta talk at him at some point," Rogue knows.

"Yes but only when you're both ready and it is up to you what kind of relationship you have. I'm certain those father/daughter fishing trips aren't mandatory."

Rogue snorts with laughter at the idea of her and Logan going fishing. Good God they'd be arrested inside 5 minutes...and that would be just for trying to kill each other. Never mind what they would do to the fish.

"On the plus side for you Logan is probably less stubborn than Jor-El."

"That's sayin something."

"Tell me about it." Clark gently smooths her hair down with his hand. "But in the end you know that underneath all the gruff bluster he is a good and honourable man...which isn't a bad thing to say about your father."

Rogue closes her eyes and just lets Clark's warmth infuse into her. She is silently agreeing with what he is saying.

"Will you be ok?" he asks her.

"Yeah. Just...just hold meh," she asks of him.

"I'm not going anywhere Anna," he promises her as he holds her close.

* * *

It doesn't take much detective work on Domino's part to track Logan down. Just go where the beer is. Garage. Locker on the top right. Dom found his latest hiding spot days ago. As she gets there he is just using his claws to pop the top of a bottle. She gets an unfriendly glare the second he spots her. "Don't want to hear it Jinx."

Domino arches an eyebrow. "Jinx? That your nickname for me? Aw. You do care," she teases, implying Logan's nicknames for people is a sign of endearment.

"No. You are just bad luck."

"You could have just called me Black Cat or something," she suggests using the link between bad luck and black cats

"Sorry. Someone beat you to that name."

"Really? Damn," she curses. "I should have trademarked it!" She then leans past him and grabs herself a bottle of beer, smirking when Logan growls. "Now don't blame me. My love of the stuff has now been scientifically proven to come from you."

Logan closes his eyes and sighs.

Domino pops the top of her beer and takes a swig before she decides to be a little more contrite sounding. "Look Logan I know I tease you but really do you think this is any easier for either me or Rogue than it is for you. Not one of us wants to be in this spot but here we are. Refusing to deal with it isn't an option."

Logan opens his eyes and looks at her. "Silver Fox," he says.

Domino's brow furrows. "Excuse me?"

"Do you remember back at the dam Deadpool's ramblings?"

Domino thinks back and recalls Deadpool listing off a few names of people who were members of Weapon X. One he mentioned was Silver Fox. "Yeah I remember."

"When he said it I got a flash of memory of a woman. I think it was her."

"And what does this have to do with the price of bread?"

"Your eyes. You have her eyes," Logan explains that Domino's blue eyes are exactly the same shade of blue as the woman he believes is Silver Fox.

"Neat," Dom remarks. "Do you think she is still alive?"

"Honestly haven't a clue," Logan confesses. "And the kind of work she must have done to be there means there probably isn't a paper trail to follow," he rules out any possibility of hunting her down.

Dom throws back another gulp of beer and she contemplates all this. It raised as many questions as it answered. "Oh god," she suddenly says.

"What?"

"I just realised. Deadpool said he was part of it too which means...he...might...be...part of me!" she says with growing horror. The thought that that lunatic's DNA is part of her...her hand goes over her mouth. "I just threw up a little in my mouth," she says with complete revulsion at the idea that struck her.

Logan smirks and sips on his beer. Maybe this whole thing won't be so bad after all.

* * *

Later that night Logan is still drinking as he sits in the lounge mindlessly watching the tv. He and Dom were...probably still what they had been to each other before today. She still annoyed the hell out of him and he still regretted the fact they let her stay. As for Rogue...Logan still hadn't resolved how to deal with that. Dom is one thing and her being his cousin he can live with by imagining she is his distant, distant, distant cousin but Rogue is his literal daughter and that is a whole other kettle of fish.

Logan sniffs the air as a scent approaches and in walks Jonathan who grabs a beer off the table and sits down next to him.

"Don't want to talk about it," Logan says in a gruff tone, assuming what Jonathan is here for. By now, knowing this place, everyone knew everything about it.

"I'm not here to talk about it. I just want to sit with a beer and watch the telly," Jonathan responds.

Logan glances at the blond man for a moment and sees he seems to be being genuine.

"Martha wanted me to talk to you about it," Jonathan says. "But I told her that sometimes you just have to let things be."

"How did she take that?"

"Why do you think I'm here and not in bed?" Jonathan asks rhetorically.

Logan snorts a little with laughter. Martha must have kicked him out.

"Not funny," Jonathan chides Logan with a scowl.

"It kinda is Jon-Boy," Logan says and considering the day he has been having he'll take any small pleasure he can get.

Jonathan takes a swig of his beer. "You know she's still mad at me for making a deal with Jor-El," he mentions because Martha was a long way from letting that one go.

"That I get."

"I had to do it," Jonathan says sounding a little overly defensive. "There was no other way to get Clark back. After all isn't that what you do for someone you love? You do anything it takes to protect them."

Logan could get that he supposes. He would do whatever it took to protect the kids.

"Has Ororo been trying to talk to you about it?" Jonathan asks. "I know she and Martha were conspiring earlier."

Logan grunts. "I've been avoiding Ro for that very reason," he says because he knows she would want them to sit down and share their feelings. Honestly Logan would rather fight Sabretooth.

Jonathan takes a long drink from his beer and watches the tv with Logan in silence. He then says, "You know it's funny how things don't really change."

Logan eyes Jonathan suspiciously. "In what way?"

"That from my time here I've noticed one thing. In most ways that matter you are already Rogue's father."

Logan turns his head and looks at Jonathan completely baffled by that. "Say what?"

"I've seen you with her. You'd do anything to protect her. You're always there for her and in your own way you give her what she needs in terms of understanding."

"She spends her life arguing with me and trying to undermine me."

"Well she is a teenager," Jonathan says with a quirk on his lips. "But that doesn't diminish the point. It means in reality your relationship doesn't need to change much beyond a recognition that you are father and daughter. Where you go from that...well you will have to do that thing you don't like doing and talk with her."

Logan frowns at that idea. He has no idea what to say to Rogue really. Weapon X ruined his life and even now, 16 years later, he can't escape their legacy. Logan swears if he ever gets his hands on Stryker he will make him pay.

* * *

Early the next morning Scott is looking for Clark. They need to talk about whether he is rejoining the X-Men or not. Being Sunday most other people weren't up but Scott has always been an early riser. It takes a little searching but he finds Clark down in the lower levels in the lab room where he wrote all the Kryptonian script.

Scott opens the door to find Clark sitting on the table in the middle of the room cross-legged as if in deep thought. It is only when Scott looks twice he notices Clark's form is bobbing up and down a little and that Clark is actually hovering a couple of inches off the table.

"Are you meaning to be doing that?" Scott asks.

Clark turns his head in Scott's direction. "Hmm? What?"

"You're floating," Scott says, pointing at the gap beneath Clark.

Clark shrugs. "It happens...mostly when I don't want it to...and as for flying..." Clark makes a face. "Well you were there for my last attempt. Trust me it's not got any better," he says sadly with a bit of frustration mixed in. His last attempt was as bad as his 1st attempt. He would just fly wildly like a missile without any sort of control. Sam had better control than him and that was saying something. Clark's lack of control was dangerous if anything because he can survive any sort of impact. A person could not survive an impact with him.

"How's Rogue doing?" Scott asks, curious. He could imagine it was a difficult revelation to absorb that Logan of all people is her father. Scott himself was still trying to come to terms with what it meant.

"Surprisingly well actually. I mean she hasn't come to total terms with it or what it means for how she is suppose to relate with Logan but knowing the truth is important to her. However I get the feeling that you aren't here to talk about Rogue are you?"

Scott shakes his head and sits himself down on the table next to Clark. "So what are you doing down here so early?" Scott asks first off.

"Just thinking mostly. Trying to understand all of this," Clark answers, gesturing at the surrounding boards. "I have time. Rogue enjoys a lie-in on a Sunday and I really don't sleep much anyway."

Scott's brow draws slightly closer together. "How long have you been up?"

"Never went to sleep actually," Clark confesses. "Wasn't in the mood."

"You can do that?"

"Scott I never slept once in the 3 months Jor-El had me captive. It seems I can go without it...although I prefer to get a couple of hours in. It helps clear my mind. As I said I just wasn't in the mood last night."

That's incredible Scott has to say. Anyway he thinks he better get onto why he really wants to speak to Clark. "I want to talk to you about the team."

"What about it?"

"Are you still a part of it?"

Clark looks at Scott, confusion clearly written in his expressive cerulean blue eyes. "Officially you know I can't."

"Yes officially the Blur is only an ally," Scott repeats the official line. "But you haven't trained with us since you got back."

"Scott...I'm busy," Clark argues. "I-I have a lot on my plate."

Scott nods in concession. "True...but as I recall we all agreed to help with this," he says gesturing at the boards. They all agreed to help Clark do the research and find the stones.

"I appreciate that Scott but I'm still feel like I'm being pulled in a hundred different directions some days."

Ok this Scott gets. He is leader after all and that does put burdens on his time. "You're struggling with the balance."

Clark nods.

"I understand...but we're a team Clark. We need you."

"No you don't," is Clark's instant rebuttal. "You got on fine without me before I got here. You'll get on fine without me now." In other words Clark is edging towards that a sacrifice might have to be made for him to balance his life and that it might just have to be the X-Men because as he said they don't need him.

"We managed and coped yes," Scott agrees and he is proud of the X-Men for every victory they have had. "But what is the point of a team Clark?"

Clark remains silent as he doesn't quite know what response Scott is looking for.

Scott answers his own question. "A team is about bringing different individuals with different skills and abilities together to achieve things they never could alone. You bring abilities we use to lack. Before you arrived we didn't have anyone who could match Quicksilver's speed or Blob's strength for example. Now before you mention Roberto, yes he is superstrong but he still doesn't have your level of control and his powers have limitations." Roberto's powers only work in direct sunlight.

"To be fair Scott last time I checked Mr McCoy said that eventually Roberto will absorb enough sunlight for his powers to work at any time," Clark says. In some ways Roberto was not unlike Clark in the sense it seemed Roberto's powers would increase over time just as Clark's do.

"That's years away," Scott points out having seen that very same evaluation Beast made of Roberto's power development. "Look the bottom line Clark is you don't think you can juggle everything in your life at the moment. Even though it is clichéd as hell can I say that is what friends are for, to help each other."

Clark chuckles and shakes his head.

"What?" Scott asks, puzzled by what is so funny.

"It is just I could imagine Jean making this speech but not you. I'll go with that she's been a good influence on you."

Scott smiles. "I would go with that too," he agrees with Clark about Jean's influence on him. "By the way I think she would like to do that double date thing again."

"I'll think on it but Rogue gets the final say," Clark explains.

"You're whipped," Scott comments with a smirk.

"Like you're not?" Clark retorts.

Scott cocks his head to the side before nodding in concession. Jean can pretty much get him to do anything for her.

The two teens then share a laugh at the fact of how whipped they both are.

"I did enjoy it," Clark admits to their night out on Friday.

"Me too," Scott says.

"I don't even need to ask how it's going with you and Jean because it is easy to see when you two are together how well you two are."

"Could say the same of you and Rogue," Scott comments. "So back on topic. Training?"

"I'll be there for this afternoon's session," Clark decides. It wouldn't be right just to leave them in the lurch. Like Scott said friends should be there for each other. Besides he still has a lot to learn about his powers...especially the newer ones.

"And we'll help you with all this," Scott promises in return gesturing at the boards around them.

"Thank you," Clark says sincerely. It is really nice to have friends like these Clark thinks to himself. If he was still back in Smallville god knows how he would have managed. Fair chance is he would still be under Jor-El's control.

"So breakfast?" Scott suggests, as he notices the time.

"Sure," Clark says.

"By the way you do know you are still floating right?"

"I noticed...but it's really a subconscious thing at the moment." Clark takes a moment to will himself to lower down onto the table. His brow furrows but eventually his body responds and he comes to rest on the table top. He and Scott then hop down and start to head back up to the mansion.

"So I'm curious," Clark says.

"About?" Scott asks.

"Have you always been attracted to Jean? Has there been anyone else?" he asks, because he doesn't think he has ever asked Scott that.

"Yes and yes," Scott answers the questions. "The 1st day I saw Jean I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen...but as you may have noticed she didn't always return the affection."

"And the someone else?"

"It was never serious. It was before you came and she isn't here any longer. I also tried dating a couple of other girls at school but it never got past a couple of dates with any of them." Scott can admit to himself that was because he was too hung up on Jean. "And what about you? I know of Lana and Chloe. Anyone else?"

"There was another girl; Kyla. It...she died."

Scott can hear the pain in Clark's voice and decides not to ask for details. "I'm sorry," is all he says.

"Thanks," Clark says in a flat, emotionless tone. They reach the elevator and wait for it.

"So...who gave you your first kiss?" Scott asks. They were talking about relationships and it seems a good question.

Clark smiles at that one. "Chloe."

"Really?"

Clark breaks into a wide grin. "She had just moved to Smallville and I was showing her around the farm when out of the blue she laid one on me explaining she did it to get it out of the way so we could be friends."

Scott struggles for a response. "That's...uh..."

"Chloe. That's Chloe," Clark gives as the only explanation he can give. "What about you? Who was your first kiss?"

The elevator doors open and Clark and Scott walk in. Scott chuckles a little at the memory and his eyes get this faraway look as he recalls his first kiss. "That...that was that girl I mentioned that is no longer here."

"What was her name?"

"Her name was Emma Frost," Scott replies just as the elevator doors close.

* * *

That afternoon the X-Men gather in the Danger Room for their training session. Storm and Domino were already there waiting for them. Logan had excused himself out of doing it today.

Domino steps up next to Rogue. "You up for this?" she asks the younger girl, worried Rogue might be distracted.

"Ah feel lahke ah need something ta do," Rogue explains her feelings. She and Logan hadn't talked yet and Rogue wasn't sure what to say. For once the distraction of a Danger Room session was almost a relief.

Domino smiles in sympathetic understanding. "Alright," she agrees. "But if I think your mind isn't here and your putting yourself in danger I'm pulling you out regardless how much you cuss me," she says light-heartedly.

Everyone, bar Scott, is surprised when Clark walks in in his blue costume with the long crimson red coat and crimson boots.

"Hey guys," Clark greets them.

"Dude. You're back," Kurt says, happy to see his friend has rejoined them.

"Yeah. Sorry I've been away. I've had a lot on my mind," Clark apologises and explains.

"That's ok Clark," Jean says, in her normal sympathetic manner.

Domino looks at him with what Clark would call a worrying smile on her face. "Finally. I get to work you over...and that came out sounding wrong didn't it?" she asks, looking to Storm.

"I believe there was a superior choice of phrasing, yes," Storm says, being diplomatic.

"Like totally," Kitty giggles. "The only one who gets to _work _Clark over is Rogue."

Both Rogue and Clark look panic stricken for a moment. Kitty can't have...she can't know they were sleeping together. They had been careful to keep it secret knowing the teasing they would get if it was known.

Evan makes a face. "Seriously Kitty. I don't need images like that in my head," he complains.

"Oh grow up Evan. It was a joke," Kitty says and both Clark and Rogue let out simultaneous sighs of relief at the fact Kitty is only making a joke.

"Alright. I'll try this," Dom says trying to come up with a superior phrasing. "Put your faith in the Lord but your ass belongs to me Kent," she promises, trying to put the fear of God into him.

Clark arches an eyebrow and folds his arms across his chest. "You're trying to intimidate me by quoting from the Shawshank Redemption, really?"

"I love zhat movie," Kurt says.

Domino's face falls and she covers her eyes with her hand. She shakes her head a little before looking up at Rogue. "This is your doing. You're a bad influence," she accuses Rogue of where Clark gets the talking back from.

Rogue smiles. "Yeah. Ah'm so proud. Maybe ah should start teaching a class," she idly mentions.

"God I hope not," Scott mutters. Domino and Rogue were bad enough as is. He doesn't need them spreading their rebellious sarcastic natures to others.

Rogue takes a moment to notice something about Clark. He is still in his 'old' X-Men uniform. "Ah thought ya said ya were goin ta get a new costume," she remembers him saying.

Clark brow draws together slightly. "Mom and I are still...debating the finer details," he phrases it as.

"Can't agree huh?" Kitty assumes.

"Not precisely, no."

"Well as fascinating at that is," Domino says sarcastically. "Can we get started?"

Storm agrees. Time to get to business. "Pay attention students. This is today's objective..."

* * *

That evening Rogue is in her room sitting in her chair by the window reading one of her novels. She had retreated here most of the last 2 days just to avoid other people, Kitty and Jean mostly, because no doubt they would want to talk about it. It being the fact Logan is her father. Rogue didn't want to talk about it. She preferred to sit here alone and brood.

There is a knock on her door. She checks her watch. Too early to be Clark sneaking along. "Who is it?"

"It's me."

Logan?

Surprise etches into Rogue's features as she marks her place in her book before she gets up, walks over and opens the door. It is immediately as clear as day that Logan looks uncomfortable as he fidgets on the spot. Not to mention the stronger than usual smell of alcohol which permeates from him. He must have drunk a lot probably trying to work up the courage to come here. Rogue takes a moment, her fingers playing with her white bangs in her automatic nervous habit. "Do ya...do ya want ta come in?" she asks him, summoning up the courage because there can only be one reason for him to be here.

Logan shakes his head. "No. Look Stripes I don't know what to say about this...this situation between you and me. Whatever you want...however you want to do this I can live with."

Rogue sighs. "Technically mah legal guardian is this woman ah can barely remember. She left meh with Irene and ah can't remember her evah returning."

Logan knows, like him, Rogue doesn't like to talk about the past much. "I'm not suggesting legally becoming your father...unless that is what ya want?" Logan queries Rogue.

Rogue snorts with laughter. "Hell no! Ah would nevah live that down."

"Funny," Logan says dryly. "You've been hanging around Space Boy too much," he comments.

"Look Logan," Rogue says more seriously. Now that he is here she might as well express the conclusion she has reached about how things should be between them. "For now ah don't know what ah want either beyond ah don't see any reason things have ta beh different between us. Can't we just carry on as we were and figure it out as we go along."

"Sure kid," Logan agrees, speaking in a softly spoken voice.

"Don't call meh kid," Rogue admonishes him with a scowl. She hates that.

"You said you didn't want things to change," he reminds her with a little smirk. "By the way that means I won't be going any easier on ya in training."

"And ah won't beh giving ya respect or stop questioning ya," Rogue retorts.

"As long as we're clear."

"Lahke mud," she jokes.

"I'll see ya at training bright and early in the morning," Logan promises and takes a step to leave but then stops. "Oh one more thing. I will be having a_ fatherly_ chat with that boyfriend of yours," he tells her.

Rogue's face darkens. "Don't ya dare Logan," she warns him off doing what she is imagining he is thinking of doing.

"Night Stripes," he says with a smirk as he walks off.

"Logan!" Rogue yells after him. "Don't ya think about it Logan! Cause if ya do then...ah'm nevah evah callin' ya dad!" she vows.

"I can live with that!" Logan shouts back.

Rogue screams in frustration. "Jackass!"

"Language!" he chides her.

"Ah hate ya!"

"What's new?" he shouts back. He's heard that many times before.

Rogue's face screws up in anger. She turns round back into her room and slams the door shut. She has got to get Beast to redo those tests. There is no way Logan's her father! She will not accept being related to that obstinate, infuriating, fathead!

* * *

**Academy of Tomorrow...**

Emma watches her students relaxing in the common area on their night off. Volcana sticks to the edge not quite participating but that's to be expected. Emma will make sure Claire feels welcome and in time the girl will relax, let her guard down and it will be all the easier to break into her mind and learn all those little secrets she keeps.

Emma checks the extremely expensive watch on her wrist. It is almost time to check in. She turns elegantly on her heels and starts to walk towards her office. She turns a corner and almost runs into Hellion who is obviously waiting for her she can gather from his stance. "Something on your mind Julian?"

An annoyed furrow puckers Julian's brow and his eyes gleam with antagonism. "Was it necessary to humiliate me in front of the rookie?"

Emma rolls her eyes. He is still upset about her chastisement of him. "Julian," she says in a very serious tone. "How I operate here is not for you to question especially in front of others," she emphasises by raising the timber of her voice. "Now I'm not going to waste time explaining the obvious as to why I did what I did," she says in a very condescending manner. "Lets leave it as a puzzle for you to solve but let me spell out something in crystal clarity. You continue to undermine and question me and you will spend the rest of your life thinking you are a 5 year old girl," she threatens him.

"You wouldn't dare!" Julian rages. She wouldn't dare do that to him. Not to him!

Emma arches one perfectly maintained blond eyebrow. "I would have the Cuckoos do your hair," she promises him in a flat, even tone.

That idea seems to knock some of the bluster out of Julian.

"Better," Emma says at his silence. "Now why don't you go join the others and enjoy your night off hmm?"

"Yes Miss Frost," Julian replies more contritely although on the inside he is steaming at the fact someone as important and powerful as him can be talked to like this but he knows Miss Frost can easily do what she threatens.

Emma watches Julian leave before resuming her journey to her office.

Julian walks round the corner to be met by the 5 Stepford Cuckoos. "Hello Julian," the 5 say as one in their flat monotone.

Julian looks at them warily. "Um...hi."

"We heard what Miss Frost said," one of the girls says. Julian never took the effort to try and figure out how to tell them apart so he doesn't know who it is.

The 5 start to grin with a sinister evil gleam in their eyes. "We're really looking forward to the day you are our own life-sized dress-up doll," another of the girls said.

"We have this lovely pink dress all picked out," yet another one tells him.

Julian gulps. "I've...uh...got to go!" he says hastily as he virtually runs away from them.

"See you soon Julian!" the 5 girls promise in a creepy tone.

Evil. That's what those girls are in Julian's opinion. Pure, distilled evil.

* * *

In her office Emma sits down in her chair with a glass of expensive white wine and activates the monitor on her desk which is a video link to the Black King; Sebastian Shaw.

"Emma," Shaw says as a way of greeting.

"Sebastian," Emma greets him back.

"Progress?" he asks for an update.

"The girl was one of Xavier's I can confirm but there are blocks in her mind. That will take time to either break through or get the girl to trust me enough to open up."

"I see," Shaw says in a non-committal fashion as to not express his opinion on that.

"She is very powerful. She will be useful," Emma reports her initial assessment.

"For your sake Emma I hope so," Shaw warns. Failure is never accepted in the Inner Circle. "I expect regular updates," he commands.

"Of course my King."

"What's her name?" Shaw asks out of idle curiosity.

"Selton. Claire Selton. Codename; Volcana."

"Get her ready. I'll have another mission for you soon," Shaw commands.

Emma nods once. As she said to the girl her Hellions are used to protect the interests of the Inner Circle...ok so she never said that explicitly but that is information Volcana does not need to know. "Hellfire burns eternal," Emma speaks the salute of the Inner Circle.

"Hellfire burns eternal," Shaw returns it before he ends the transmission. He leans back in his chair in the study of his plush home and sips on a very old brandy. The girl could be a boon if they learn something useful about Xavier. He needs watched and controlled after the chaos he and Magneto caused with their rivalry and the reveal of mutants. As for Magneto...that is a whole other headache.

Shaw drains the last of his brandy from his glass. He then stands up and walks over to his drinks cabinet to pour himself another. All the while there is this buzzing of familiarity in his head at the name of that girl.

_'Selton. Selton,' _he repeats over and over in his mind. _'Why does that name seem so familiar?'_ he asks himself because he has heard it before somewhere and once upon a time he gets this strange feeling it meant something to him.

"Selton. Selton," he says it out-loud hoping to jog his memory. He pours more brandy in his glass and raises it to his lips where he freezes as his memory puts the pieces into place.

"No," he whispers in disbelief that fills his green eyes. "It can't be her..."

* * *

_Author's Note: I strongly hinted at the end of my last story that Logan might be Rogue's father. This is as far as I wanted to drag that out so here is the question answered. Still leaves the issue of who her mother is. I forgot to say in my note for the last chapter the blocks in Claire's mind are my way around Emma simply instantly learning all of the secrets Claire holds particularly the one around a certain farmboy. And who is Claire to Shaw? That is the question that will redefine who Claire Selton is. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The long overdue catch up with Spidey!_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

_**Mutants are called dangerous. Why? Because they possess superpowers? The possession of power in itself is not dangerous. Only the intent if one chooses to use that power for negative goals. During my year at the Xavier Institute I have never felt threatened by those around me because they have powers and I do not. All I ever see are my friends. In the coming weeks and months I hope to help you see what I see about how extraordinary they are and how they have learned to overcome the burden their powers lay upon their shoulders. Fate gifted them with great power but they all accept that that comes with great responsibility. All they wish to do is to use that power to help mankind. However beyond that I hope that my words will get across that in the end my friends...mutants everywhere have one thing in common with everyone else on this planet. They are human.**_

Clark pauses and rereads the last paragraph of his 1st article for the school paper. It had been a couple of weeks since Cat's visit to the mansion and it had taken that long for them to debate out the details on the format and for Clark to decide exactly what he wished to say. He tried to include simple things that showed his friends in the light he is trying to summarise with his last words. That under it all they are just as human as someone who isn't a mutant and doesn't possess any type of superhuman power.

Clark's mind drifts to Cat Grant. She had been a big help in assisting Clark get his article to the point that it is more or less finished. Cat was passionate and knowledgeable about what she wanted to be her profession one day. He could see a little of Chloe in her...or Chloe's passion for journalism certainly. It had made becoming friends with Cat easier. Just don't ask about the whole her dating Bobby and Roberto at the same time thing because that Clark is not touching with a mile long barge pole.

Clark had spent a lot of his Saturday(it was well into the evening now) typing out his article between his other responsibilities. Research for the stones(although his friends were helping with that and they were starting to make progress in narrowing down at least where one of the stones could be), DR session, helping out in Bayville whenever he heard something, spending time with Rogue, helping his father out with the land he cultivated although Clark never does that as often any more because he is simply too busy. It saddened Clark but his father insisted he understood. Sam helped out a lot instead being he comes from a family of farmers too. Always meant Sam was easy to get along with because he and Clark would just share stories about growing up on a farm although Sam's stories were crazier because of all the brothers and sisters he had. 6 at the last count and 7 soon.

Clark takes a breath. He wasn't far wrong when he spoke to Scott about being pulled in a hundred different directions. Clark turns his attention back to his article and continues rereading that last paragraph...hold on. Great power? Great responsibility?

Peter.

That instantly brings Clark's mind to Peter Parker aka Spider-Man who once told him that with great power comes great responsibility. That was Peter's...Clark guesses motto although Clark never really asked where Peter got it from.

Clark sits back in his chair. Since he was taking up this writing for the school paper the Professor had gotten a desk and computer for Clark's room. Clark leans his head back and looks at the ceiling. His brow furrows as he tries to remember the last time he even talked to Peter over the phone.

It had to be before the summer...it was...before the Sentinels even. It was...at the start of the exams. Clark remembers them jokily lamenting how their 'extra-curricular' activities ate into their study time. Wow. That was a long time ago. Clark knows he has had a lot on his plate but he feels really bad he hasn't checked in with Peter before now. _'Some friend,' _he berates himself.

Well there's nothing stopping him phoning Peter right now. His article was mostly down short of a little tweaking here and there. Clark saves his work, gets to his feet and heads out of his room to use the phone.

He heads down the stairs only to find the phone in Ray's hands, who throws it to Clark saying it is a call for him. Clark thanks Ray before answering. "Hello?"

"Smallville?"

Clark's eyebrows draw closer together. That name stirs an unpleasant memory. "Who is this?"

"Well I know you had amnesia when we first met but Chlo did say you were better. I assume that goes for choosing to wear more clothes...although I'm certain many people would love to see..." there is a snicker here, "...Clark Jr."

The irritating voice definitely rings a bell. "Lois Lane."

"So your memory is back...although no-one ever forgets meeting me really," Lois says sounding a tad smug.

Chloe had mentioned her cousin...well both her cousins to Clark but she never did mention how annoying Lois was. Clark however remains the polite farmboy. "So why are you calling me? Is something wrong with Chloe?"

"Yes as a matter of fact."

Clark tenses, prepared if necessary, to run to Smallville if Chloe is in mortal danger.

Lois continues. "What is wrong with Chloe is that it's her 18th birthday in a week and all her close friends aren't here."

Clark never thought of that. Pete was gone now. Moved to Wichita to be with his mother now his parents had separated. Clark guesses you don't count an ex-boyfriend as a close friend in reference to Jordan Cross whom Chloe dated for awhile. Her other close friend, Lana, was in Paris and Lex...ok Lex was never one of Chloe's close friends and he isn't one of Clark's any more either. Clark scratches his head while he tries to think of a solution. "I suppose I could see about coming," he suggests.

"Touching...but I have a better idea," Lois instantly dismisses Clark's suggestion.

"Which is?"

"She and I come to Bayville."

"What?"

"Just hear me out here Smallville. Birthdays, especially someone's 18th, should be about spending time with those you care about...which is a lesson Lucy desperately needs," Lois says while unable to stop herself adding in a criticism of her sister.

Clark rubs his head as a pain starts between his eyebrows. He had had to endure many waffling stories about Lois' sister when he had amnesia and was left with her. He's never forgiving Chloe for it. "Lois," he says sternly stopping her. "I'm just a simple farmboy. Can you please explain what you mean?"

"Well at least we're admitting our flaws," Lois congratulates him.

Clark has never wanted to strangle someone more than he does want to strangle Lois Lane right now. "Chloe, Lois. We're talking about Chloe," he says, trying to get her back on track.

"Right. Right," Lois says casually. "Anyway look what I get from Chlo is that you're her best friend and that she is at least acquainted with some of the people you live with so it makes perfect sense to me that that mansion would be the best place to have a birthday party for her where she can be with her best friend, her cousin and others who at least would care a little about her."

Clark can't help but see that Lois has a point but he'll never admit that to her. "I'm curious Lois does Chloe even know you're talking to me?" he asks.

"Surprise party Smallville!" Lois exclaims in exasperation.

That pain between his eyes gets stronger. "Lois, not to underestimate you here, but there is no way you could get Chloe halfway across the country without telling her."

"Then you really are underestimating me," she says, pretending to sound insulted.

"What are you planning to do? Kidnap her in her sleep and drive her here?"

"Not a bad idea Smallville," she congratulates him. "Not a great idea since even Chloe doesn't sleep for an entire day," she then shoots his plan apart.

The pain between his eyes gets worse. "It's called sarcasm Lois."

"Really? It was hard to tell," she says in an offhanded manner.

Clark briefly wonders if his heat vision would work at a thousand miles to fry Lois. Back on topic. "What about her father?" he asks, as in what about Mr Sullivan in all this.

"Gabe?"

"Yes."

"Well you know the King of the Trust Funds bought up most of his father's company's assets right?"

"Yes."

"Well they started moving some staff around and Gabe got shipped abroad."

Chloe's father worked at the Smallville Chemical Plant last time Clark checked. "Chloe never told me that," Clark admits in surprise.

"You'd have to ask her about that. Anyway Chloe didn't want to go and live in Far-off-istan so Gabe agreed to let her stay if I stayed to look after her."

"He could have refused to go."

Lois laughs mirthlessly. "Lesson number 1 Smallville. The Lane/Sullivan bunch have suck-ass parental role models for fathers," she says bitterly as her emotions of her own fractious relationship with her father rise to the surface.

Clark did not know Chloe was going through this. Why didn't she tell him? Well he can ask her when she gets here. "Look. Lois. I want Chloe to have a nice birthday so I'll talk to Professor Xavier about allowing it. Is there a number I can call you back on?"

Clark mentally remembers the number Lois gives him. "You're sure you can get her to come?" he asks, seriously this time.

"Oh don't you worry. If Lois Lane is anything it's that she's someone who doesn't take no for an answer. Chloe will come even if I have to tie her up and stuff her in the trunk."

"I hope it doesn't come to that."

"Lesson number 2 Smallville. Lane/Sullivan women are stubborn as hell...except for Lucy who is easy...especially when it comes to guys getting access into her panties."

"I'll call you back soon," Clark abruptly cuts off yet another Lucy rant. He has heard enough of them to last several lifetimes.

* * *

Clark soon spoke to the Professor who had no objections to holding a party for Chloe at the mansion, if, for no more reason than to repay her for passionate defence of mutants in front of Congress when the Professor has gone to make his plea for mutants to be treated as equals after their reveal. The Professor added the one addendum that he would agree for as long as no-one else had any objection. In that vein Clark had been zipping around the mansion asking everyone. He found a lot of them in the rec room.

"Party?" Tabby inquires, with her eyes alight at that prospect. She can't remember the last time she let her hair down and attended a party...which is just so sad. She is really losing her touch.

"If you have no problem with that," Clark says cautiously.

Tabby laughs. "CK you know for someone so smart sometimes you are dense. Luckily for you you're cute enough to get away with it."

"Uh...thanks," Clark says, somewhat lost at that. He is just going to assume that Tabby doesn't have a problem.

"You're welcome supercutie," Tabby says with a flirtatious wink.

"So anyone have an objection?" Clark asks, moving on swiftly from Tabby.

"Nope," Ray says as he plays a computer game against Jamie.

"Sounds like fun," his playing partner says in agreement although Jamie is only half listening as he concentrates on the racing game.

"Quod non," Amara says in an absent minded manner in her native Latin which Clark thinks means she's ok with it too. He should learn more Latin.

"Dude. Me and Party go together like pickle and ham," Kurt says, using the metaphor of one of the many strange sandwich combinations he comes up with and that wasn't one of the strangest. "Vill I need my image inducer?"

"Uh...I'll need to get back to you on that one Kurt but if Lois had an issue I doubt she would have made the suggestion to come here in the 1st place and I know Chloe will have no problem with it."

Kurt smiles a little. It is rare he gets to meet people and not have to worry about how they might react to his appearance. "Hey do you zhink I could invite Amanda," he asks.

"I don't see why not."

"I'll go ask her now!" Kurt says very excited sounding at any excuse to spend time with his girlfriend. Kurt then vanishes in his usual puff of blue smoke to the nearest phone.

Clark coughs and waves the smoke away. Kurt is his friend but he really wishes Kurt would stop doing that without giving a warning.

Clark continues his search through the mansion seeing if anyone is not ok with letting Chloe have her party here and they all seem to be fine with it. Even Wanda, who Clark finds sitting in the lounge reading, gives a non-committal looking shrug which Clark is going to go with means she is fine too.

Wanda peers up from behind the book she is reading. "I don't have to make nice do I?" she asks, with a hostile sounding tone. Wanda hates having to pretend to be nice.

"Um...they are my friends...well Chloe is so at least polite...please?" he requests.

Wanda sighs. "Fine," she agrees. "But I won't be chummy."

Clark snorts with laughter.

Wanda's face darkens. "What's so funny?"

"You? Chummy? Think about it."

Wanda does and her lips twitch a little. The idea of her being chummy is kinda funny.

Clark is glad Wanda is able to express happier emotions more often but he is still frustrated by her and Rogue and their refusal to talk about whatever it was that has them not speaking to each other. Clark has tried to get Rogue to talk, believe him he has tried, but Rogue is as stubborn as hell and once she sets her feet down...not even his superstrength can make her move.

Clark's attention is drawn to the tv, turned down low, in the corner as breaking news clicks on from New York. Spider-Man involved in a fight outside the Opera with 3 guys. One with 4 long mechanical arms, another wearing some kind of mechanised suit and one with stone white skin. Clark slaps his own forehead. "Peter. I was suppose to check up on Peter," he mutters, lambasting himself for getting distracted.

"What?" Wanda asks at his mutterings.

Clark points at the tv. "I have to go save Spider-Man. I'll be back," he tells her before he vanishes in a gust of wind to change...into his new costume. It was finally finished.

* * *

**New York...**

"Spider-Man! The final humiliation! It was inevitable this day would come as the criminal known as Spider-Man would meet his end at the hands of his underworld rivals," a man in a crowd dictates what will be in his editorial later.

"Jonah! Spider-Man is not a criminal!" another man insists passionately.

A middle-aged man with a crew cut, black hair greying at the sides, with a Hitler moustache stands at the front of the crowd that has gathered to watch the battle. He looks to his companion, a middle-aged African-American man, with a grouchy expression to match his grouchy demeanour. His name is J. Jonah Jameson, owner of J3 communications, a multimedia corporation which owns, amongst other things, the Daily Bugle. In fact Jonah personally made himself the Editor of the Bugle. The one who writes all those editorials about what a menace Spider-Man is. A fan of the wall-crawling hero Jonah is not to say the least.

His companion is his right hand at the Bugle Robbie Robertson who is a fan of Spider-Man and often defends the hero as he is doing right now.

"Robbie I've told you before..." Jonah starts to repeat a point he has made many times before Robbie cuts it off.

"He's a hero!" Robbie argues, pointing at the battle which he sees as proof of Spider-Man's heroism where he alone is up against two super-villains and one of New York's most nefarious crime bosses.

"He's a criminal!" Jonah snaps back. "If he's a true hero why does he hide behind a mask?" Jonah asks. "A real hero wouldn't be afraid to show his face," Jonah lays down his argument.

Robbie groans in exasperation. It feels like he and Jonah have had this argument a hundred times. Although how a simple night out at the Opera schmoozing with New York's elite to drum up business turned into this war Robbie has no idea.

In the battle itself Spider-Man finds himself grabbed by the mechanical arms of Doctor Octopus, once just an ordinary scientist called Dr Otto Octavius before an accident fused four long mechanical arms to his spine, and thrown hard. He hits this statue that is sitting on a bench breaking the head off.

"Whoa," he remarks upon seeing what happened to the statue. "They just don't make old folk like they use to," he quips as he rubs his head. Back in the fight the white skinned man, a big time crime boss called Tombstone, is currently fighting the man in the sliver armoured suit, one of New York's older crime bosses, Silvio Manfredi aka Silvermane. Doc Ock, as Spider-Man calls him, grabs both of them with his mechanical arms and slams them into the ground.

"Come with me to the Opera, he said. It'll be good for you to get out, he said. What he didn't say is that, a, he was setting me up on a blind date with Liz Allan, and b, that there would be 3 of the biggest jerks in New York trying to kill me. So not only did I have to bail on Liz I get the pleasure of being beaten to death. Thanks a lot Harry," the boy under the mask grumbles in complaint at his friend Harry Osborn.

Spider-Man leaps into the air, fires a webline and swings into the back of Doc Ock knocking him flat on his face. Doc Ock's mechanical arms swing round trying to get him. Spider-Man leaps and dodges the arms until one manages to grab him by his foot. He finds himself hanging upside down.

Doc Ock points at him. "You!" he shouts in angry exasperation. "You will pay for your constant interference in my plans arachnid!"

"Ooh afraid I'm a bit short this month Doc. How about an I.O.U and I get back to you in say...never?"

Doc Ock cries out in annoyance. Spider-Man's constant banter drives him insane! He jerks the red and blue clad hero over his head and throws him hard. Spider-Man sails over the crowd(why people stand around and watch a battle that could put them in danger Peter can never work out) and impacts into the side of a police car denting it. He crumples to the ground with a grunt of pain.

Peter finds himself being helped up by a police officer on one side and a grey-haired police captain on the other. Police Captain George Stacy to be exact. Gwen's father. Peter rubs his head. "So two of my biggest enemies and that Jurassic fossil from the Capone era are intent on taking each other out and I'm trying to stop them why?" he asks, because he sure as hell doesn't know.

Doc Ock grabs Silvermane and throws the man in the armoured suit into a concrete support pillar of an elevated walkway that goes around the outside of the Opera house. The pillar collapses and so does part of the walkway leaving some people literally hanging for their lives.

"Oh right," Spider-Man says as it comes back to him why he is doing this. "Public Safety." He fires a webline and swings into action. He lands on a statue in the open public space outside the Opera House and creates a web to catch a couple of falling people.

Before he can finish rescuing everyone, one of Doc Ock's arms grab him and slam him down into the ground. "Ok this is getting repetitive," he complains after getting slammed and grabbed for the 50th time tonight alone not to mention all the other times this has happened during his numerous other battles with the Doc.

Spider-Man finds his arms pinned to the ground as Doc Ock stands high over him, perched up by his other two mechanical arms. "This!" Doc shouts to the two other men to get their attention as he points at Spider-Man. "This gentleman is the cause of our troubles! We can rule Manhattan together or divide it at our leisure!" he proposes. "As soon as we rid ourselves of this pest!" he says with utter loathing for Spider-Man.

Spider-Man groans as he strains to free himself. "Please tell me the fat lady's not singing?" he manages to fire off the quip. Get it. Opera. Fat Lady. Well Peter thinks it's funny.

"Hold him still," Silvermane says. "And I'll finish him off," he volunteers to be the one, pulling his hand back to literally smash Spider-Man's head in.

"Daddy!" a female voice shrieks.

That's Gwen Peter knows. Harry had brought her. They were dating much to Peter's sadness about what happened with him and Gwen.

Everyone stops and looks. With Spider-Man indisposed Captain Stacy had taken it upon himself to help free this little girl that had been trapped by rubble after the walkway collapsed but another large piece of the concrete walkway, which was hanging precariously, had chosen this moment to fall. It would crush them both.

"No!" Spider-man yells out in denial of what is about to happen.

Just then a blurred figure and a gust of wind blows by, brushing past Silvermane sending him flying.

Captain Stacy looks up at the falling piece and knows what he must do. There isn't time to get the girl out so he throws his body over her and hopes it is enough to protect her. He closes his eyes and braces himself. There is then a sudden gust of wind and the end doesn't come. Captain Stacy opens his eyes and looks up to find a young man, dressed in, from the down up, red boots, blue pants, a zipped up blue leather jacket with red patches on the shoulder which also cover part of the upper arm and a strange looking raised red S on the front inside a golden diamond with raised red edging on the front of the jacket over the chest. He has slicked back black hair apart from one curly lock that flops over his forehead and these extremely intense cerulean blue eyes. The young man is standing over the Captain holding the piece of the walkway over his head after obviously catching it. He then throws it aside, bends down and frees the little girl.

Captain Stacy sees an odd electric blue flash across the young man's eyes. "Her ankle's broken. You'll have to be careful with it," the young man says.

"Help! Help!"

Both Captain Stacy and the young man look up to see a man literally hanging from a piece of steel rebar.

"Excuse me sir. I need to go help that man."

"Who are you?" Captain Stacy asks.

The young man responds with a lopsided grin. "A friend."

Captain Stacy then watches the young man bend his knees and push off the ground and soar into the air.

With that distraction this is Peter's chance. It has distracted the Doc. He bends his legs and kicks up into the Doc's face sending him staggering back. Tombstone then barrels into the Doc, seeing and taking advantage of an opening to finish off a rival.

"Thanks Tomby...but don't be expecting any roses as a thank you," Spider-Man quips. Unfortunately his quipping means he is distracted and can't react to his spider-sense in time and Silvermane, who had by now recovered from the impact of the blurred figure, wraps him in a bear hug to literally crush the life out of the arachnid themed hero. "I'm...confused," Spider-Man struggles to say. "Are we fighting or dancing?"

Silvermane growls. "They're all after me because they think I'm a weak old man," he says with venom. His enemies had been trying to squeeze his territory because they thought his advancing years had made him vulnerable. Hence all the expense and effort to get this mechanised suit that increased his strength many times over so he could show his enemies what happened if they tried to cross him. "I'm going to show everyone you're all the weak ones! And I'm going to start with you!" he promises at a shout.

"Well it's good to have goals," Spider-Man says as he struggles to breathe and think of a way to escape because the suit was strong...stronger than him. _'Think Peter. Think!'_

As Spider-Man tries to figure out another ingenious escape his wannabe helper, known only to the press as the Bayville Blur, reaches the height of the hanging man and grabs onto the steel rebar next to the man. He then takes one hand off and he wraps it around the man's waist and grabs a hold of the waistband of his pants to get a firm grip. "Put your arms around my neck," Clark instructs the man as he tries to rescue him.

"I can't!" the man says in mortal terror. He is literally frozen in place by fear.

"You can," Clark assures him. "Look at me," he commands the man so he isn't looking down. The man obeys. "I've got you. I won't let you fall. I promise," Clark says with all the certainty and assurance he can get across in his voice.

The man finds the courage and slowly lets go with one hand to move it round his saviour's neck.

"That's it," Clark encourages him. "You're doing fine. Now the other hand."

The man does so.

"Now I'm going to take us down ok?" Clark asks him.

The man nods and Clark lets go of the steel rebar and they start to fall...only not as quickly as they would under the raw power of gravity. Clark may not be able to fly yet but he has figured out how to slow his descent. As they descend he sees Peter in trouble. Clark's eyes flash electric blue as he scans that armoured suit and tries to find a weakness. He's got it! "Spider-Man!" he shouts. "Hydraulics! The circular pieces!" he explains.

Peter gets it. The circular pieces of the suit must hold the key hydraulic junctions that power the suit. No hydraulics. No power. First he has to get a hand free. It's a struggle but eventually he manges to get his right hand free and fire a glob of webbing into Silvermane's eyes. The elderly man doesn't let go but it loosens the grip enough for Peter to get his other arm free.

He fires off a webline from his left hand onto the circular section on the right knee and pulls. The piece comes out and hydraulic fluid begins to leak. The right leg shuts down and Silvermane drops to one knee and drops Spider-Man. As quick as a heartbeat Peter fires a webline from his right hand onto the circular pieces on the left elbow and yanks it off. More hydraulic fluid leaks as the arm shuts down. The left knee, the right shoulder, the right hand and enough fluid leaks for the suit to shut down completely leaving Silvermane down on his knees helpless.

"No!" Silvermane shouts in denial. "No. This cannot happen to Silvio Manfredi!"

"Denial. It's so sad," Spider-Man says with a shake of his head. "But hey if you're looking for someone to blame during those long nights locked up in your prison cell blame your tailor for the substandard merchandise." There is a gust of wind and Clark appears next to him after getting the man he rescued to safety. Spider-Man takes him in. "I like the outfit!" he compliments him.

Clark chuckles. "Thanks."

Ok so it's not that different from his previous outfit Clark knows. Himself and his mother argued about it quite a bit. Clark wanted a more, what he felt was a more contemporary look...and the jacket is not really leather contrary to appearances. It looked like leather but in reality it was like all his previous costumes in that it was made of the material Forge created to help protect him from kryptonite radiation. When an electric current was passed through it the molecules in the fabric would realign to black the passage of radiation. There was a switch on Clark's golden belt that controlled the inbuilt device that generated the current. His mother and he also argued quite a bit about keeping some form of the crest of the House of El on it. She couldn't see why he would want to do that and Clark could understand where she was coming from. It can be a little hard to put into words to explain. In essence it just needs to be there and Clark wants it there and all Xs had been removed. The Blur was the X-Men's ally only. Not a member of the team...and oh also Clark just prefers red and blue to black as to explain the colours.

"So where have you been?" Peter asks him. "I mean no phone calls, no letters, no e-mails, no texts, not even a single tweet," he says, counting this off on his fingers as he goes.

"Not to sound childish but ditto!"

Peter rubs the back of his head. "Oh yeah. Well you know me. Completely useless with all these modern doodads. Not to mention always busy, busy." Peter then pretends to check his watch. "So you guys done beating each other up yet?" he asks the fighting Tombstone and Doctor Octopus. "I mean yeah it's better than watchin pro-wrasslin but I would like to get home at some point. If I don't get me Jay Leno fix I'm just grumpy all day."

Tombstone and Doc Ock look at each other and back away a few feet from each other.

"Who is your friend arachnid?" Doc Ock asks.

"Oh he's just someone here to help me beat you up and, by the way, if you want some advice Doc I would surrender now because compared to him I'm a 7 stone weakling."

"Tombstone I propose a temporary truce," Doc Ock says to his rival.

"I agree," the large man says.

"Wow he really needs to get in the sun more and add some colour," the Blur says to Spider-Man in regards to Tombstone.

Spider-Man nods. "Oh I know. I tried to tell him but it's like he thinks I don't give good advice."

"Shocking. Positively shocking," the Blur says, sounding stunned by that revelation.

Doc Ock grabs his head with his hands and cries out in complete frustration. "One of you cracking your pathetic jokes is quite enough. Two of you is more than any sane man can stand!"

"Well it's a good thing you're not sane then doc isn't it," Spider-Man rolls off the insult.

Doc's arms surge forward, one each grabbing the two heroes and wrenching them forward. Spider-Man ends up sailing towards Tombstone who delivers a hard punch knocking Spider-Man down while Doc Ock wraps the newer foe up in his metallic tentacles.

"You will regret interfering in my affairs," Doc Ock proclaims.

"No offence but I've heard that one before," Clark retorts.

"I can assure you I am the last one you will ever hear it from." The 3 razor sharp 'fingers' on the end of one the arms start spinning as Doc Ock plans to slice his captive prey to pieces.

"So tell me...Doctor Octavius. How do you go from a brilliant scientist to being a criminal?"

Doc Ock pauses. "You know me?"

"I read the Bugle and I've read some of your work. Your fusion power generator was brilliant," Clark compliments the man.

"Oh it was," Doc Ock confirms, his ego getting fed by the praise. "I created these very arms to help me build it."

"And then there was the accident that left them fused to your spine," Clark finishes. As he said he's read the Bugle and its stories on Spider-Man and his enemies. "Still don't see how that ends with you here."

"They all laughed at me," Doc Ock says bitterly. "They all said fusion power was a pipe dream. Well who's laughing now?" he rages.

"Right. The revenge gig. Let me give some advice that never ends well."

"You're right," Doc Ock agrees. "It won't end well for you!" He then sends the spinning blades right in at Spider-Man's ally(reason enough for Doc Ock to want to kill the boy) where they hit him and shatter into pieces. Doc Ock grabs his head and cries out as if he could feel it like a real bone breaking.

"I hoped you would be reasonable Doctor. I'm sorry you weren't," Clark says regretfully as he bursts free of the arm holding him, which he could have done at any time but had wanted to see if he could talk this out first. He drops to the ground and grabs a couple of the arms. He then uses them to lift the good doctor up and slam him into the ground...and then through the ground because Clark had not calculated the fact they were standing over a shallow subway tunnel. There is dust and then an mechanical arm grabs him and yanks him down into the darkness.

"I will peel the flesh from your bones!" Doc Ock vows, furious at the interference of this young man.

Clark picks himself up off the subway tunnel floor where he landed. "You know for a supposed genius you aren't very smart. Your blades already shattered against me. What makes you think peeling will be any more successful?"

"Oh I'll find a way," Doc Ock promises with dark intent. He then sends his arms at his foe.

Clark lives up his current name and blurs out of the way of each arm's attack and then blurs forward and slams a fist into Doc Ock's face sending him flying back. Clark then blurs around behind the man as he stands back up. His eyes glow red and a two thin beams shoot from his eyes and impact on the harness that the arms are attached to.

Doc Ock cries out and then his arms droop pathetically to the ground useless. "What did you do?" he demands to know.

"I burnt out the circuits that transmit power to your arms. They are only mechanical devices and without power they're nothing but scrap metal," Clark explains in a perfectly calm manner.

"No...you can't do this!" Doc Ock cries out in denial. It's a horror like losing feeling in his human limbs suddenly.

Clark shakes his head, blurs forward and delivers a more forceful blow this time to knock the doctor out. He then uses the arms to tie the man up in a secure knot. Let's see him get out of that.

Clark picks Doc Ock up and jumps back up through the hole they made and dumps him to the ground. He looks to see how Peter is doing and finds him on the ground about to have a sharp piece of metal stuck through him.

Clark blurs over and grabs Tombstone's arm in an iron grip. "Did your mother never teach you not to play with sharp objects?" he asks in a stern tone. He then draws his right fist back and slams a punch into Tombstone making a fist-shaped dent into the stone-like skin of his face.

"Whoa. I don't care what strange chemicals you bathe in that's gotta hurt," Spider-Man quips as Clark helps him to his feet.

Tombstone's hand goes up to his face in shock. Not even Spider-Man during all their fights had managed to damage him like this. His eyes narrow. This night...this whole night has been a set-up. Him, Octavius and Silvermane in the same place at the same time. They all got messages claiming to be from each other asking for a meeting except not a one of them sent a message. Someone's played them and when Tombstone finds out who he will be making one of his very special coffins for them. First things first though he has to get out of this situation...somehow.

_'Bathe?'_ That gives Clark an idea. He blurs forward and then runs around and around Tombstone creating a whirlwind...but more what he is aiming for he is creating a powerful updraft. Tombstone starts to rise up off the ground to the perfect height for Clark to change direction and slam a haymaker into him sending him sailing towards Spider-Man. "Ten bucks says you can't land him in the fountain!" the Blur challenges Spider-Man to land the underworld boss in the large fountain that dominates this open space in front of the Opera House.

In response Spider-Man snorts. "That's a sucker's bet."

"All I hear is talking," the Blur taunts in a playful manner.

"Watch and learn." Spider-Man fires two weblines from his hands which adhere to the flying Tombstone. He then starts to spin on his heels which in turn starts spinning Tombstone round and round in the air.

"You can't do this!" Tombstone protests.

"Pipe down!" Spider-Man retorts as he gathers up the necessary speed and then reminiscent of a hammer thrower he lets Tombstone go. He splashes down perfectly in the shallow pool of the fountain. "He shoots! He scores!" Spider-Man exclaims with his arms in the air celebrating. "The crowd goes wild! They chant his name! Spidey! Spidey!"

Tombstone gets up to his knees soaking wet. "You think a little water can stop me?" he asks incredulous at the arrogance.

Clark blurs next to the fountain. "Nope," he says in reply. "But I think a lot of ice can." He then inhales and unleashes his freeze-breath turning water of the entire fountain into ice and freezing Tombstone into a black of solid ice.

Tombstone struggles to move.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the Blur advises.

"Oh and why is that?"

"Ever watch Terminator 2?"

"What if I have?"

"Remember what happened to the T-1000 when it was frozen? Considering your body seems to be similar to the mineralogical aggregate of stone you'll find that it'll become brittle when cold."

"That's..." Crack! Tombstone looks down at his wrist where a thin fissure has appeared in his skin.

"Told you!" the Blur sing-songs. "I would wait until you thaw and when you do I think these fine men and women would like a word," he points out, jerking his thumb in the direction of the police who are closing in.

"So in the meantime why don't you just...chill," Spider-Man says and there is an audible groan from the gathered crowd at the lame pun. "Everyone's a critic," he complains. "Well my work here is done. See you around in about 10-25 Tomby," he rubs it in before firing a webline and swinging off into New York's skyline.

"I have to go too. It would be best for you that you hope we don't meet again," the Blur says in a warning to Tomsbtone.

"We'll meet again boy," Tombstone promises in a dangerous tone.

"I'll remember to leave a space in my diary...no wait. No I won't!" The Blur then blurs away leaving the 3 crooks to the police to deal with.

"Did you see that?" Jonah asks Robbie.

"Yep."

"You know what that was?"

"Let me guess," Robbie says with a sigh. "Another costumed danger to society," he says with a resigned tone, quoting Jonah's own words about how Jonah views all these costumed heroes/vigilantes that have popped up recently.

"Don't be stupid," Jonah sort of insults his friend. "That was a hero. See how he was dressed. Red and blue; the colours of a _real_ hero! It takes a_ real_ man to show his face and not hide behind a glorified ski-mask...and look what happened after he got here. All those innocent people Spider-Man put in danger rescued. One of New York's finest saved. 3 of its biggest criminals put down," Jonah heaps actual praise on the unidentified hero which surprises Robbie considering.

"And he helped Spider-Man," Robbie points out, hoping to use it to change Jonah's opinion about Spider-Man. "In fact I think they might be friends," Robbie adds.

Jonah snorts and dismisses that instantly. "Robbie you're letting your imagination runaway from you. True he didn't stop that webslinging clown but that's no doubt because he had other people to help. Now I want to know who that guy is and I want to know yesterday! And I want pictures! Where's Parker?"

* * *

Spider-Man comes to a stop on the edge of a rooftop a short distance away from the Opera House. He had to make it look like he was leaving before he circles back and Peter Parker makes his reappearance before people get too suspicious. There is a gust of wind and the Blur appears next to him.

"I'm sorry," Clark says.

Under his mask Peter blinks. "Sorry? For what?" he asks with complete confusion.

"Not showing up sooner. Not keeping in touch. I haven't been a good friend lately it occurred to me earlier tonight."

"Actually I could say the same," Peter admits a little shamefully. He hasn't made much of an effort either to catch up with Clark or the X-Men and ask how they were dealing with being exposed. "It is just...boy if you knew the kind of summer I had," he tries to excuse himself.

Clark laughs.

"What?"

"Oh I had one of those summers too."

"Normally I would love to catch up but Peter Parker really needs to make an appearance before his friends think something has happened to him," Peter explains.

"I understand. We'll talk later." Clark then vanishes, again with his custom gust of wind.

"I really need better powers," Peter laments before he leaps off the building and webswings his way back to where he left his clothes.

* * *

"Where did you go?" a Hispanic girl, in a long red dress, asks Peter. She is just slightly shorter than him with a slender, trim figure(she is a cheerleader after all so she has to keep in shape), brown hair and eyes. She is Peter's blind date for the night Liz Allan and right now she is monumentally angry at Peter's disappearing act when the fight between Spider-Man and the 3 criminals broke out.

Peter, now dressed back in his normal civilian wear, stumbles over his words as he tries to come up with a believable explanation. "Well...uh...you see the thing there Liz was that I really think it was that snack we had before we arrived. Gave me these terrible cramps and I had to use the restroom and um..."

Liz puts her hands on her hips. "You expect me to believe you were in the restroom while all this was going on?" she asks, incredulously.

"Uh...yes," Peter says weakly.

Liz throws her hands into the air in exasperation at Peter's lame responses. "I cannot believe you! I was willing to give this night a go Peter even if Harry set us up!" she tells him bluntly. "But I can see MJ was right. You can't be relied on!" she snaps angrily off words her close friend Mary Jane Watson used to describe Peter. Having nothing more she really wants to say to him Liz storms off.

Peter's face falls. He hates this. He really does. Every single relationship in his life gets ruined by being Spider-Man. He never wanted to hurt Liz but he did anyway. He looks around to see Gwen, with Harry's arm around her, giving him a severe look of disappointment. Feels like she is shoving a knife into his gut. To make it worse she looks amazing in the dress she is wearing yet she barely talks to him any more. Every time he sees Gwen and Harry together the green eyed monster burrows its teeth into him but Peter is afraid his relationship with Gwen might be destroyed beyond repair.

MJ, here with Liz's brother Mark, on their 'un-date'(long story) is giving him an equal look of disappointment. There goes another knife sliding into his gut. His relationship with MJ isn't in much better shape than the one with Gwen. Then to top it all off the look Mark is giving him is like Liz's brother is thinking of beating Peter up for hurting his little sister.

Can Peter's night get any worse?

"PARKER!"

JJ. Peter knew he should never have thought that. The Parker luck strikes again. He briefly watches Gwen go off when her father calls to her before he goes deal with old pickle puss.

Gwen gives her father a quick hug. "Are you alright?" she asks with deep concern after how close he came to being seriously hurt tonight.

"Now I'm fine honey," George Stacy assures her.

"I'm glad. If you had gotten hurt...I would never have forgiven Spider-Man!" she says, with more than a little venom at the webslinging hero.

George's brow furrows. Ever since the incidents with Spider-Man in this back costume and then the subsequent appearance of the villain called Venom she has been extremely unfriendly, to put it mildly, towards Spider-Man. In a way he can't blame her. Spider-Man was unpleasant to her and then Venom kidnapped and almost killed her. It shook her and she is lashing out...ok so George got that one from the psychiatrist he had had to get for her because she was having nightmares after it all but he can't argue with it. "Now what about you? Are you hurt?" he asks with fatherly concern for his daughter.

"What? No daddy. I'm fine."

"You're certain?"

"Yes."

George sighs. "I'm afraid I'm going to be late home tonight dealing with this," he says regretfully as his eyes take in the 3 criminal being loaded into the back of 3 separate police vans a short distance away.

"I understand," Gwen says, sad at the fact she doesn't see her father as much as she would like to.

"Do I need to get a patrol car to take you home?"

"No. Harry said he will see me home," she informs her father.

George frowns. The Osborn kid. He has tried to let Gwen make her own choices in the matter but he doesn't quite approve. He places a kiss on her temple. "Ok. I'll be home as soon as I can," he promises her.

Meanwhile Peter is nodding politely and agreeing with everything JJ says as he rants about this and that while Peter promises to get JJ the pictures he wants. Luckily Peter had webbed his camera up in a good spot before he started that fight so he should have a few pictures even JJ will like...no scratch that. JJ will find something about them to complain about. He always does.

Jonah, feeling he has chewed Parker out enough for the moment, turns to leave only to bump into this tall kid, with messy, curly black hair wearing black thick rimmed glasses. "Watch it!" he snaps.

"Oh I-I'm sorry sir. I was just trying to get a few quotes," the boy replies, holding up a notebook and pen. "Would you like to answer a few of my question?"

Jonah frowns. "Kid do you know who I am?"

"Yes sir," he replies politely. "You're J. Jonah Jameson, owner of, amongst other things, the Daily Bugle, one of this country's, if not the world's, finest newspapers and that's not even mentioning that you were once yourself one of the finest investigative reporters known as Jigsaw Jameson."

Now something happens Peter has never seen happen. What could be interpreted as a smile appears on Jameson's face.

"That's...not bad kid. What's your name?" Jonah asks.

"Kent sir. Clark Kent."

"You're a reporter?" Jonah asks sceptically cause he's awfully young.

"Um...more like reporter in training sir. As luck had it I was passing when I saw this," Clark explains his presence.

"What's this sir business?"

"My parents always taught me to be respectful to my elders sir."

Jonah laughs. "Kid you're a dying breed in this world. Parker here shows me no respect whatsoever."

Peter's eyebrows rise. "Mr Jameson can I take issue with that?"

"No you can't," Jonah slaps him down.

"Of course I can't," Peter grumbles.

Jonah ignores him...as per usual. "How old are you Kent?"

"17 sir."

"You still in high school?"

"Yes sir."

"Work on your school paper?"

"Yes sir."

"Good for you. It's good to see a young man starting in this business early," Jonah heaps praise on Clark. "When you reach college you should apply for an internship at the Bugle. You might just make it...if you're lucky."

Clark pushes his glasses up his nose. "Gosh sir. That would be swell!" he says enthusiastically with a goofy smile.

Jonah, Peter and Robbie(who had been observing all this) look at Clark weirdly. "Strange kid," Jonah mumbles under his breath. "Robbie!" he yells even though Robbie is at most 2 feet away.

"Yes Jonah," Robbie says.

"Come on. We've got a paper to print. Parker I want those pictures or so help me you will be looking for another job!"

"Yes Mr Jameson," Peter says, doing his best not to sound snide. Technically Peter doesn't actually work for the Bugle. He's freelance and just sells his Spider-Man pictures.

Peter watches Jonah and Robbie go before turning towards Clark...and god help him it is truly amazing how geeky and non-noticable Clark can make himself. "Gosh sir. That would be swell," Peter repeats Clark's words in a mock impression.

Clark chuckles. "You'd be amazed how well that works to make people think you are just a nerdy nobody," he essentially explains why he threw that line in so as to throw people off.

Peter shakes his head in amusement. "Good sucking up there pretending to be a journalist."

"I'm not pretending. I am. Everything I said is true. I work on the school paper these days."

"You're serious," Peter realises.

"Yes."

"For once I don't have a joke. My fans have just been let down by my failure," Peter jokily laments. He takes a moment. "Look I would love to catch up but I really need to get those pictures ready for JJ," he says seriously. He has money he needs to earn for himself and his aunt.

Clark nods. "Ok. How about we meet up tomorrow night?" he proposes. "We could patrol together and have a, you know, guy chat."

Peter puffs out his chest and speaks in a faux-macho manner. "Sure. Been awhile since I've been able to talk sports and pig out on chips. That's what real men do."

Clark laughs. "Peter don't ever change."

"Well alright but my clothes will start to smell."

Clark only laughs all the harder.

* * *

_Author's Note: I'll admit I borrowed quite a bit here from the Spectacular Spider-Man episode Gangland where I also borrowed the idea of giving Liz Allan her Hispanic makeover from. I just think it's a good idea to add some ethic mix to reflect the multi-cultural world we live in. I borrowed the leather jacket idea off Smallville but instead of plain red I wanted it to more resemble Superman's costume so blue and red instead with the proper coloured shield. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. I'll have to close my poll for who gets possessed in my version of Spell at the end of this week so if you haven't voted please do so before you run out of time. Next up; The Clark & Peter show...no wait. I mean Clark and Peter finally compare notes while good ol' JJ labels Clark's heroic alter ego with a new name that might sound familiar._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

The Acolytes are passing their free-time with a poker game...which Gambit is winning quite handsomely.

Pyro frowns as he looks over his hand. It sucked as it did every time Gambit dealt. "Do you ever wonder what he finds so interesting in that journal?" he asks in relation to their boss because Mags spent most of his time these days reading and researching. It meant Pyro was bored out of his mind because they weren't out there burning something.

Sabretooth grunts. "No...and neither should you. What Magneto does is his business and not our care," he warns Pyro off.

"Boy he really has you spayed doesn't he," Live Wire remarks being deliberately insulting as spaying is what is done to female cats or dogs.

Sabretooth growls and glares at her across the table. Live Wire smirks. Makes her day to wind people up. The other week she even got Sinister's eye to twitch. He creeps her out to be honest. She has no idea what he gets up to expect he seems to have picked up his own little group of hanger-ons in the form of Vertigo, Hairbag, Ramrod, Slab and Gorgeous George. It was...suspicious.

Gambit chuckles. Live Wire could be amusing on her day.

Sandman rolls his eyes. "Are we playing poker or aren't we?" he complains at all the talking.

"Should you even be here?" Ruckus asks, as he shifts the cards in his hand about. "I mean isn't gambling a sin," he says, referring to Sandman's religious piety these days.

"I'm not that good a Christian," Sandman explains his presence at the table.

"You're not that good at being a man either," Live Wire mumbles under her breath because he tried to hit on her the other day. Lets just say she wasn't impressed.

Live Wire is sitting next to Gambit who overhears her. He holds back a line about how he could be all the man she needs as that kind of line needs to be saved for when they're not in all this company.

* * *

Elsewhere in the base Colossus paces back and forth as he waits impatiently for his 'reward' for being the good little lackey. He hates himself. He really does but what choice does he have.

The familiar green haze indicates the arrival of Alicia. Piotr stops pacing and waits until the blond haired teenager fully materialises with her passenger. A young girl with long blond hair.

"Piotr!" the young girl shouts happily, her whole face lighting up upon seeing the large Russian boy.

"Illyana!" Piotr returns the shout with an equal amount of happiness at seeing his little sister for the first time in months.

Haze releases Illyana and steps back a few paces. Alicia is to remain here in case Colossus tries something and she needs to teleport the girl away quickly. Alicia may still think it a little distasteful to hold a little girl against her will but what needs to be done for the good of mutantkind has to be done so she accepts what Magneto says needs to be done.

Upon release Illyana runs towards her big brother. Piotr kneels down and hugs her tightly when she runs into his arms.

It has been a long time since the two siblings have seen each other and there are a few tears of happiness.

Piotr, moisture still in his eyes, draws back and looks his young sister over. She looks to be in reasonable health. He speaks to her in Russian. "Snowflake," he addresses her using his nickname for her. "You have been treated well?"

Illyana's expression is sad. "They keep me locked up in this room," she complains, her reply in the only language she speaks, her native Russian.

"I am sorry," Piotr apologises.

"Brother why do they do this?"

Piotr sighs. How does he explain this to his 8 year old sister. "As long as they have you I must do what I am told to keep you safe."

"But we are together now?"

They may be together now but Magneto is no fool. Haze is still here and Piotr knows Magneto is watching along with Mastermind from nearby. If Piotr tries anything Magneto can either use his mastery of metal or use Mastermind to attack their minds. "They watch me constantly. They watch us now," he tells his sister, hoping she can understand why he can't save her.

"But you are so strong," Illyana argues, knowing how strong her brother is.

"Not strong enough," he replies, sounding truly sad. Piotr gathers himself. He isn't sure how much time Magneto will grant him so he wishes to use it as best he can. He reaches down and picks up a book and a gift he brought with him. "I bought this for you," he tells her handing her the gift.

Illyana's eyes glisten with excitement and intrigue at the oddly shaped package wrapped in shiny paper. She rips it off enthusiastically and her face lights up at the teddy bear that it is. She hugs it tightly to her chest. When she had been taken she had practically nothing but the clothes on her back and while clothes have been provided for her she has been given little else so she intends to hang on her brother's gift for all she's worth.

A watery smile comes to Piotr's face. It is not much but any tiny amount of joy he can bring to his sister's life brings joy to his heart. "I brought a book. Would you like me to read to you?" he asks her.

Illyana's face remains bright. Even before they lost their parents Piotr would read to her.

Piotr sits on the floor and lifts Illyana into his lap as he begins to read for her. For the moment he still cannot save her and he still cannot see a way out. This is only a short visit before Illyana is taken away again and he can't do anything about that but for the next little while he can pretend he doesn't have these problems and just imagine he is alone with his sister reading her a story just like it was before back home in Russia. For a little while he can just forget.

* * *

**New York...**

"You know Bruce I'm thinking it may just be easier to take a vow of celibacy. Why you ask? Come now you know all about my women troubles. Gwen and MJ barely talk to me, after last night Liz is mad at me and really don't get me started again on what happened with the Black Cat. I'm man enough to admit that wasn't my finest hour. What's that Bruce? Ok, yes, true I was being influenced by a psychotic symbiote that subsequently attached itself to a jerk who then tried to kill me several times over...and you know I tried to tell him what it would do to him but did he listen? No. You see Bruce I try to help people and they end up trying to kill me? I mean why is that? Sure I talk a little but I always thought it was one of my more endearing qualities and ...uh what was the point I was trying to make again?"

"That talking to a stone statue is a sign of insanity?"

Spider-Man looks to his right from his position stuck to a wall next to a stone gargoyle as Bayville's erstwhile hero known as the Blur appears. "Well you know my old friend Bruce here gives surprisingly good advice," Peter explains himself as he pats the stone shoulder of the gargoyle. He has often come here to talk out his problems with the stone gargoyle he calls Bruce.

Clark briefly looks over the edge of the building the statue sits on about halfway up and his head spins a little. Heights still make him a little uncomfortable.

"So find me easy enough?" Peter inquires after he and Clark talked over the phone and agreed a rendezvous point.

"Well the guy dressed in the red and blue costume who sticks to walls can be a little tricky to find."

"Doth my ears deceive me? Was that sarcasm I did hear?"

"I was more going for dry wit."

Peter chuckles which feels good. There haven't been many people in his life lately he can banter off...apart from the villains who are always trying to kill him.

"So this is your city," Clark says. "Where do we go?" he asks Peter to pick what direction to go.

Peter starts pointing in varying directions. "Eeny meeny miny moe," he says as he randomly picks a destination. "Try and keep up," Peter teases as he leaps off the building and swings over the streets.

Clark bends his knees and pushes off towards the nearest rooftop. He still can't fly but he has learned to make himself slowly glide in descent.

* * *

**The Daily Bugle...**

"URICH!" J. Jonah Jameson's less than dulcet tones echo through the newsroom of the Daily Bugle as he summons one of his reporters to his office.

Ben Urich, a hardened reporter, gets to his feet and walks into Jonah's office. He was in his mid-30s with brown hair and wore a pair of glasses on his face. Right now he would kill for a cigarette. He was a chain-smoker but those blasted health laws banned him from smoking in the workplace. Of course that never stopped his boss who, as Ben walks in, is smoking one of his cigars. "You yelled Jonah?"

Jonah fixes him a glare. "Where's that report on the guy with the S who I saw last night?" he demands to know. He had given Urich the task of getting the background on this guy.

Ben had a feeling Jonah was after that and he, therefore, had brought the file he had put together with him. He hands it over and summarises what he has. "He's an ally of the mutant group known as the X-Men. He was there with them during that fight on the dam against the Juggernaut and Lionel Luthor. Apart from that he seems to have appointed himself Bayville's protector. The local press dubbed him the Bayville Blur."

Jonah snorts. "The Bayville Blur? That's crap," he expresses his opinion on the name. "He needs a better name. After all all these people need names now. What is the S suppose to stand for?"

"Don't know," Ben admits.

"Then what do I pay you for?" Jonah asks, seeing that response as completely unacceptable.

"Jonah the guy is like a ghost," Ben defends himself. "He shows up in a blur, deals with the crooks and vanishes just as quickly. A police speed gun caught him once running at over 500mph and he never stays long enough in one place for anyone to ask him what the S stands for."

Jonah skims through the file in his hand. Police and witness reports. Fires, bullets, explosions, things the 'Blur' has taken without a scratch. Hell they seem to have a hard time just trying to define what powers he actually has. Beams from his eyes. Ability to freeze things with his breath. Strength well beyond a human. Extremely fast.

Jonah was determined to find a fitting name. This was what he needed to show-up all those masked vigilantes/criminals that have sprung up recently. A real hero who shows his face and stands up for what is right. It had to fit the S on his chest. Jonah reels through some names in his head. _'Space-Man...no. Spandex-Man...no. Supreme something or other...no. Stupendous-Man!'_ Jonah thinks on that last one for a moment before dismissing it too.

Jonah continues to list through things beginning with S until he hits _'Super...'_

"That's it!" Jonah declares suddenly startling Ben.

"What's it?"

Jonah holds his hands and fingers up like a box before him. "Picture it. The follow-up to the fight at the Opera House. Superman: A real hero."

"What about Daredevil and Spider-Man and all the others?" Ben dares to ask.

"Like I always say; Criminals!" Jonah barks.

Ben places a hand over his eyes. Like Robbie he didn't think that. He thought they did a lot of good...even if he felt it his job to try and ascertain who they were under the masks. "What about the Fantastic Four?" Ben argues as heroes who don't hide behind masks.

"What about them?" Jonah asks. "Old news. They got tiresome weeks ago," he dismisses them. Besides a big orange rock monster isn't exactly a role model. "Now why don't you get back out there and find out the real story to Superman." Jonah pauses and smiles to himself at how catchy that name sounds. He'll have to get it trademarked so he can get a dime every time someone says it.

Ben sighs to himself, gets to his feet and departs. He really has better things to do like making sure Wilson Fisk is proven beyond doubt to be the Kingpin and gets sent to jail but Jonah had other ideas so he'll get this done as fast as he can and get back to what he considers his real work.

* * *

**Elsewhere in New York...**

Peter is explaining how his summer started. "So there I am trying to save Norman Osborn's top secret bio-weapon from being stolen...which by the way I got no thanks for. In fact old flat-top tried to pin the whole thing on me," he complains in relation to JJ. "Ok so I failed to recover it," Peter concedes. "Or so it seemed at the time," he then amends. "The getaway van crashed off the bridge into the river and it looked like the weapon was lost. Little did I know what I thought was good old river sludge that was stuck to me happened to be the actual weapon. An artificial symbiotic life-form designed to enhance what it was bonded to."

"That can't be legal," Clark expresses his opinion.

"Lets just say Norm severely bends the law on stuff like that. Anyway take a wild guess who was the first living test subject it bonded to."

"Um...wow...ok. That's a hard one. He wouldn't happen to swing around New York on a web would he?"

"Good guess. It's like you're reading my mind or something."

"Can't do that. I leave that to the 2 actual psychics I know."

"Are you guys for real?" Clark and Peter pause in their conversation...and their beating up of this small gang of thieves as one of them asks that question.

Spider-Man looks to the Blur. "Uh...rude much," he complains. "We're trying to have a conversation here."

The Blur shakes his head. "People just have no manners today interrupting our pleasant conversation. I mean does he know how long it has been since we last caught up?"

"I know right? Is a little courtesy too much to ask for?" Spider-Man replies as he somersaults over two goons and knocks their heads together in the process knocking them down.

The one who asked the question pulls a gun out and aims it at the Blur. He fires as the Blur walks towards him. The bullets bounce off harmlessly. The Blur snatches the gun out of the man's hand. "Lesson for the day; I'm bulletproof." He then crushes the gun into a little ball before grabbing the man by his shirt and lifting him off the ground with one hand. "Also robbing a jewellery store run by a Jewish lady in her 80s?" the Blur queries. That's where he and Spider-Man came in just as the gang was leaving the store trying to make their getaway. "You're just lucky I'm a nice guy otherwise you would be in so much trouble," he points out. "Now if I caught you kicking a puppy that's a whole other story."

"Oh yeah puppy kickers are just the lowest of the low," Spider-Man agrees. "That's right down there with tax collectors."

"Now Spider-Man while no-one likes paying their taxes they are diligent public servants in duty to the nation," the Blur mildly rebukes his crime fighting partner for the night.

Spider-Man cocks his head to the side to concede that point. "Alright. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt."

"Oh please just tie me up already," the man pleads as he looks back and forth between the two heroes. "I mean sheesh Daredevil never talks this much."

"Well DD is kind of dull that way," Spider-Man says as he shoots a web at the man. The Blur grabs the other 2 and the heroes end up webbing all 3 hanging from a street light before returning the stolen merchandise to the nice elderly Jewish lady who thanks them. "Ah," Spider-Man says admiring their handiwork of the 3 crooks hanging up as they prepare to leave into the night. "Another successful spider-job complete."

"Do you add spider as a prefix to everything?" the Blur asks.

"It's a trademark!"

"So where were we?" Clark asks, more to prompt Peter's memory of what they were talking about.

Peter takes a moment to think on it. "Parasitic symbiote," he remembers.

"Right. By the way you hungry?"

"Starving."

"I have a strange craving for dohnuts."

"I know a place."

"Really? At this late hour? On a Sunday?" Clark says in surprise.

"New York. What a town!" Peter praises the fact you can get dohnuts at this late hour. He fires off a webline and swings into the air while Clark runs under him at the same speed.

"We're getting jelly-filled right?" Clark asks.

"Is there any other kind?" Peter asks back, sounding surprised by the fact there could be.

* * *

A little later Peter, with his mask rolled up enough to expose his mouth, and Clark are sitting on a roof edge eating jelly-filled dohnuts while Peter finishes telling what happened with the symbiote that attached itself to him. "It brought out all my worst characteristics. Turned me into a real jerk. I insulted just about everyone I cared about. Gwen dumped me, not that I blame her. MJ barely talks to me, again I can't blame her. Aunt May only forgave me probably because I'm family. I was really nasty to them all," he says with loathing, appalled at himself for everything he did.

"I understand," Clark says softly.

"Not sure you can."

"There's this substance that affects me in a similar way. Strips me down to my ID and trust me my ID is a selfish jerk. The way you acted, I acted like that. Rogue and I came very close to breaking up because of what I did."

"Is that what you meant when you said you had one of those summers?"

"No. That happened before you and I met. My summer sucked for a whole different set of reasons."

"Can't have sucked as much as mine. Not only did the symbiote turn me into a jerk as it turned out it was actually trying to take me over. I barely found a way to get it off in time...only for it to attach itself to this even bigger jerk of a guy who hated Spider-Man called Eddie Brock. This is where it gets really weird. The symbiote was actually semi-sentient and when I rejected it I hurt its feelings and in Eddie it found a kindred spirit in seeking payback on me. They swore to become poison to me. Called themselves Venom and then sought to destroy my life which they could do because the symbiote copied all my memories, not to mention my powers. Only it was my powers on steroids enhanced to levels way above me. Thanks to the stolen memories Brock knew exactly how to hurt me in the worst ways. The things Venom did...well lets just say that would be more reasons Gwen and MJ aren't talking to me."

"Where is this Venom now?"

"I managed to separate Brock from the symbiote and then I buried it in the wet concrete of a building site. Without a host it should have died by now...and I really don't feel great about it before you say anything. I just didn't have a choice. It takes over anyone it attaches to in effect killing them so there was my choice. The symbiote or some innocent person it would destroy to survive."

Clark nods. That is a horrible choice but he can understand the one Peter chose. "Brock?"

Peter laughs mirthlessly. "After the fight he went around talking about how I took away his 'other'. Take a wild guess what people thought."

"That he had lost his mind."

"Bingo. He's locked up in a mental institution and even though he does know I'm Spider-Man he doesn't tell anyone that. Keeps it to itself so he can save me for the day he can get his revenge on me." Peter sighs at having to relive all that.

"Gwen and MJ?" Clark queries. "Do they know?"

"What happened?"

"Yeah."

"No. From their perspective one day I just turned into an obnoxious jerk without any good reason."

"Did you think of telling them the truth?"

Peter shakes his head sadly. "After what Venom did to them? Not a chance. All that proved is that it's better no-one knows who I am...I mean no-one who is that close to me," Peter clarifies because he can't undo Clark or the X-Men knowing who he is.

Clark looks out at the New York skyline for a moment. "I would like to say you should have phoned for help except I wouldn't have been able to," Clark says, sounding slightly irritated at that fact.

"Your sucky summer?"

Clark nods.

"Well it will have to go some to beat mine."

"I was abducted by my biological father and imprisoned against my will for 3 months while he wiped my memories and reprogrammed me into his obedient, mindless puppet."

"Oh come on!" Peter protests. "You can't let me have one thing. You already have all the cool superpowers!"

Clark chuckles. He knows Peter is joking.

"Your father really did that?" Peter asks, more seriously.

"My biological father," Clark repeats. "Jonathan Kent is my adopted father," Clark corrects any notion Peter has of blaming his dad.

"Why?"

"Long story. Peter...there's a lot you don't know about me," Clark has to caution Peter because explaining why goes into explaining who and what he is exactly.

"No kidding," Peter says lightly with an arched eyebrow under his mask. "I kinda figured that what with all the news stories about you being human not to mention all these powers you have. I watched the documentaries about mutants. You have way too many powers to be one...and even more since we last met. I mean you freeze stuff with your breath," he exclaims in almost disbelief.

Clark knows he should have figured Peter would work it out. Peter's too smart not to.

"You don't have to tell me," Peter tells Clark.

Clark draws breath. He still hadn't told Paul and Taryn the truth either. He kept coming up with excuses to avoid it although he can't really explain why...or maybe he can. It could be Taryn's total fangirl craziness over his alter ego. Clark looks up. The light in New York blotted out a lot of the stars but he can dimly see what he is looking for. He points up. "See that star?" he asks Peter.

Peter looks to where Clark is pointing. "Yeah."

"That's a galaxy as matter of fact." It only looks like a star because of how far away it is.

"What about it?"

"That's where I come from."

Peter's eyebrows rise. He knows, somehow he just knows, that Clark is not joking.

"You're about to geek out on me aren't you," Clark dead-pans.

"No," Peter says in a squeaky voice due to the strain of trying not to geek out.

Clark smiles a little. "Go ahead. You know you want to."

It all comes out in a rush. "Oh my God that is so cool. I mean do you really look like that? What's your planet called? How did you get here? In a ship? Can I see it? Did you have to break the speed of light to get here? Is that possible? Are there others like you here? Is it an invasion? Are we going to have to bow down and work as slaves in your sugar mines?"

"Breathe Peter," Clark advises before his friend passes out. "And sugar mines?" he queries in disbelief. "You know I know that's off the Simpsons."

Peter smirks and shrugs as he takes a few deep breaths.

"Ok to answer your questions yes I really look like this. My planet was called Krypton. Yes I came in a ship and yes I broke the speed of light using Trans-Warp propulsion. No you can't see it because I blew it up. No there are no others here and no it is not an invasion so therefore your freedom and Earth's sugar resources are perfectly safe."

"What do you mean your planet **was **called Krypton?" Peter asks emphasising on the past tense Clark used.

Clark sighs sadly. "It's gone...and there are literally no others. I am the sole survivor."

"I'm sorry," Peter says because it is all he can think of to say.

"It's alright," Clark assures Peter even if it's not.

"What do you mean you blew up your ship?" Peter asks incredulous. He really wanted to see it!

"Long story."

"Don't want to talk about it?"

"Not if I can avoid it," Clark says because the reasons behind why he did that and the consequences...not his finest hour by a long long way.

"Yeah I have stories like that," Peter says sadly as he is referring to what happened when his Uncle died and how he is responsible. "So if you're the last how did your biological father brainwash you?"

"He sent along with me an AI copy of himself."

"Cool."

"I'm beginning to think its programming got corrupted somewhere along the way because it has this notion I have a pre-set destiny and to make sure I fulfil it it will do anything, even kidnap and brainwash me."

"Damn computer viruses. They just get everywhere now," Peter jests as the cause.

"I wish it was that simple."

"So what happened?"

Clark explains it. The fake cousin, getting sucked into the cave wall and brainwashed, what he did after his release up to being saved by Rogue and his mother.

"So your on old One-Eye's radar huh," Peter says in reference to Fury. "I know that feeling. I think he wears his underwear too tight."

"You said that to his face didn't you?"

"I might have mentioned it in passing," Peter confirms that yes that is exactly what he did last time he met Fury.

Clark chuckles at that image as he imagines Fury's reaction. He is almost amazed Peter isn't locked up.

"So your adopted parents. How does that fit in?" Peter asks, trying to see how all the pieces slot together.

"Krypton blew up when I was a baby. Add about 3 years to reach Earth and that was the state I was in when they found me." Clark then goes on to describe how he came down in the meteor shower and the first meeting with his parents and their upside-down truck.

Peter watches Clark as his friend stares into the sky looking at that faint galaxy that was his home. "I lost my parents too. I know what it's like," he says in an understanding tone.

Clark smiles thinly. He takes a moment and grabs another jelly filled dohnut from the box sitting between him and Peter.

"So your powers?" Peter inquires.

"Are natural for my species. Like I said when we first met I was born this way. What about you? You mentioned a radioactive spider?"

Peter nods and explains about a school trip to Oscorp and an experiment they saw that was being run involving radiation to be harnessed in a way to perform genetic engineering. Peter goes on to explain how he noticed a spider that ended up getting caught in the path of the radioactive beam and how that spider ended up biting him. He then goes on to explain feeling sick, sleeping for a couple of days and waking up seeming fine and thinking nothing unusual happened until he was almost run down by a car. In reaction he jumped out of the way and ended up to his complete shock sticking to a wall. Obviously the spider bite somehow injected some of the spider's DNA into his blood which altered his DNA in some way giving him his powers.

"You know I wish that was the strangest thing I had ever heard," Clark says lamenting a little his odd life.

"Tell me about it," Peter says in agreement because since he started this hero gig he has seen and experienced weirdness on a level he never imagined could exist. And he is thinking this why sitting next to a real life alien.

There is a moment of silence while the two teens take time to absorb all this. Peter takes another dohnut from the box. "So you missed the whole summer?" he inquires, feeling a change of subject might be good right now.

"Yep."

"Wow. You do realise how crazy the world went right?"

"I've been trying to catch up. New heroes and villains appearing. Tony Stark is Iron Man. The Fantastic Four...do you know them?" Clark asks as he points at a large holographic orange 4 within a circle in the sky above a building in the distance.

"Uh...yeah. We've met. I kinda asked them for a job," Peter says sounding embarrassed about it.

Clark looks at Peter with a curious and puzzled expression.

"I thought they were paid to be a team," Peter defends himself. As it turned out that was a bad misjudgement. They weren't paid to be a team and don't get him started on the Human Torch. Arrogant jerk!

Clark decides not to pursue that further. He changes subjects. "So what was the story last night with those 3 guys?"

Relief spreads through Peter that Clark didn't take up the FF story. He doesn't want to relive it. "I don't know. It doesn't make sense why they would be there. They hate each other. They've been battling it out for control of New York's underworld."

"I thought you said the Kingpin ran New York's criminal underworld," Clark remembers Peter saying.

"He did until a few months back. Someone set him up and now he has about 12 separate law enforcement agencies investigating him. Those 3 goons from last night have been trying to take advantage while KP's busy."

Clark bites into his dohnut and contemplates. "What if whoever set Kingpin up set those 3 up to get them out of the way as well," he suggests.

Peter chews slowly on his dohnut. "That could make sense...but it would mean there's another player in the game. One who keeps to the shadows out of sight."

"Very astute thinking."

Clark's brow furrows as his head snaps round. It is the police Captain from last night he saved walking towards them.

Peter, pulls his mask down fully and gets to his feet. Clark gets to his feet as well.

"Captain Stacy," Spider-Man greets the man a little surprised to see him. "So what brings you up to visit? The wonderful New York air with its 106 identifiable air pollutants that, as we speak, are creating Godzilla to come and ravage our fair city?"

"That was nuclear fallout that created Godzilla," the Blur corrects him.

"Trust me New York's air is way more mutating than dull old radiation."

Captain Stacy laughs.

Clark looks to Peter for an explanation as to what this man is doing here.

"It's alright. He's a friend, ally, compadre, drinking buddy, amigo..."

Captain Stacy interrupts. "I think he gets the idea Spider-Man."

Spider-Man holds out the box of dohnuts. "Dohnut?" he offers one to Captain Stacy.

"I'm trying to watch my weight," Captain Stacy politely turns him down. He then looks at tall young man who saved him and being as he was on the ground last night he never got to fully appreciate just how tall the young man is. He was easily a few inches over 6 foot. "I never got to thank you for saving my life," Captain Stacy says.

"That's not necessary sir," the Blur assures him. "It's kinda what I do."

"I see. I did some research on you. The Bayville Blur."

"That's what the press call me...and I haven't come up with anything better."

Captain Stacy nods in acceptance. He looks to Spider-Man. "Interesting friends you have," he remarks.

"Yep. I'm thinking of starting my own team. Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends! Catchy right?"

Captain Stacy doesn't give a response. "We need to talk about last night. I overheard that last part. I agree. I think it was a set-up."

"By whom?" Spider-Man asks.

"That's the question and after last night we have opened the door for him. I expect it to get very messy shortly as our mystery friend attempts to move in and assert control."

"You make it sound if we did something bad."

"That 3 criminals who have caused massive suffering are in jail? No. That's not bad...but it does leave a vacuum and nature abhors a vacuum," Captain Stacy gives the slightly dire warning about what is to come.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

When Fisk ended up under investigation Tombstone saw it as his chance to stop being someone else's lackey or hired help and claim a piece of New York for himself. He even got himself his own hired help in the form of Hammerhead and it is Hammerhead who is responsible for what happened at the Opera.

Tombstone had spent his time in jail thinking on it. Hammerhead had been the one who came with the supposed message. Tombstone would make him pay when he could. For now he had to be careful. He had managed to get himself out on bail thanks to a slick lawyer but knew he was being watched.

Tombstone strides back into his home and into his study. He pushes the door open only to find someone there, sitting behind his desk with their feet resting upon it. "I should have known," he says in a low voice. "Hammerhead never showed this type of initiative. You set me up."

The figure behind the desk is dressed in green and purple and upon his face is a green mask...a green goblin mask. The figure known only as the Green Goblin grins wickedly. "Guilty, guilty and oh so guilty," he admits with a gleeful pride. He stands up and raises his hands in triumph. "Now I'm the new Kingpin of New York!" he proclaims his victory. It had taken a long time and careful manoeuvrings behind the scenes and in the shadows to get where he is today but it was all worth it. True Spider-Man's little helper from last night had not been in the plan but it all still worked out in his favour in the end.

Tombstone's eyes narrow. "I wouldn't celebrate just yet," he warns his enemy. "I'm not finished yet."

"Oh I disagree," the Green Goblin says in a complete rebuttal of that view, waggling his finger at Tombstone in a dismissive manner.

Tombstone snorts. "You're taking a lot for granted if you think Fisk is about to hand you his crown. He'll weasel his way out of what you did to him eventually," he argues, revealing he knows that the Goblin was the one who set Fisk up in the way that ended with Fisk's illegal dealings being revealed to the authorities.

The Green Goblin chuckles and even to one such a Tombstone it is a disconcerting sound. "Don't you fret there my dear Tomby. I have plans in place to deal with Round Boy when the time comes."

Tombstone watches the Goblin pace back and forth. What he wouldn't give to just get his hands around that green neck.

The Goblin glances at him. "I know what you're thinking. I wouldn't try it if I were you," he warns Tombstone in a deadly serious tone. "I'm more than prepared for you. Did you know for instance that a certain combination of chemicals in gaseous form can paralyse even you? This same gas currently fills my little pumpkin bombs," he says as he pats the bag that hangs over his shoulder down to his waist that contains bombs encased in shells resembling pumpkins. It's an aesthetic he runs with.

Tombstone's hands clench into fists as he barely restrains his anger.

"Wise decision," the Goblin praises him. "Now you're asking yourself what does the handsome genius that is the Green Goblin plan to do next hmm?"

Tombstone can't help but wonder.

"Well I'll tell you. With Fisk, Octavius, Silvermane and yourself out of the picture there is only one left who can stand against me. Spider-Man."

Tombstone laughs in a mocking fashion. "You're kidding right?" he scoffs at the Green Goblin's next plan. "Do you know how many times we've all tried to kill that wall-crawling pest?" he asks rhetorically, pouring scorn on any attempt to be rid of Spider-Man. The webslinger was worse than a roach for his ability to survive.

Green Goblin looks amused. "My dear Tombstone. Who said anything about killing him?"

An expression of complete bafflement comes to Tombstone's face.

"Now I could. He and I could battle over and over again. Kill and destroy huge swaths of New York until one of us is dead. That would certainly be entertaining but not very productive." He holds a finger up as if to say for Tombstone to pause and consider what he is about to say next. "But imagine..." Even through the mask you can almost see Green Goblin's eyes light up at the idea in his head. "Oh just imagine what could be accomplished if he joined me instead!"

And once he had Spider-Man under his control there would be no more need to hide in the shadows. He could come out into the light and claim what is his. As the image of that future plays out in his head the Green Goblin throws his head back and an insane cackling laugh escapes from his lips. "HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

* * *

"I was meaning to ask," Clark says to Peter as they continue their night patrolling round New York. They had stopped various muggings, and store hold-ups and an attempted bank job all of which gave Peter plenty of ammunition to fire off his endless quips, chatter and occasional narrative monologues and Clark ended up playing off of him. It was really fun actually. Clark could see why Peter did it.

"About?" Peter inquires.

"Captain Stacy. He just happened to show up where we were?" Clark inquires.

"Oh that. That building is one of the places we set up to meet. I didn't expect him to show up tonight."

"So that bit about you being allies?"

"True. He's...he believes in me. Believes I'm a hero. Is probably the only one in the police force that does."

Clark can hear the emotion in Peter's voice that shows that that fact means a lot to him. "Even after the symbiote?" he asks as in how did Captain Stacy react to that.

"I explained what happened to him...short of revealing my identity I don't know why. Just felt I needed to tell someone you know?"

"Yeah. I do know."

"He was...understanding. He listened. I needed it at the time. I was thinking of quitting. He was the one who got me to keep going by showing me every one of the Spider-Man related case files he had and he showed me a picture of everyone I had ever saved and pointed out that if I quit who would save all the people like them. I couldn't let them down. Not like I had my..." Peter trails off before he says 'Uncle Ben'.

Clark looks at Peter swinging low just above his head and briefly wonders if he should ask. He can pretty much guess the next bit would involve the name of someone close to Peter. After all Clark has let people down like that. His parents, his mother's lost baby, Kyla, just to mention a few of his failures.

_'No,' _Clark decides. He won't ask because he knows how painful it can be to dredge up memories like that. What he can do is perhaps is come up with a way to cheer Peter up. Despite hiding it behind his jokes Clark can tell Peter is not exactly thrilled at the way his life is going. If anything he is almost depressed. "So my friend Chloe is coming over next weekend for a belated birthday party. Want to come?" he invites Peter.

"What? Me?"

"No. I was asking the other guy in the red and blue costume swinging through new York," Clark says sarcastically.

"There's another Spider-Man" Peter queries in shock. "I'm really got to get trademarked."

"You know you are as bad as Dom," Clark complains.

"Dom?"

"Someone I live with who talks just about as much as you."

"I like him already!"

"Her," Clark corrects Peter's misnomer. "But back on subject. Will you come?"

Peter ums and errs a few times before answering. "I'm flattered you would think of me but I'm going to have to turn you down."

"I see," Clark says with a frown. Normally he is a consensual person by nature but he really thinks this party would be good for Peter so he'll just have to take a page out of Rogue's play-book and get devious.

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

Live Wire's eye rolling for the night was reaching a record level. Too much alcohol during the poker game had made a few of her team-mates brave or stupid enough to attempt a pass at her. She is not interested. She had even given them a small sharp electrical jolt when hands started to stray where they shouldn't.

Finally having had enough she left the table to return to her room. She hears someone jogging up behind her.

"Leaving so soon Cherie?"

Gambit. Cue another eye roll. "What do you want Cajun?"

Gambit jogs up beside her and slows to walk at her pace. "Gambit can't help but notice d'at you are unhappy."

"Really? What clued you in?" she mutters in an acerbic tone.

"Maybe Gambit can help," he makes a very open sounding offer.

Live Wire stops as does Gambit. She turns to look at him, as he flashes that easy going smile of his. He is attractive. Live Wire wouldn't deny it but she has other occupations on her confused, conflicted mind. "What makes you think you can?" she bluntly asks him.

"Gambit has lots of experience helping de tres belle femme."

Live Wire arches an eyebrow. "Uh huh," she says sceptically. "Is this the same way you helped yourself to my money tonight?"

Gambit shrugs "What can Gambit say? He has a gift for de cards."

"Like the ones you stuff up your sleeve so you can cheat you mean."

Gambit looks offended. "Gambit have no idea what you mean."

"No of course not. Don't treat me as blind nor stupid Gambit!" she tells him off in a sharp aggressive tone. "I saw you...and don't bother pulling that innocent look of yours. It doesn't work no matter how cute you are."

Gambit grins. "You d'ink Gambit cute?"

"I didn't say that," Live Wire tries to backtrack.

"Gambit has noticed how you do not insult him as you insult others."

Live Wire snorts but does not deny that.

"If you knew Gambit cheat then why did you not say so to de others?"

"Maybe I just wanted some leverage to use against you later."

"Gambit d'inks he would like to be in _debt _to you Cherie," he says flirtatiously.

Live Wire glares at him before suddenly she grabs Gambit by the lapels of his long brown coat and yanks him forward until her lips smother his and she kisses him forcefully. She pulls back breathing hard and licks her lips. "When you get tired of the little girl and want a real woman you know where I am," she says in a husky tone revealing she knows all about Gambit's tryst with Haze.

Live Wire then heads off to her room and as Gambit watches her depart he can't help but note the slightly sexy sway she has added to her walk no doubt for his benefit. He can't help but smile to himself. Gambit lives for excitement and challenge like this and Live Wire would certainly be a challenge. The kiss was just her showing him she was interested. Gambit knows this game.

As for Alicia...sure he likes Alicia and has no intention of hurting her. After all what she doesn't know can't hurt her.

Live Wire smiles to herself for a couple of reasons as she walks away. First it has been an inordinate length of time since she simply shared a kiss of any sort with a man and second her plan begins. There is so much of her past missing she has come to realise. Flashes of memories that are hers yet she can't place them. Someone has messed with her head is the only possible conclusion...and chances are Magneto has something to do with it considering the ease with which he was going to use a telepath on his own daughter.

That and Live Wire got a flash of memory the other day of her strapped to a chair with Magneto standing over her in a menacing manner which she couldn't place. Therefore the question became how does she get answers. Solution; get them from someone who was here before she can remember joining 'voluntarily' and choose the weakest link to extract this info from.

Gambit.

His womanising, gambling, thieving ways made him easily the one she could most likely seduce the answers out of. She isn't above using her body to get what she wants.

Live Wire strides into her room and shuts the door behind her. She stares at her walls upon which she has written over and over and over, until it covers every square inch ,what it is she wants to know.

_Who is Leslie Willis?_

* * *

**The next day at the Parker household...**

Peter walks in the door after school and after dropping by at the Bugle to get paid...no wait scratch that...to get underpaid by JJ for his Spider-Man and Blur pics the other night. Well no longer the Blur since JJ had decided to rename him. Peter wondered if Clark had seen it. He might phone his friend just to see because Clark's reaction would probably be priceless. "Aunt May!" he calls out. "I'm home!"

"In the kitchen Peter!" he hears his aunt shout back. He assumes she is having a cup of tea or something.

Peter walks into the kitchen and he blinks...twice. Sitting at the table with his aunt is a tall guy with curly black hair and nerdy glasses. "Clark?"

Clark turns his head, smiles goofily and pushes his glasses up his nose. "Hi Pete," he greets him in a completely calm tone.

Peter nervously steps forward a pace or two considering his aunt is giving him her disapproving look.

"Peter," May says in a slightly sharp tone. "How come I've never met your friend here before?"

"Ah...well you know aunt May...he lives an hour away in Bayville and I didn't want to put anyone out," Peter comes up with on the spot hoping that doesn't contradict anything Clark might have said.

May frowns at him. "Oh pish posh," she dismisses Peter's argument. "Such a nice polite young man like this," she lays praise on Clark. "He wouldn't have minded coming I'm certain and if you had asked Peter I would have allowed him to stay for a visit or allowed you to visit him," she adds and she says this with full knowledge about where Clark lives after he told her.

"I was just telling your aunt how we ran into each other when you came to Bayville for that school assignment," Clark says, letting Peter know where he can jump off.

"Yeah that was some day," Peter tries to joke, still a little off about the fact Clark is here.

"Clark was also telling me about the party he is planning to have for his friend," May says.

"Yeah. About that..." Peter starts to say how he can't go but May interrupts him.

"I think it's a wonderful idea that you go."

"Huh?"

"You need to get out and meet new people," May tells him and she is saying this because Peter has been very distant from herself and his friends ever since the episode he had where he became this...well May didn't like to dwell on what Peter had become. The important part was that is was obviously only a phase that passed. However she knows it damaged his friendships and he hasn't put the effort in to repair them despite her telling him he could. If he goes then he can make new friends without the baggage.

"But aunt May," Peter starts to protest.

"Peter. You're going," she states in a no room for argument tone.

"Yes ma'am," Peter mumbles in defeat. He knows not to argue with that tone.

Clark smiles slightly. It is very reminiscent of when his mother is taking him to task.

Peter sits down at the table and pulls out today's copy of the Bugle from his bag. "By the way have you seen the Bugle today?" he asks Clark, seeing a chance to get back at his friend for what he has done.

"No," Clark replies.

"There's a follow-up story about that person who aided Spider-Man the other night."

Clark silently groans. Why do people think it necessary to be so obsessed with what he does he has no idea. "It's not an anti-mutant rant is it?" he asks, because he has no desire to read another one of those.

"No."

"Thank goodness," May says in relief. The kind of bigotry mutants get is something she never thought she would see again in this country. Personally she has nothing against mutants and as she and Clark have talked, while they waited for Peter, he spoke of his mutant friends in warm terms so they can't be anywhere as bad as some in the press try to portray them as. As for Spider-Man...well to be kind she is undecided on how to judge him. The Bugle's stories don't give her confidence but Peter always defends the arachnid themed hero/vigilante. Although how Peter gets those pictures is a mystery to May.

"Mr Jameson gave him a name," Peter reports as he hands the folded up paper to Clark.

Clark frowns as he unfolds the paper. The last thing he needs is another ridiculous name thought up by the media. His eyes widen when he sees the headline with the name he has actually heard before. Superman. In his head he groans, '_Not again!'_

The only positive Clark can say as he skims the article is that it isn't like the ones the Bugle writes about Spider-Man. If anything it's kind of supporting about him. Not overwhelmingly so but still generally positive. It makes him feel bad for Peter. This is the type of article Peter should get written about him. Clark can't figure it out why he is the one getting good press.

May gently picks the paper from Clark's hand and reads the article for the first time herself. "I do suppose it fits the symbol he wears," she remarks. "Although I'm not certain his outfit is quite reflective of such a name," she slightly criticises the whole leather biker-esque look as she would ascribe it as.

_'Ooh. That would upset his mother,'_ Clark muses...and it's not a S!

A short time later Clark makes his farewells to Peter's aunt who is a really nice lady but Clark needs to be getting home.

Peter walks Clark out the door. "So what did you think of JJ's name?" he asks, now that he is out of earshot of his aunt.

Clark raises a hand to his head and shakes his head. "Would he be terribly upset if I said someone beat him to it?"

"Really?" Peter queries interested, loving the idea of JJ being shown up.

"My codename as an X-Man was Superboy but the first suggestion was Superman but since I was only 16 at the time we decided that boy was a more appropriate suffix."

"Well I suppose you could go explain to JJ that you're only 17."

"Nah," Clark replies. "After all if you can get away with it I can. Besides truthfully it doesn't really bother me what I'm called. I think I said that to you when we first met that all I really want is to help people. What others call me...well that's up to them."

Peter nods. He does remember words to that effect. "By the way what is your name? I mean your...uh...alien name," he says trying not to sound offensive by asking this.

"My birth name," Clark informs Peter of the term to use. "It's Kal-El...and by the way before you ask it's not a S on my chest. It's the family crest. It happens to resemble a S. That's all."

"Funny coincidence," Peter remarks.

Clark shrugs. What can he say? "By the way can Mr Jameson really get away with all the wild speculations?" Clark asks Peter about the many wrong assumptions about him in the Bugle.

"It's an editorial. An opinion and besides what can any of us costumed heroes do. It's not like we can sue him," Peter says but boy how he wishes he could.

"Why is he so negative on you?"

It's Peter's turn to shrug. "Who knows? Maybe a spider bit him as a kid and he's been holding onto the grudge all these years and sees me as a way to vent."

"You deserve better."

Peter smiles slightly at that one. "You're one of the few people that thinks that."

"One day I'll write something positive about you," Clark promises.

"That'll be something to look forward too," Peter tries to joke but it comes off a little flat. "By the way that was low," Peter suddenly complains.

"What was?" Clark asks, a little put off by the sudden change in topic.

"Going behind my back to my aunt."

Ah the party. "Worked didn't it."

Peter sighs. "I really don't want to go...no offence."

"Peter don't take this the wrong way but you need to go. You're mopy and depressed and it is just weird to see you like that."

"Mopy?" Peter questions that. "How am I mopy?"

"Well you do hide it well under your babble but trust me I know mopy. I have a degree in it. Just ask my mom if you don't believe me."

"Have you always been like this? Feeling the need to stage an intervention?"

"Nope. I blame Kitty," Clark says with an 'aw shucks' lopsided grin. Well actually it was Rogue's influence that made him be this devious but he would never say that out-loud in case Rogue heard. He would like to remain breathing. Hence he said Kitty...and he isn't being completely untruthful in blaming her. Although of course in reality she really is his good friend. He just likes teasing her.

"Kitty?" Peter questions that. He remembers her. Brown hair, blue eyes, pretty looking, phased through things and was able to actually hold a conversation with him however brief it was that morning he was at the mansion and she was kind of sweet really.

"Kitty is not as sweet as she appears to be. Trust me on that," Clark mutters darkly at what she did to him to get back at him for his redecorate her room prank. He doesn't like to think about it. "So will you come or do I have to abduct you?" he half-threatens.

"Oh god! There's going to be anal probing isn't there!" Peter jokes referring to that common joke about alien abductions.

"Hardy har ha," Clark replies in a flat sarcastic tone. "Seriously though do I?"

"It's an hour...on public transport," Peter continues to try and weasel his way out of it.

"I'll pick you up. I've got the trip down to 3 minutes," Clark offers shooting that argument apart.

Peter groans. "Ok I'll come," he submits to the inevitable.

Clark grins. "Great!" he cries cheerfully at his success. "I'll pick you up bright and early Saturday morning," he tells him. "Bye Pete!" Clark says before he walks off to find a place to superspeed off home without being seen.

Peter sighs. He knows he'll probably regret agreeing to this. Why? Two words. Parker Luck.

* * *

**Smallville, the offices of the Torch...**

"No."

"Come on Chlo. I want through all this effort. I've already made the arrangements with Smallville."

Chloe huffs. She can't believe Lois went behind her back and arranged a party for her in Bayville at the Xavier Institute. Sure she would love to see Clark. He is her best friend after all but she isn't in a celebratory mood what with her father away.

"Chlo you're only 18 once. Let me make it memorable for you," Lois almost pleads with her cousin. "Give me one reason why not?"

Chloe opens her mouth but Lois cuts her reply off.

"A good reason," Lois insists on.

"How about I would have to skip school to take the trip to Bayville," Chloe argues.

"Oh wow you'd have to take a few days off. It's the end of the world as we know it," Lois says being over-dramatic about it to emphasise her point. "Nope. That's not good enough," Lois decides.

"Well how about...uh...there's...err...how about I just don't want to be a nuisance."

"You're never a nuisance Chlo. That's me!"

Chloe can't stop the snigger escaping her lips.

Lois smiles. "Come on Chloe. Smallville said it was no problem and I've already passed on my instructions about what kind of party to set up. The only reason I'm telling you this far ahead is that I know it's a bit of a long drive and you need to make sure everything is covered with the house and stuff," she says in a softer tone.

"Alright," Chloe gives in. "I'll go."

Lois grins triumphant. "See. Was that so hard?" she asks rhetorically. She places her arm across her cousin's shoulder. "We'll have a great time. You'll see couz," Lois promises.

Chloe smiles at Lois' optimism. "Thanks Lo," she says, truly grateful Lois put all this effort in to make sure she has a nice brithday.

"So you'd be the infamous Lois Lane Chloe talked so much about."

Both Chloe and Lois look to the doorway to see a girl with long dark hair and a slight exotic look standing there. Chloe's eyes widen in shock. "Lana!"

Lana smiles. "Hi Chloe!" she greets her friend warmly

Chloe runs over and hugs her old house-mate. She steps back and looks Lana over. "What are you doing back?" she asks, since as far as she knew Lana didn't have any plans to return from Paris any time soon.

Lana shrugs. "Got a little lonely...a little homesick Thought I'd come home. See Lex and yourself," she explains why she is back.

"I'm glad," Chloe says genuinely because yeah her relationship with Lana hasn't always been easy especially when they were both chasing after Clark but that was no longer an issue so that leaves her friendship with Lana and no real issues between them any more. In fact she has found herself missing Lana.

"Me too!" Lana says in her perky tone, agreeing with the sentiment of being glad to see her friend.

Chloe leads Lana into the Torch office so she can introduce Lana to her cousin. "Lana I'd like you to meet my cousin Lois. Lois this is my friend Lana that I told you about."

Lois looks the girl over who is dating the King of the Trust Funds and all round scuzzbucket Lex Luthor. She isn't impressed. She hides her feelings for Chloe's sake. "Yeah. Nice to meet you."

If Lana picks up on Lois' lack of enthusiasm in that greeting she doesn't let on. She instead asks a question, with keen interest in her eyes. "So did I hear something about a party?"

* * *

_Author's Note: Lana's back! Or is she? Anyone who knows I'm writing a version of Spell soon can guess what I mean when I ask that and yes I'll be including Peter in it. I had to make a choice about which version of Venom to use. The alien creature or the artificially created life-form. I chose the artificially created one because it allowed me to throw in a link to Norman Osborn. My poll for who gets possessed is now closed. The winners were Rogue and Wanda so that's who'll you see. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; It's Chloe's birthday party...with surprise guests!_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**Bayville...**

Taryn Fujioka is sitting on the stairs outside the block of apartments she lives in, waiting to be picked up by her best friend Jean Grey. Taryn had been invited to attend the party Clark was throwing for one of his friends tomorrow and somehow, don't ask Taryn how, she ended up agreeing to help put decorations up this evening.

She supposes she could blame it on her friend's psychic powers but in reality Taryn knows Jean wouldn't do that. In reality Taryn agreed for another reason entirely. There is something she wants to raise with Jean and this seemed like a good way to get some alone time with her best friend.

Taryn checks her watch. 17.08. Jean's now 8 minutes late. They will be having words. Stern words about keeping to agreements.

Taryn sighs. She'll give it 5 more minutes before she phones Jean to give her a peace of her mind. That's only fair. She places her purse down on the step next to her and waits.

Next thing she knows is that a guy walking past her on the sidewalk has grabbed her purse and is running off down the street with it. "Stop! Thief!" she yells.

Suddenly a red/blue blur streaks by throwing up a gust of wind that blows her dark hair about. A few seconds later a figure clad in red and blue appears before her, her purse in his hand. "I believe this is yours," he says in a gentle voice that makes her insides warm.

Taryn looks up to see, the now named, Superman standing in front of her offering her her purse back. He smiles at her and Taryn almost melts. _'Be cool Taryn. Be cool. Remember to breathe,' _she mentally tells herself not to act like a complete yutz in front of her superhero crush. She reaches up and takes her purse. "T-Thanks," she stutters out and then mentally berates herself, _' Oh yeah that was smooth.'_

"You're welcome," Superman says politely. "You do have a knack for trouble though," he lightly teases.

"Wha-huh?"

"I saved you from a fire here."

"Oh. Yeah...but you know that wasn't my fault."

"Really? I remember reading it was a pair of hair straighteners that had been left plugged in that caused it."

Taryn's cheeks flush with embarrassment. Yes the fire was her fault...sort of but the hair straighteners were faulty. The company that made them had to end up paying to repair the damages to her home.

Superman smiles in a good-natured manner. A car pulls up behind him at the kerb. Jean in Scott's convertible.

Jean gets out of the car, surprised to see Clark here. "Superman," she says and smiles when Clark frowns at her.

Clark frowns because of the slight amused tone Jean spoke in and mischievous twinkle in her eye as she said 'Superman'. He has had no rest from the teasing this last week from everyone...even Rogue. Some girlfriend. "Jean," he greets her, his tone deliberately flat in response.

"What happened?" Jean asks at the fact he happens to be here.

"Oh only a would-be purse snatcher targeting your friend. I just happened to be passing."

"Passing?" Jean queries that because passing for Clark could mean anything up to like a 20mile radius if not further.

Clark shrugs. "Well I should go," he says. "Try and stay out of trouble Miss Fujioka," he says with a quick friendly wink before vanishing.

Oh god. Taryn definitely feels more than a little warm and she was quite envious at how easily Jean speaks to Superman. "How do you do that?" she asks Jean.

"Do what?"

"Speak to him like...like..."

"He's a friend?"

Taryn nods.

"Because he is a friend," Jean says and that isn't a lie. "You ok?" she asks Taryn.

"Yeah I'm fine. We should go," she decides as she stands up and walks over to the car. She gets in the passengers side while Jean gets in the driver's side. "So what kept you?" Taryn asks. "You're late," she accuses.

"Sorry," Jean apologises. "Lost track of time."

"Really? What were you doing? Making out with Scott?"

Jean's cheeks turn red.

"You were!" Taryn laughs.

"Well he is my boyfriend," Jean says defensively as she starts the car up.

"Yeah. I'm still stuck fantasising on Superman."

"Well I did tell you to try asking Paul out," Jean reminds her friend something she mentioned literally months ago. Jean pulls out into the street and starts the drive back to the Institute.

"I know. I know. It is just...I don't want to risk it and ruin our friendship you know."

"Yeah. I really do know," Jean says because that was part of the reason she and Scott took so long to hook up. She confused her feelings for him with their close friendship. "However the risk can be rewarded by something wonderful," Jean argues using herself and Scott as the example.

"I'll think on it ok?" Taryn decides.

"Sure," Jean shrugs. She isn't going to push it too hard.

They drive along for a bit and Taryn raises the point she wanted to earlier. "By the way I've been meaning to ask about Clark."

"What about him?"

"As I recall Paul and I were promised the true story about him but we still haven't gotten it. He keeps avoiding talking about it. I don't want to sound pushy and I don't mean to be insensitive if he has issues but a promise is a promise so I thought I'd talk to you first."

Jean silently groans. Clark has been procrastinating over that issue for weeks for no good reason that she can figure out. "I'll talk to him," she promises Taryn.

"Thanks Jean! You're a great friend!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Taryn confirms. "And you'd be a better friend if you could get me a date with Superman. I mean I thought he looked good in black but in the red and blue...god I could just eat him up. Yum yum!"

Jean has to hold back a snigger. When Clark tells Taryn the truth...boy is that going to be something worth seeing.

"If I'd known I was going to bump into him I would have brought a change of underwear. These panties are now officially sticky!"

"Taryn!" Jean cries as her entire face goes as bright a shade of red as to match her hair at her friend's bluntness. She is so shocked she almost loses control of the car.

Taryn laughs. She loves Jean as a friend sure but Jean can be such a prude sometimes.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Many of the students were helping get the place ready to host a party. It helped that many of them had met Chloe before when the New Mutants took that trip to Smallville's woods so in many senses they were doing this for a friend. Plus she did help them out by testifying to Congress on their behalf just after Magneto had revealed the existence of mutants to the world. Giving Chloe a bitchin party, as Tabby had called it, seemed the least they could do.

Jean left Taryn to help out and it pleased Jean that seeing the others use their powers no longer seemed to freak Taryn out like the first time she saw it. Jean left her friend because she needs to have words with a certain teenage alien.

Jean walks off to find a quiet empty spot in the mansion. "Clark," she says in a slightly raised voice. "I need to talk to you. I know you can hear me."

"Of course I can hear you. I'm right behind you."

Jean jumps and clutches at her now fast beating heart. She turns round and gives him the glare of death. "Don't do that!"

Clark smirks. Appearing behind people and shocking them...always gets a priceless reaction. "So what can I help you with Jean?"

"Taryn."

"Is she alright?" Clark asks, because she seemed fine when he left.

"She's fine...except for the part where you promised to tell her about yourself and you haven't."

"Oh that," Clark says as his face falls.

"Yes. That," Jean says sternly.

"I suppose I have been procrastinating a little," he concedes.

Jean arches one of her cherry eyebrows. "A little?" she pours scorn on that.

"Ok maybe a lot," Clark might concede a little further. He sighs. "When do you want to do it?"

Jean wants to say right now but there is someone missing. "I suppose Paul should be here too."

"He is already here."

Jean's eyebrows rise in surprise. "He is?"

Clark nods. "He came over to see Scott. You didn't know?"

"No," she says in an angry tone that Scott neglected to tell her. She'll get Scott later. "I'll fetch Paul and Taryn. You work out what to say...or just do that spin thing of yours."

"Spin thing?" Clark queries, sounding a little insulted at what his quick changes are called.

"What? You have a better name?"

"It's my superspeed spin change," he announces with actual pride.

Jean bends over laughing in response, clutching at her sides.

Clark frowns at her. "Thanks Jean. You're such a good friend," he mutters sarcastically.

"I'm...sorry," she tries to say between guffaws so the apology loses most of the effect.

Clark shakes his head, thinking Jean isn't really sorry at all. "Just go get Paul and Taryn," he tells her in a sharp tone before he blurs off.

Jean walks off to find her two friends, still laughing as she goes. She feels slightly bad at laughing at him because Clark is her friend but she just couldn't help herself. Clark's her friend but he's just an utter goof.

* * *

"So really Bobby and Roberto are both dating Cat Grant?" Taryn asks of Tabby as she catches up on gossip.

"Yep," Tabby confirms.

"Just don't ask us to explain how it works without them killing each other," Amara says.

"How does it work?" Taryn asks because she needs to know.

"It's a friendly competition," Sam says from his spot leaning up against the wall, tucking into some chips.

Taryn looks at him, with an understandably confused expression. "Explain please," she requests.

"Sure," Sam says in his inbred polite manner. "It goes like this. The one who can impress her the most wins and the other graciously retires from the field."

"Does anyone actually expect this gracious retirement?" Taryn asks.

"Nope," almost everyone in the room says at the same time, except Bobby and Roberto who aren't here at the moment. Everyone else expects Bobby and Roberto to get into a punch-up sooner rather than later.

"We have an open bet going for how long before this blows up," Amara reports.

Hmm. Taryn thinks she might put a bet down and try and win some money.

Tabby is trying to put a 'Happy Birthday' sign up, hanging from the ceiling, and is overreaching on a step ladder. She starts to topple over only to land in male arms. She looks up at her saviour. "Thanks Sammy!" she says in her usual loud voice. She then plants a kiss on his cheek causing both of Sam's cheeks to redden.

"Y-you're welcome," Sam says with a small stutter as he puts Tabby back down on her feet. "Ah'll...uh...go get a longer ladder," he offers since obviously that one Tabby used isn't cutting it.

"Aw you're always a gent," Tabby compliments him.

Sam leaves with some haste.

"I think he likes you," Taryn remarks.

Tabby looks genuinely surprised at that suggestion. "What?"

"All the time he was here he has been looking at you," Taryn had observed

Tabby looks to the door to where Sam left. "He was?" she queries, genuinely having not noticed that herself.

"Yes he was."

"He's never said anything."

"And this surprises you?" Amara inquires from her friend. "He's Sam. If a girl compliments him he dissolves into a stuttering mess...which he does around you all the time."

"Now that's not fair Amara!" Tabby snaps, with surprising passion.

"Whoa," Taryn remarks. "I spy with my little eye someone who might return the feeling," she sing-songs.

"Course she does." That comment comes from the Goth girl in scarlet red sitting reading a book off in the corner.

They all look at her. Wanda usually does not involve herself in the teen angst of relationships. Tabby has been meaning to work on that.

"You knew?" Amara asks.

"Well it was rather obvious," Wanda says in her opinion. "Right Jamie?" she asks for back-up.

Jamie, helping with the decorations, looks like a deer in the headlights. "Uh...how would I know. I've never even had a girlfriend," he tries to throw them off making him answer.

"Hmm we'll have to do something about that," Tabby says, pondering unleashing another of her crazy half-thought out schemes to help get Jamie a girlfriend.

"I...um...err...I'll go see what's holding Sam up," Jamie says, getting out of there as fast as possible before he gets further sucked in.

Amara tries to get this back on topic. "So do you like Sam?" she asks her blond friend.

Tabby is suddenly on the spot. Sam. She likes Sam...as a friend. After all he's polite and sweet and that accent seriously turns her on... "Well I'll be a Kentuckian's soon to be girlfriend. I do like him," she says as the realisation strikes her.

"Not a revelation Tabby," Wanda mutters, annoyed that no-one seemed to believe her. Just because she isn't interested in boys and stuff doesn't mean she doesn't notice what goes on around here in relation to all that especially when it happens to be her best friend that is involved.

"Now all I have to do is to get him to ask me out," Tabby decides, rubbing her hands with glee at what she can do to encourage Sam to do that.

"Why don't you just ask him out?" Amara asks, unable to see any reason why Tabby can't just do that.

"Oh Amara. My dear sweet naïve Mara. You have so much to learn about American boys. It's so much more fun driving them crazy as you flirt their metaphorical pants off." Tabby lips curve up into an eager grin of anticipation. "I'm going to make Sam so crazy for me he'll be on his knees begging me for a date."

Amara looks to Taryn for help in explaining how that one works but Taryn can't help her. As with most many aspects Tabby's view of things is unique.

Jean pops her head in at this point. "Taryn can I speak to you for a minute?" she requests.

As Jamie and Sam reappear at this point with the longer ladder Taryn sees no reason why not and leaves with Jean.

Tabby saunters up next to Sam as he puts up the new step ladder. "Hi Sammy! Thanks again for the save," she says in a sultry tone and rubs her hand over his arm.

Sam swallows. "Well that's...that's..." What is he trying to say?

Tabby grins. '_And so it begins,'_ she thinks to herself as she puts plan 'Seduce Sam' into operation.

* * *

Taryn follows Jean into the rec room where Scott is with Paul and Kitty, Rogue and Kurt are as well.

"Taryn. Paul," Jean addresses them. "You wanted to know the truth about Clark right?"

Both Taryn and Paul nod.

"Clark! Get your butt down here!" Jean orders.

A gust of wind later and Clark appears dressed in one of his plaid shirts, jeans, work boots and the thick glasses on his face.

"You bellowed," Clark says with a Rogue-esque comeback.

Rogue sniggers behind her hand.

Jean shoots her a glare before turning her attention back to Clark. "It's time," she states flatly.

Clark takes a breath. "Ok. Paul. Taryn," he addresses them. "I think the easiest thing first off is just to show you."

"Show us what?" Paul asks.

Clark pulls the glasses off his face and dissolves into a spinning whirlwind. This bit always amazes Rogue as she can't figure out how he changes in the midst of spinning.

The whirlwind changes to a red/blue mixture of colour before Clark stops dressed in his new costume.

Taryn's jaw drops and she points at him. "You're...you're..."

"Yep," Clark says with a thin smile.

Taryn's eyes roll into the back of her head and she falls in a dead faint. Clark blurs forward and catches her before she hits the ground.

"Ah knew it! Pay up Kurt!" Rogue demands holding her hand out.

Kurt grumbles in complaint, fishes out a ten dollar bill and slaps it down into Rogue's gloved hand.

"What is going on?" Scott asks Rogue and Kurt.

"She bet me zhat Taryn vould faint vhen Clark did zhat," Kurt answers that question.

Jean looks at them in disbelief. "I can't believe you bet on that," she tells them off. Scott agrees with his girlfriend.

Rogue shrugs. It was only a bit of fun.

Paul hasn't fainted but is surprised. "That's...how have you guys managed to do that? I mean Clark's the last person I ever thought of being Superman."

Rogue chuckles lightly at the mention of the name Superman. She finds it funny that the 1st name they came up for Clark happens to be the one that the Bugle came up with and has now subsequently caught on.

Kurt meanwhile is taking all the credit because he was the one who thought it up.

"Wait a minute. I saw you standing next to...yourself that night of the school-board meeting," Paul remembers, utterly confused at how they did that.

"Holowatch," Clark replies, knowing they explained Kurt's holowatch to Paul and Taryn at some point. "It wasn't me sitting in the meeting. It was my dad wearing a holowatch."

"Why?"

"Long story. Better wait until Taryn comes round so I can tell you together."

"Yeah. Then ah can get another 10 bucks off Kurt," Rogue says with full confidence in that outcome.

"Why? What else did you bet on?" Jean asks with a frown.

"Taryn's reaction vhen Clark tells her vhere he is from," Kurt answers that one.

Well as much as Jean might not want to admit it she can see Taryn fainting again over that. This could be a long evening.

* * *

**The next morning...**

Rogue is walking into the kitchen for breakfast, her hand over her mouth as she yawns. One of the plus sides of having Chloe's party was that they had all been excused DR sessions for the day which had ticked off Logan...her father, although Rogue was still trying to come to terms with what that meant for the two of them. For now they were still playing it by ear and sort of just continuing their relationship as it had always been before the revelation. Neither of them had made any effort to form some deep father/daughter bond or anything like that.

Speaking of Logan he had gone into full grumpy mode at the fact he couldn't make them suffer in the Danger Room. Proof if anything that genetics don't define a person because Rogue is delighted by the fact she doesn't have a DR session...although if there's time before Chloe arrives she might hit the gym for an hour.

In the kitchen Rogue finds the usual suspects at this time of a Saturday morning and a few guests. Kurt was chatting to Amanda who must have arrived really early for the party. Paul was chatting to Scott and Taryn was animatedly chatting with Jean.

Taryn had fainted...again when they got onto Clark's origin but the way she is gushing about him as she talks Rogue can assume she got over it. Although it does kind of irritate Rogue that Taryn can still be so enthused about Clark when she now knows that he has a girlfriend. Rogue herself.

"Morning Rogue."

Rogue snaps out of her thoughts. "Morning Mrs Kent," she returns the greeting to the older red-headed woman.

"The usual?" Martha inquires as to what Rogue wants for breakfast. Teenagers for all their rebellious natures are creatures of habits when it comes to their favourite foods.

"Yes. Thank ya." Rogue sits down at the table. "Where's Clark?" she asks Mrs Kent.

"Gone to pick up Peter," Martha replies. She then briefly checks her watch and her brow quirks slightly as she contemplates how much time has passed since he left. "He's late. I think it is safe to assume he found someone to help on his way."

"Probably more than one," Rogue remarks knowing Clark as she does.

"Traffic accident as matter of fact," Clark's voice breaks into proceedings as his usual gust of wind blows through the kitchen.

"Clark! What did I say about superspeeding into rooms," his mother chides him.

Clark's shoulder's slump. "Sorry," he apologises meekly.

Martha turns her attention to the person Clark brought with him who is right now holding his stomach. "Hello Peter," she greets the brown haired teen.

Peter tries to snap himself back to the here and now. "Hi Mrs Kent. Give me a minute. My stomach is still in Queens," he jokes. A few moments later. "Ok. I'm good."

A light chuckle emanates from behind Peter and he finds Kitty Pryde has walked in behind him. Peter smiles. She was as pretty as he remembered her to be. "Finally someone who appreciates my humour," he quips.

Kitty chuckles again and then takes a minute to once again familiarise herself with Peter Parker. He was not hotness as like some of those boy-bands Kitty fawns over. In many ways he was just an average looking guy. Didn't mean he wasn't attractive and on the plus side for him Kitty is still a huge Spider-Man fan despite the nonsense the Bugle writes about him.

"Do you want anything to eat Peter?" Martha asks him.

"No. Thanks Mrs Kent. I've already had breakfast," Peter explains as he politely refuses.

"Well lucky for you you're here all day. You haven't liked lived until you try Mrs Kent's cooking," Kitty enthuses.

"And you won't live much longer after you try Kitty's," Clark quips.

Rogue laughs at that one. God it is always so amusing to watch Clark and Kitty in full flow as they banter off each other.

Kitty glares at both of them and swears to get back at Clark especially later. She turns her attentions to Peter. "So you've haven't seen the new mansion. Want a tour?" Kitty offers.

"As long as it doesn't involve walling me up in the abandoned mine."

Kitty looks at Peter oddly with a smile on her lips. She had truly forgotten how much he joked. "Well I don't know. The others down there could do with someone to keep them entertained," Kitty jests.

Peter shakes his head and mocks sighs. "Always the clown. Never the jester."

"Huh?"

"Not sure that one made sense Pete," Clark tells him.

Peter scratches his head. Yeah that might have not been one of his better ones. He gets reintroduced to Kurt, Scott and Jean and gets a brief introduction to Amanda, Taryn and Paul where it is explained that all 3 are human...just like him, wink wink, keeping secret identities and all that.

Kitty then takes Peter off on a tour striking up a conversation on a common science article both had read recently.

* * *

Elsewhere in the mansion that morning Tabby is on the hunt for Sam. She had squeezed herself into her tight jeans that showed off her ass and had done a similar thing with a size too small top that clung to her _curves_. She couldn't stop grinning at the thought of what Sam's face will be like when he sees her in this. It's just a shame it is the end of September now and that she hadn't realised Sam liked her during the summer. She would have bought an _appropriate _bathing suit otherwise to further entice Sam over to the Tabby-side.

After a little searching and no luck it suddenly occurs to Tabby where Sam will be. He'll be outside helping Mr Kent work that portion of land he grows crops and veg and stuff on. Well it wasn't a bad day to be outside so Tabby thinks she can still make this work. Plan in mind she heads outside.

Outside Sam is just helping with the usual task of removing the weeds. Spending time out here with Mr Kent reminded him a lot of home. Sam bends over to pull out a stubborn weed.

"Hi Sammy!" a bright voice says. Tabby's voice.

Sam looks up to see Tabby bent over slightly dressed in a top that showed off a lot of cleavage. Heat rapidly spreads through him.

"Like what you see?" Tabby asks him.

Sam's cheeks go red and he splutters, "Tabby...Ah'm...s-sorry. Ah wasn't..."

Tabby grins. "Why are you sorry?" she asks him plainly. "Is there something wrong with the way I look?" she asks him, batting her eyelids at him, while her hands take a long journey as she runs them over herself.

God what Sam would give for those hands to be his. He mentally gives himself a slap. She asked a question. He should answer it. "Um...err..no. It's just...ah..." Sam's having a very hard time concentrating on what to say. Tabby tends to have that effect on him.

"Yes?" Tabby inquires, pretending to naively not know what the issue is.

Sam takes a moment and constructs a proper reply. "No. Tabby. There is nothing wrong with the way ya look. There is nothing ever wrong with the way ya look."

Tabby leans in and kisses Sam on the cheek. "Thanks Sammy! You know from now on I think I'll just come to you when I need an opinion on what I'm wearing. I have all this new underwear..."

Sam chokes at the mere thought of seeing Tabby in her underwear.

"Sam?" Tabby inquires.

"Ah...um...ah need a drink. A long cold drink. Do ya need a drink?" he asks in a sudden splurge of words.

Tabby has to hold back laughing her head off. This was going better than she imagined. She almost feels sorry for Sam and she would if the result wasn't that he gets to date the wonderfulness that is her. "Why yes Sam I would love a drink. You are always such the nice southern gent. I could just see myself marrying someone like that one day," she throws in.

"Really?" Sam asks, his voice suddenly squeaky.

Tabby nods. "Hmm, hmm." She flashes him a brilliant smile. "So drink?"

Sam nods.

Tabby wraps her arms around his and she had to say they weren't bad feeling. They were pretty solid. "Mr K!" she yells. "I'm borrowing Sam for a little while," she tells him.

"Well only for as long as I get him back in one piece," Jonathan says jovially.

"No probs!" Tabby promises. She turns her gaze to Sam. "Lead the way," she tells him.

Sam and Tabby leave watched by Jonathan who shakes his head with a chuckle. He almost feels sorry for Sam and almost feels bad for finding it funny. _'Teenagers,'_ he wryly thinks to himself. They never change.

* * *

Meanwhile Peter's tour had gotten as far as the Danger Room. "You guys really train in a room full of death traps?" he asks, a little disbelieving of that.

Kitty nods brightly. "Yep. It's not so bad really. Although I would like totally avoid one of Logan's programmes. Those are insane but then again he doesn't have to worry about his health with that healing factor of his."

Peter could see how that made sense. If you knew you would recover from any injury why bother with holding back. He looks to his companion who brushes a lock of her hair back and smiles at him. Peter has to say she was prettier than he remembered her to be. Peter also has to say Kitty was good company. Now if only he could figure out why someone as obviously intelligent as she is speaks like some Valley Girl the world might start making some sense. In fact that is probably the key to solving the great mystery of the universe. He chuckles at his own joke.

"What's so funny?" Kitty asks him.

"Oh just a...crazy thought. I get a lot of them."

"That explains why you like get on with Clark. He gets crazy thoughts too."

"Yeah but he's an alien. He has an excuse."

"He told you," Kitty says with notable surprise.

Peter nods. "Yeah. The whole thing. You know about being the last."

"Yeah. There I like totally feel for him...and then I remember all the jokes he plays on me."

"He does? Clark?"

"Oh don't let that boyscout routine fool you. He's a piece of work."

Peter can't help but note it funny how Clark said something similar about Kitty. "So how does this place work?" he asks, gesturing at the Danger Room.

Kitty breaks into a as full explanation as she is capable of giving even if Forge came up with most of the technology behind this. Peter nods mostly, makes jokes and asks clever questions when he has one. Kitty had forgotten how smart he was but to be fair to herself they never talked for that long that one morning he was here. She was really enjoying his company. A fleeting though enters her head. She wonders if he's single...

* * *

It is after lunch that Clark finally hears Chloe approaching the mansion...well more correctly he hears Lois' voice blaring like a foghorn. He reminds himself that she is Chloe's cousin so he can tolerate her for a day for Chloe's sake. He will give Chloe a nice party. She deserves that after all she's done for him and for just being his friend and remaining his friend after he told her what he was.

Clark, his parents, Storm and the Professor move to stand outside the main door to greet Chloe and Lois. Rogue had joined her boyfriend because Chloe was her friend too. The car pulls up. Chloe and Lois get out followed by...

Clark draws breath in pure surprise. "Lana? Lex?"

Lana greets him with a gentile smile which Clark struggles to remember the last time she showed that smile to him. Before they broke up obviously. Clark's hand reaches out in instinct and he feels Rogue's fingers slide in between his. He squeezes her hand gently.

Chloe looks abashed. "Uh surprise!" she belatedly says.

Clark looks at Chloe with near panic in his eyes. He had not planned anything to deal with seeing Lex. Lex who was working with SHIELD, the very organisation who were after the stones not to mention his hide. Then there was his ex-girlfriend whom ended up very bitter at him at the way their relationship ended. This could only be bad and remember that Clark's an optimist by nature.

Lana steps forward to explain her and Lex's presence. "Hi Clark," she greets him first off with an almost flirtatious tone. Rogue's eyes narrow in response.

Clark swallows hard. "Hi Lana," he responds a little awkwardly.

"Now don't be afraid. I've forgiven you over our whole break-up dealy," Lana assures him, seeming to instinctively know what has Clark so on edge.

"You have?"

"Of course. It's the past. You've moved on as have I."

"S-so what brings you here?"

"Well the short version is I was a little homesick so I came back to see Lex and I dropped in on Chloe when I overheard her and Lois discussing her birthday party and what kind of friend would I be if I missed out on that?" Lana asks in her very pleasant sickly-sweet tones.

_'Gee was her voice always that irritating?' _Clark asks himself or maybe he is just likes Rogue's sarcastic laden voice a lot more. Clark then looks to Lex. "And you agreed to come too?" he asks.

Lex's expression is one of a man who isn't sure how he ended up here. All he can say is, "Lana can be very persuasive."

"I most certainly was," Lana murmurs in a low, sultry voice, giving a hint of how she persuaded Lex.

Luckily for Clark in some ways he is still that naïve farmboy and he doesn't pick up on it.

Unluckily Lois isn't that naïve and she does. She makes the appropriate face in response. Lana is just lucky she doesn't know how close Lois came to strangling the snobby witch. Chloe had told her about Clark's crush on the dark haired girl. Lois didn't get it. Even if she doesn't know Clark that well she doesn't see what he could find attractive about the shrew.

Clark takes a moment before introducing Lex and Lana to the Professor and Storm. They then exchange greetings with his parents. Storm then leads Lex and Lana inside.

"I am so sorry about this," Chloe says the second Lex and Lana are out of earshot. "Lana talked herself into coming and for some reason I couldn't find a reason to say no."

"Or warn us?" Rogue asks, especially in reference to Lex and what he is up to.

Chloe frowns. "No," she says as if that is odd. Why didn't she phone ahead? Chloe can't seem to find an answer.

Lois' face puckers up in confusion. She doesn't get how she ended up agreeing either. It doesn't seem like her at all. She shakes it off. "Mrs K. Mr K. Smallville," she greets the 3 Kents.

"Smallville?" Rogue queries.

"He needed a nickname," Lois explains.

"No I didn't," Clark says forcefully as he counters Lois' conjecture.

Lois shrugs. "So did you follow my instructions to the letter?" she asks in reference to the party.

"If he wants to live he ignored most of it," Chloe says, glaring a little at Lois knowing what her cousin would suggest.

"I made a few alterations," Clark tries to mediate the position he ended up in.

"Come on people!" Lois exclaims in frustration. "Lets live a little. You're only 18 once!" she pronounces before she walks into the mansion.

"I'm sorry about her," Chloe feels she has to apologise. "I'm having the tests done as we speak to disprove our cousinly relation."

That joke gets a small laugh for everyone.

"I really am sorry about Lex and Lana," Chloe also apologises for. "I don't know how Lana managed to get me to keep it all secret her coming," she says with another frown upon her brow, as she really struggles to remember what Lana said.

"It is alright Chloe," the Professor says. "But we must spread the word round for the students to be careful what they say around them," he adds. Lex is too close to SHIELD.

Chloe takes a breath and says hello Mr and Mrs Kent.

"A happy belated birthday," Martha says to Chloe.

Chloe's actual birthday was a couple of days ago but she had put off any major celebration until today. "Thanks."

Jonathan and Clark wish her the same before she heads inside with the two elder Kents and the Professor.

Clark hangs back for a moment with Rogue.

"Ya goin' ta beh alright?" Rogue asks Clark.

"Sure. I mean it's just awkward." He looks down at Rogue into those pools of deep green he could just lose himself in forever. He leans down and kisses her. "You won't leave me right?" he asks with concern that without her strength he won't get through this.

"Nevah sugah," Rogue promises.

Clark takes a breath. He can do this. He's met Lana before since their break-up...only he wasn't doomed to be stuck around her for hours on end. "I really wish there was a manual on dealing with exes," he says.

"Fraid not," Rogue says.

"Yeah," he has to agree sadly. "You don't have any I should worry about do you?" he asks.

"Can't touch," she reminds him.

"I know...but you're beautiful. I kinda thought guys would line up to date you."

She wishes. "Only in your head Clark. Not in reality."

"Really? There's never been anyone? Even before your powers kicked in? Didn't you say you had a 1st crush once upon a time?"

Rogue hesitates. She did promise herself to try and open up a little to Clark. "It was...ah mean...we nevah officially dated or anything. It was flirting. Ah was hoping he would ask meh out but then mah powers kicked in."

"What happened with you and him?"

Rogue bites her lower lip and then says in a deathly quiet voice. "Ah put him in a coma for 2 weeks."

Clark instantly draws her and holds her close to him. "It wasn't your fault," he assures her. He then pulls back and gently wipes away a solitary tear that had escaped from Rogue's left eye.

Rogue hadn't even realised the tear escaped. She takes a shaky breath.

Clark smiles at her gently. "You know I won't push but when you're ready to talk about that I'll be here."

Rogue gives him a watery smile in return. This is why she loves Clark so much. He listens and never judges her but also never pushes her faster then she is comfortable with.

Clark puts his arm across her shoulder. "We should get to the party. Peter was saying he was going to challenge Dom to see who talked more."

"Oh god," Rogue theatrically moans. "They'll nevah stop. We'll beh here until time ends."

"More than likely but it'll be good for Peter. He's pretty depressed."

"Didn't look that way ta meh."

"You've got to know him. Trust me under the endless chatter and lame jokes he's depressed. That's why I invited him. To cheer him up."

"Yeah well ah think Kitty wants ta do more than cheer him up."

"Huh?"

"She's crushin' on him. Ah've seen all tha signs before when she crushin on Lance."

"If you say so," Clark remarks because he hadn't noticed what Rogue had.

"Ah do."

"I submit to your superior knowledge of the situation." He then leans in and whispers in her ear, in a deep husky tone, "And tonight I'll submit to anything you want."

Heat flushes through Rogue. It had been weeks since they became regular lovers but still she couldn't get enough of him. She doubted she ever would. When she thought she could never touch another person she got by by telling herself that all the stories people told were exaggerations and that it wasn't really that good and that she wasn't really missing out on anything. Well that was a monumental lie. With Clark, at least, it was that dang good and his suggestion about_ submitting _to her...well roll on tonight is all she can say.

* * *

An hour later the party is well under way with music blaring away. Lois was getting on like a house on fire with Tabby just as Martha thought they would. Peter and Domino were trying to out quip each other with Bobby trying to outdo both. Everyone else seemed to be happy enough milling around, tucking into the food and punch. Even Wanda was here although she was off at the side not really interacting a whole lot. It was still Wanda's nature to be over-protective around herself...especially around new people.

Lex and Lana's appearance wasn't putting a complete dampener on things. Clark had spoken to them briefly but the truth was he didn't have a lot to say to either any more. There was too much time and too much distance between them now. Anyway right now Lana was sharing some stories about her time in Paris with Amara.

Kurt had been a little concerned at first about the surprise guests in relation to his somewhat odd appearance but it had passed over without major incident. Lois even made him blush by calling him cute and pinching his fur covered cheek. Amanda scowled slightly in response. Jealous girlfriends; never incur their wrath...although Amanda couldn't disagree. In her eyes Kurt was undeniably the cutest guy in the world. Not to mention sweetest, kindest, funniest...you get the idea. She has it bad for him.

As for Chloe, Clark had seen Chloe smile and her eyes light up when she walked into the room with the banner and everyone shouting 'Happy Birthday' at her. It made Clark glad to see that look on her face.

Right now he was just catching up a little with her. "Ha! I knew I could get you hooked!" she grins triumphant at Clark confessing his caving in to being a reporter on the school paper.

"You're taking credit for this aren't you," Clark assumes.

"Damn straight I am," Chloe says. "So where's this partner of yours?" she asks in reference to Cat.

"Out of town. Family business," Clark reports what Cat said when she turned down her invite to the party.

"So how it's going?" Chloe asks, seeing if Clark is enjoying it. Deep down she always believed he had a talent to be a good reporter.

"Good...so far. I'm still trying to feel my way into it. As amazing as it may sound Bayville is quieter than Smallville."

"Well Smallville's a lot quieter with Lex's stormtroopers keeping order," Chloe snarks in relation to the private security forces Lex pays for to supplement the police and keep order in Smallville.

Clark looks up at Lex across the room who thankfully didn't hear Chloe's critique. "It can't be that bad?"

"I suppose not...but it's not right. This is America. It shouldn't take an army hanging around to keep order."

"Has there been any trouble since the breakout?" Clark asks in reference to all the meteor mutants Magneto freed from Belle Reeve.

"No strangely but then again I'm thinking the ones the courts sent there probably left with Magneto...or they're in hiding. You know since mutants became public knowledge a few of the meteor infected have gone to live together on what use to be your parents' farm."

"Really?" Clark says with surprise.

Chloe nods. "No-one else took it over so they're squatting on the vacant land. I'm guessing they think safety in numbers of something. There's about 30 of them last time I looked. Most of them are there because their parents kicked them out," she reports from talking to them. They weren't bad. Afraid is the word Chloe would use. Afraid of how people would treat them.

Clark frowns. He wishes there was something he could do about that. Help some way.

"Still as I recall you said there should be about two to three hundred of them in Smallville so it could be worse," Chloe supposes.

"Are they treated badly?"

"I would go with people are still trying to figure out how to treat them. The same goes for the country as a whole...heck the same probably goes for the whole world. It takes more than a few months to adjust to something this world changing."

Chloe, as she often did, had nailed it precisely.

Meanwhile Lana had broken away from Lex, after finishing her chat with Amara, to get some more punch. She takes a moment to check no-one is paying her much heed and then waves her hand over the punch bowl and mutters something under her breath. The punch suddenly glows with a pinkish-red sparkling energy for but a brief moment before returning to normal.

Lana then smiles secretly to herself and says ominously, in a voice barely above a whisper, with just a hint of a French accent, "That should liven things up...and then the real party can begin."

* * *

_Author's Note: Hmm isn't it odd how Lex, Lois and Chloe can't explain exactly how Lana talked them into agreeing to bring her. It's like magic or something. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Everyone wakes up the next day with hangovers, no memory of the party and find Lana, Rogue and Wanda are AWOL._


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

There is something very odd going on here. That's the 1st thought that enters Clark's head when he wakes up.

The 2nd thought is that it's odd he is waking up as he can't remember going to sleep.

The 3rd thought is wondering whether there is kryptonite nearby because he has a pounding head and a nauseous feeling in his stomach...but then realises that apart from that there is not the usual death inducing pain, that he can feel down to the cellular level.

The 4th thought is another odd feeling. He thinks...he thinks he's thirsty. His mouth is so dry...drier then he ever remembers it being.

The 5th thought is a more happy one at the female presence wrapped in his arms. Rogue. That always makes him smile. With his eyes still closed he inhales deeply...wait one damn minute!

That scent. The scent of the woman in his arms is not Rogue.

Clark's eyes snap open and then he winces at sudden brightness that stings his eyes. It takes a minute for them to adjust and for Clark to see he is lying in a bed...not his nor Rogue's...he is lying in a bed with...oh god he truly is going to throw up now.

He's in bed with Lois Lane!

Rogue is going to kill him in the worse way imaginable!

At this minute Lois starts to wake up. Her eyes flutter open. "Yeugh," she makes the strange sound as she tastes what her mouth is like. She then focusses in on the fact she is the arms of Clark Kent lying in a bed. "Smallville?" she queries. "Please tell me we're wearing clothes?" she begs of him, making an appalled face at the idea they might not be.

"We're wearing clothes," Clark can happily, joyously confirm because at least in his mind that means he didn't sleep with Lois.

"Thank god!" Lois mutters in relief.

"No kidding," Clark mutters back, equally relieved sounding.

"Don't sound too happy Smallville," Lois says with the full force of her sarcasm.

"Hey!" he protests. "I have a girlfriend whom I love very very much!" he shoots back with passion. God knows how he'll explain this to her.

"Yeah then how did we end up here and why are you still holding me?" Lois asks him back.

Clark realises that is exactly what he is doing and shoots out of bed, almost at superhuman speed. Lois spins her legs round and moves to sit up on the edge of the bed. She brings her hands to her pounding head. "Wow that must have been some party," she remarks. "You know when I said to spike the punch in my instructions I was half joking," she points out.

"I didn't spike the punch," Clark insists.

Lois tilts her head to look at him and can see he is speaking the truth. "Well then who did? Because I tell you I have a stonker of a hangover. They must have laced it with some really good stuff."

"Oh god is this what this is? A hangover?" Clark asks, looking ill, as he grabs his still pounding head.

Lois grins. "First time huh? Yeah that's always the worst one."

"I...that's impossible. I can't get drunk," he mutters absent-mindedly. When he ran away to Metropolis he drank a lot. Once he drank 5 whole beer kegs in a row and then crushed them on his forehead but the point is he didn't even get a buzz, let alone anywhere near intoxicated. He can only conclude that his alien metabolism makes it impossible...yet here he is nursing what Lois says is a hangover.

"What did you say?" Lois asks him, not hearing him above the drums someone is beating on top of her head.

"Nothing...I...this is Kitty's room," Clark finally figures out where he is by the boyband posters on the wall.

"If you say so. Now please tell me Smallville how the hell did we end up here?" Lois asks him.

"Well...I..." Clark's brow furrows as he tries to recall. "I can remember you arriving. Uh the first hour of the party and then...then..."

"Then?"

"I've got nothing," Clark says, in completely disbelief that he said that because that is also impossible. He has a perfect memory...Jor-El mind wipes aside. "What about you?" he asks Lois back.

Lois thinks. "I can remember arriving. The first hour..."

"And then nothing?"

Lois nods, now looking as equally confused as Clark. She's had some hangovers in her day and sometimes nights are sketchy but they've never been a complete blank.

Clark looks around Kitty's room and spots her alarm clock. He picks it up and his expression fills with more disbelief at the situation. "It's Sunday."

"That can't be right," Lois says, denying that idea, as she stands up and grabs the alarm clock off of him but her visual inspection only confirms what Clark said. It says Sunday. 7.18am. That would make it roughly 17 hours since Lois' and Clark's last coherent memory. Lois throws the clock down on the bed. "Ok I know mutants have lots of powers but just what the hell went off here yesterday?" Lois demands to know in a stern tone and placing her hands on her hips in a stern manner.

For the first time since he met her Clark finds himself agreeing precisely with Lois. Just what the hell happened here yesterday but more importantly where's Rogue?

* * *

Peter has woken up many times to a pounding head...usually after going several rounds with some villain, so it's not a new sensation to him what he is feeling right now...although the nausea is new as is the fact his mouth as dry as a desert.

Peter's brow furrows as he registers a soft weight on top of him, that feels strangely like a girl cuddling up to him. Not that Peter has huge experience of that...well Felicia but that's a whole other story...and there really wasn't that much cuddling if he is being honest. Felicia isn't the cuddling type. More like the..._'Stop babbling Parker!' _he mentally yells at himself.

Peter open his eyes and registers he is lying on a couch, in one of the many rooms of the Xavier Institute. More than that though, lying on top of him, her head resting on his chest, is Kitty Pryde. One of her hands has hold of his shirt tightly, almost pulling it to herself.

_'Well at least they're still clothed,' _Peter thinks to himself with some relief. Unlike that time with Felicia..._'I really need to stop dwelling on that!' _Peter mentally tells himself.

_'Ok think Parker. How did you end up here like this?'_

Peter thinks and thinks and thinks.

_'Nope. I've got nothin!' _his brain reports back.

Peter sighs and raises a hand to his head. He wonders how dead he is this time.

Peter looks down at the sleeping figure of Kitty. She is really kind of cute looking in her sleep and if he is going to die he might as well enjoy lying with a pretty girl before his end comes. Peter's brow furrows once again. Kitty wasn't wearing that purple vest top and black leather pants the last he remembers. Just how much has he forgotten?

"Hmm Peter. Keep me warm," Kitty mumbles thickly in her sleeping state.

Peter was never one to turn down the request of a pretty lady so he puts his arms around her and Kitty cuddles closer into him.

* * *

"Oh god just kill me," are the mutterings of one Amanda Sefton as she wakes up to the same pounding head everyone else seems to have. Her eyes flutter open to find herself lying on the soft fur that composes her boyfriend.

Amanda then looks around. She and Kurt are lying on a blanket on the floor of...where the hell are they? With Kurt's teleporting abilities they could almost be anywhere but the point is Amanda has no memory of how they ended up here.

She gently pokes Kurt. "Kurt. Wake up."

Kurt shifts slightly and mutters in German. Amanda thinks it was something along the lines of 'Too early Liebe.'

"Kurt!" she snaps.

"Oh not so loud Liebe," Kurt protests. "My head hurts."

"That'll be the least of your worries believe you me. Open your eyes."

Kurt does so and his eyes recognise the roof of the Blackbird. "How are ve in zhe jet?"

Oh so that's where they are. Amanda thought it looked familiar having been in it once when she went to Washington to testify to Congress. "I was hoping you could tell me along with how we ended up sleeping beside each other in only our underwear."

Kurt's head snaps round to see, indeed, Amanda in nothing but a blue bra and pink panties. Kurt blushes under his fur and averts his gaze.

Amanda blushes as well. "Uh...I had no clean matching pairs," she explains the mismatched colours.

Kurt looks at himself, down only to his own white boxers. Oh God what did he do last night? Did...did he take advantage of her? He could never live with himself if he did.

"Kurt," Amanda says in a soft reassuring tone. "Do you remember how we got here?" she asks him.

Kurt thinks before answering. "Nein."

"Me neither," Amanda says. She reaches forward and turns his head to look at her. "Hey. Are you ok?"

"Nein Mandi. Vhat if I...did ve?"

Amanda thinks she can guess what he is asking. "I don't think we did that Kurt. Had sex I mean."

"How do you know?"

"Well first off we are both still in our underwear and uh...I think a girl would know. She would feel it...you know the first time is suppose to leave you a little sore. Well that is what I heard anyway."

"Heard from vhere?"

"Oh you know just girl talk with my girl friends. Anyway that's not important. The second reason I know we didn't is the important one."

"Vhich is?"

"I trust you Kurt Wagner not to take advantage of me like that," she says with complete faith in him.

"I vish I trusted me," he mutters, running his hand through his hair.

"Well I have enough trust for both of us. Besides Kurt you're so Catholic I half expect you to say you want us to wait until we're married."

"I'm not zhat strict a follower of zhe teachings."

Amanda smiles teasingly. "I was joking Kurt."

Kurt frowns. "Not zhe best time Mandi."

"If not now then when," she giggles.

Kurt smiles reluctantly.

Amanda takes a moment before kissing Kurt on the lips. She pulls back a little and looks him straight in his yellow eyes. "Look I meant it. I trust you. We probably just did some serious making out."

Kurt hopes so.

"Still how did we end up here and why can't either of us remember?" she has to wonder.

"I'm sorry Mandi. I haven't a clue."

"What's the last thing you do remember?"

"Uh zhe party. I got you some punch after talking to Clark's friend Lana as she vas standing zhere."

"I remember that," Amanda says. "But that's it. There's nothing after that."

"I'm definitely sorry zhen."

"For what?"

"Vhen somezhing zhis veird happens around here it's never good. It means somezhing is going on vith somevone who has it in for us. I don't vant you caught between our enemies Liebe. I could never live vith zhat."

"Kurt I made that choice the second I agreed to date you so don't you go backing out." She can see the uncertainty in his eyes. "At least hold off judgement until we find out what is going on," she pleads with him.

Kurt nods, accepting that condition.

"We should get changed...uh where are our clothes?"

Kurt sits up and looks around. His and Amanda's clothes are not here. Just the blanket they are lying on. Kurt mutters some more in German before deciding, "I'll teleport us to my room. If it comes to it I'm sure vone of zhe girls vill lend you somezhing to vear."

Amanda nods in agreement. She gets to her feet and feels no stiffness down _there_ so she is pretty certain she is right in her trust in Kurt. She adjusts her bra and just under it spots a bite mark on the swell of her breast that can only have come from Kurt. Well that's certainly 2nd base reached if not perhaps 3rd Amanda muses as to how far they did go.

Kurt gets to his feet too and sways a little. He feels nauseous but he can get them to his room.

"Kurt," Amanda says.

"Ja?"

"Whatever did happen we went pretty far I think it is safe to say."

They must have, Kurt supposes, to be down to their underwear.

Amanda continues. "If we did go that far I really think..." she takes a deep breath and steadies herself. "I think once we sort this out we'll have to tell my parents the truth about us...about you."

Kurt gulps. Amanda had avoided telling her parents she was dating the blue fuzzy one of the X-Men which he was pretty happy about because...really whose parents would want their daughter to date the demon looking boy. If they knew the truth Kurt fears their reaction. Worse case scenario they bar him and Amanda from seeing each other. "If you zhink it best Mandi," Kurt replies, leaving it to her to choose.

"I do," Amanda says, although with not a huge amount of conviction. She has no idea really how her parents will react but they need to know and she can't keep putting it off especially considering how strong her feelings for Kurt are.

Kurt touches her gently on her bare shoulder, which causes goosebumps to rise on Amanda's skin, before they both vanish in a puff of blue smoke.

* * *

Tabby groans as she wake up with a severe headache. Her eyes flutter open and the brightness of the morning light stings her eyes. As her eyes adjust, as she pushes back the nausea, she spots she is dressed in her black leather Sirens' outfit. That's odd. She doesn't remember how she got into that...or where she is...or how she ended up where she is...or...well there are a lot of questions she doesn't have the answer to right now.

"Tabby?" a terribly shocked voice asks in a whisper laced with a southern accent.

Tabby looks to her right to find she is lying in bed next to Sam. Her lips curl up. "Damn. You're a fast worker," she jokes about Sam getting her into bed already.

Sam's eyes widen in horror Tabby would describe it as. "Oh mah god. What did I do to ya?"

"Nothing good...I hope," she replies with a salacious grin.

"Tabby...I...I..."

Tabby raises a hand to Sam's lips and feels them tremble under her touch. She realises she needs to say something reassuring. "Shh. It's alright Sam. You don't remember how we got here do you," Tabby guesses from Sam's expression.

Sam shakes his head a little.

"Neither do I...but I'm pretty certain you didn't do anything to me...well nothing I wouldn't ask you to at least. Lets just...take a few moments because I think any sudden movements will make me puke."

Sam feels like that too. Really god what happened?

"Do you have to speak so loud?" another voice complains from the other side of Sam.

Sam's eyes widen before he turns his head to the right while Tabby lifts her head high enough to peer above Sam's frame and what both find is Amara, dressed in her Sirens outfit, looking decidedly pale and un-princess like, her hair a mess as she lies there unable to make any movement at the moment.

"Damn!" Tabby has to say again. "That must have been one hell of a party!" she remarks for the 3 of them to end up like this.

Amara just makes a face at that and pulls a pillow over her head. Gods her head hurts!

* * *

Speaking of the party leads to whom the party was held for. Chloe Sullivan, who is so wishing that damn rock group would stop playing atop her skull as she wakes up this morning.

No, wait, that's just her head pounding.

Well her reporter skills are obviously still fully functional if she can work that out.

Chloe's eyes flutter open to a darkened room, with the sun just peeking a shaft of light through the curtains. She is lying in a bed...someone's bed. Not hers.

"Where am I?" she asks herself because she has no memory of this room.

"Wha-uh?" comes the query from somewhere near Chloe's feet.

She sits up, grabs her stomach as it turns over several dozen times and looks down. There is a lump under the covers next to her.

_'Oh God. Oh god. Oh God,' _Chloe repeats over and over in her head. What did she do last night? She couldn't have...surely she would remember if she did _that. _Well even if she did _that _and can't remember it that would still make it a more memorable experience than when she lost her...

Right. Moving on.

Investigative Reporter mode. Take stock of the situation and no jumping to conclusions.

Clothes still on...check.

No soreness like last time...check.

Those are good signs she didn't do _that_...because considering most of the single males in this mansion are under-age she really doesn't want a statutory rape charge stuck on her.

Chloe groans and grabs her head as the movement next to her increases. The covers are rolled back and a brown haired head pops up. Chloe frowns and takes a moment to remember the name. "Bobby?"

Bobby's eyes widen as it sinks in where he is and who he is with. "Chloe? Oh god Clark's going to kill me isn't he?" he says with a groan of pain.

"Um...no. I don't think so unless you did something inappropriate...in fact if you did that Clark won't have to kill you cause I'll sic Lois on you," Chloe promises and Lois...hoo boy Lois can be vicious when provoked into action.

Bobby tries to fight through the headache and nausea in some attempt to remember how he ended up here with Clark's best friend...whom he does find kinda cute. Shame she couldn't stay longer. He might let Roberto have Cat Grant and try his luck on Chloe instead if she were to stay. Back on subject. "I can't remember anything beyond the start of the party," he admits.

"Me neither," Chloe says. She then flops back down to the pillow and sighs. "You know when I leave Smallville I expect weird stuff not to happen to me," she complains.

"Then you shouldn't have come here," Bobby jokes. "I'm afraid weirdness, along with the breaking of several laws of physics, happens here on a semi-regular basis."

Chloe takes a moment before rotating herself round and getting out of bed. She gets to her feet and takes several moments to stop swaying as she waits for the light-headedness to pass. "Right. First off superstrong coffee and then we'll solve this," she lays down the plan.

"You ok?" Bobby asks.

"Yes. Why?"

"You seem awful calm about all this."

Chloe snorts with amusement. "I've been living in Smallville since I was 8. Weirdness becomes normal and then add to the fact my best friend is an alien from another galaxy. You really have to go some to get me worked up these days."

"Well I'm up to the challenge!" Bobby declares with confidence, bordering on cockiness.

Chloe looks at Bobby with a wry smile. He wasn't a bad guy. He was kinda cute. Joked a little too much to be perfect. "Uh huh. Be careful saying that around my cousin. She may just take you up on it," she cautions him.

Well considering Lois is pretty hot Bobby wouldn't say no to that idea.

* * *

Consciousness returns to Ororo Monroe and she shifts slightly under her sheets and is caught out by a certain stiff, sore feeling. She moves to roll over only to bump into something under the sheets with her. Her hands reach out to figure out what it is. It is large, warm, hairy, well-muscled...

Wait.

Muscled?

As in muscles...as in...is there a man in her bed?

Ororo's eyes shoot open. "Oh by the Goddess," she says in a barely spoken whisper at what she sees. Her hand tentatively reaches out, shaking slightly. She touches her bed companion just to make sure he is real and she is not dreaming.

He's real.

"Logan," she gasps quietly in complete shock.

Ororo gulps and lifts up the sheets covering them slightly. It confirms what she thought. They're both naked and it that wasn't proof enough the smell lingering in the room certainly confirms it.

They had sex.

And Ororo can't remember one jot of it.

Ororo covers her face with her hands. It's not like she has never gotten drunk before because she has and there might have been the one drunken tryst but she was young and just new to America after the Professor brought her and her sister over from Africa.

However she has never been so drunk as to have absolutely no memory of anything...wait.

How did she get drunk at a party for Chloe?

There should have been no alcohol. In fact she and Martha specifically double checked everything just in case the students tried something.

This makes absolutely no sense.

And when that happens around here that means something is going on. Something that is usually bad for them.

Whatever happened...however it happened she and Logan will just have to wait to sort this out. Well she better wake him up...which is unfortunate in its way she has to think as she gazes at his sleeping form.

Ororo has never seen him sleep. Not once in all the years she has known him. He looks...odd. Peaceful. At rest. Things he is never normally. He is really very attractive she would have to concede...in his way and...

Ororo has to mentally slap herself. Something odd is going on and here she is daydreaming about Logan...well that wouldn't be the first time.

_'Oh dear Goddess what is wrong with her?' _she silently asks herself. Focus. She needs to focus.

"Logan," she says in a stern authoritarian tone.

Logan sits up at a start ready to take care of whoever...wait a second where is he?

His head snaps round to see Ororo...a naked Ororo lying on what he thinks is her bed in her room.

Ororo cuts him off, pre-empting the inevitable questions. "Yes and yes. Yes, we are in my bed and yes, we probably had sex but unless you can remember how we got here I think we have more serious issues to deal with and we can talk about this later."

Logan blinks. Sometimes he forgets how dispassionate Storm can be at times. "How did we get here?" he asks her.

"Something is definitely up," Ororo concludes from that because it seems Logan can't remember either. She sighs and as elegantly as she can swings her legs round and stands up. Nudity does not bother her a great deal and right now she doesn't have the luxury of indulging in the western custom of modesty as she moves to her wardrobe and pulls out a robe. She slips it on and ties the strap together. "I suggest you get changed while I go shower. I have a feeling this is going to be a long day."

Logan watches her depart for the en-suite shower all the teachers have for their rooms. He runs his hand through his wild hair and tries to let it sink in just where he is and the situation he is in. God he can't believe he slept with Ro but his enhanced sense of smell can't let him deny it. The smell of sex and sweat is everywhere.

However she is right. Something is wrong and this...this can wait...maybe forever if Logan can help it.

* * *

Elsewhere in the mansion everyone finds themselves waking up with sore heads, queasy stomachs and in a lot of cases, odd places. Hank wakes up hanging upside down from the rafters in the attic while the Professor wakes up in his office still in his wheelchair...although the smoking jacket, with the playboy rabbit symbol on it, that he is currently wearing, he certainly has never seen before. He better get that off before the Hugh Hefner jokes start.

Ray wakes up in the back of the x-van dressed in nothing but a Hula skirt. Evan wakes up on the floor of a shower with cold water flowing over him. Paul and Taryn wake up lying on the floor of the sitting room where the party was. Roberto finds himself lying on his surfboard in the pool.

Jamie wakes up cuddling into someone. He wakes up to find he is cuddling himself...well one of his dupes...or is he the dupe and he is cuddling the real him?

That question always hangs over Jamie. Is he the real Jamie or is he a copy and the real Jamie was absorbed long ago?

Jamie isn't sure he really wants an answer to that.

As for Domino...

"Ok this is certainly a new one for me," she comments as she wakes up in the bathtub...a bathtub full of baked beans. "Great," she mutters in sudden complaint. "Now I'm going to smell like the inside of a bean tin for the rest of the day."

Domino moves to brush her hair back with her hand, only to realise too late her hands are covered in bean sauce and now so is her hair. "Some days it's just not worth waking up," she comments. Now if only she could remember how the hell she ended up here.

For two couples the morning does not bring anything surprising beyond the headaches, nausea and lack of memory. Martha and Jonathan wake up, as they often do, in each other's arms.

The same was true of Scott and Jean, only they were not in their own room, and right now they were trying to sneak out without getting caught. If anyone saw them it would be fairly obvious what they have been up to.

"Oh you two are so busted!"

Jean and Scott freeze and cringe.

"Not the time Lois!"

Jean and Scott look to their right, along the hallway, to find Lois and Clark glaring at each other.

"Lighten up Smallville," Lois says.

Clark is getting aggravated. He knows she really doesn't get it that something is going on here besides what she thinks, i.e. they all got drunk but he isn't in the mood to indulge her. Clark walks forward and takes Scott by the arm. "Can I have a word Scott?" he asks as he takes his friend out of Lois' ear shot. "Do you remember anything about yesterday?" Clark asks first off.

Scott shakes his head in the negative.

"Neither do I...and despite what Lois will claim in a minute it can't be because someone spiked the punch."

"How do you know?" Scott wonders.

"Because alcohol doesn't affect me yet I can't remember a thing. Whatever happened here Scott affected me and you know how little can do that."

Scott's expression becomes serious. If Clark was affected then something is very wrong. He rubs his face as he thinks and then notices the deep seated worry on Clark's face. "What's wrong?"

"I can't find Rogue," Clark reports. "I've scanned the mansion top to bottom. She's not here. I would go look for her but I can't seem to get away from Lois," he complains.

"It's alright Clark. We'll find her," Scott promises.

There is a loud whistle that makes Scott, Clark, Jean and Lois wince. They all glare at a certain blond-haired trouble maker called Tabitha Smith. "Hey has anyone seen Wanda this morning?" Tabby asks, since after getting out of bed next to Sam, which she regrets having to do, her next thought had been to find Wanda which she hasn't been able to do.

Scott looks to Clark whose eyes flash electric blue and Scott watches those eyes scan the mansion in moments. Clark then shakes his head to say no. Wanda isn't here.

This is getting worse and worse and looks more like an attack of some kind Scott has to say. The memory loss could have been a way of covering whoever was responsible's tracks.

A door beside Clark opens and out of it, staggering slightly, comes Lex. "Lex? You alright?" Clark asks.

Lex would be if he could remember how he ended up here. "Have you seen Lana?" is his first question.

Clark does another quick scan and then shakes his head to Scott once again. Lana isn't here either.

Then Scott hears a telepathic summons from the Professor who is calling them all together to see if they can figure out just what happened here yesterday.

* * *

There are many cups of coffee, grumbling, teasing, Peter and Domino both making their usual trademark lame jokes and comments, a couple of trips to the bathroom to throw up but eventually everyone is gathered together in the kitchen. Even Lex is there, since they can't avoid it, with him being affected as well.

When Logan comes to stand next to Clark, leaning against the cabinets, Clark has to look twice at him...because of the smell. Clark can smell Storm all over the feral mutant along with...ok there's a mental image Clark could do without.

"You ok kid?" Logan asks when he catches Clark staring at him.

"Yeaaahh...sure. Well apart from being worried about Rogue," Clark quickly deflects the questioning.

Logan grunts. He's worried too...about his daughter. God does that still sound weird to him. Of course weird is exactly what is going on here because whatever happened to them it wasn't alcohol. First off Logan would have smelt it a mile away and second off with his healing factor it takes literally days of drinking to get him so drunk to start forgetting stuff.

The Professor brings the meeting to order and everyone relays their last memory and it all is pretty much the same. After about an hour into the party no-one can seem to remember anything.

"I would like a volunteer for someone to allow me to attempt to scan their minds," the Professor requests.

"I'll do it," Jean steps forward. It makes the most sense to her since she and the Professor spend a lot of time together with him teaching her and he therefore knows her mind quite well. It'll make it easier and quicker to find anything out of the ordinary.

A chair is pulled up in front of the Professor's wheelchair and Jean sits down. She leans forward and the Professor touches his fingers to her temples. Lex looks on with deep interest having never been witness before to a telepath.

The Professor's brow furrows as he probes Jean's memories. He travels along them to the moment the blank period begins and runs...slams is a more accurate description, into a powerful mental block that is quite unlike any he has ever encountered before.

"_Jean," _he telepathically speaks to her.

"_Yes Professor."_

"_Scan my mind and see if I have the same mental block," _he instructs her.

Jean does and she slams into the same barrier. _"It's...what is it?" _she asks, having never seen a block like this either.

The Professor pulls out of Jean's mind and takes a moment to regather his metal processes.

"What did you find Professor?" Scott asks.

"A mental block sealing away the memories for the missing 17 hours."

"Another telepath?" Kitty inquires.

Charles briefly looks to Clark. Another telepath is unlikely due to the nature of Clark's alien mind. He can't say that because of Lex's presence. However he doesn't need to. "No," he replies. "All telepaths leave a unique impression behind...a kind of psychic fingerprint. The barrier in Jean's mind lacks any such fingerprint. It exists yet it shouldn't because there is no sign of how it was placed there. I can make the assumption for all of us present here that we all have the same block."

"Can you break these blocks?" Lex is the one to ask.

"They are strong," the Professor cautions about expecting too much too soon. "It would take a considerable amount of time which I am willing to take. However we have a more pressing issue. The 3 of us that are missing."

"What's the plan Doc?" Domino asks, as she sips of her super sweet coffee. Just the way she likes it.

"As you know we have been waiting for quite some time for parts to repair Cerebro. Right now I have Hank jury rigging some temporary parts and bypassing a few safety protocols that should allow me to perform a short range scan for Rogue and Wanda and hopefully Miss Lang is with them."

While Lex is concerned about Lana he has to say this is a wonderful opportunity to study and learn about Clark's friends. Lex looks to his friend and wonders if they ever had a serious talk yesterday about all of this. How Clark ended up here. The state of their friendship etc etc.

Bobby walks into the kitchen after a rushed trip to the bathroom to vomit and then he had to change his shirt. While he was in his room he found something he hadn't noticed earlier. A video camera with a full memory when yesterday it was empty. He mentions this to the room.

"Wait. You think you recorded the party?" Evan asks Bobby.

Bobby shrugs. "I haven't had a chance to look yet." But it was a good assumption.

"We should hook it up to the big screen tv," Tabby suggests.

"Since we lack any other leads at the moment that seems a prudent course," the Professor agrees.

Everyone heads out for the sitting room with the big screen. Clark stays behind to talk to the Professor at the back of the group. "Professor what if I did something...super on this tape?" he asks, with concern.

"You refer to Lex learning your secret?"

"Yes...and Peter too," Clark adds in, trying to keep his friend's secret identity as Spider-Man secret too.

"The human brain goes through a process when storing memories from the short term to the long term. If you intervene at a certain stage a memory is not held for more than a few seconds."

"You'll make sure Lex can't remember if any secrets are revealed," Clark deduces.

"It is your choice Clark."

Clark sighs. "He's too close to SHIELD and his father at the minute. There's no choice," Clark says but with much regret about it.

Charles regrets it as well but it must be done. He can just hope for the moment that this tape gives some insight into what has happened here over the past 24 hours and perhaps a clue as to what has happened to Wanda, Rogue and Lana. Until Hank finished with Cerebro there is little else that can be done at the moment. Charles can only hope wherever the 3 girls are they are alright.

* * *

**The Bayville Boarding House...**

For once Pietro found himself the first to wake up. Unable to get to sleep he decided to just get some breakfast. It isn't like he has much else to do.

Expelled from school and essentially grounded by his father for what transpired the night of the school-board meeting.

Pietro just didn't get it. He had thought and thought and thought about it but just didn't understand what it is he did that was so wrong in his father's eyes. He is still convinced he tried to do the right thing to push forward his father's agenda.

Some day he'll prove to his father he was right. Some day he'll get back at Clark Kent for humiliating him in the way the freaking goodie two-shoes did. Some day Pietro will figure out just how to expose Clark Kent to the whole world.

Some day...just not right now because his father, via Mystique, had made it quite clear in his instructions that Clark Kent was off-limits. Pietro didn't get that either.

Pietro stomps down the stairs in a lazy fashion and turns to walk through the lounge into the kitchen. It is then he comes to a dead stop. Hanging over the arm of a chair are a pair of black high heeled boots and attached to them are some fairly impressive female legs. Pietro wasn't sure who this was but this could be a good time to turn on the old charm. He hadn't managed to break down Plastique's hard to get approach so a break for him would be nice.

The figure in the chair sits up and Pietro's jaw drops at seeing who it is dressed in a black, low cut dress, slit up the side, accented with heavy gold jewellery, with hair curled and piled on top of her head and her eyes heavily outlined with make-up. Blue eyes identical to his own. Her lips curve up with a cheerfulness he hasn't seen on this person's face in a long time. "Hi Pie-pie!" she greets him.

"Wanda?" he queries while inwardly he cringes. _'Oh god he just lusted after his twin sister!'_

"Who else would it be?" Wanda asks him with a strange smile. She then swings her legs round and stands up. She literally sways round the chair and starts walking toward him.

Pietro cringes more as the thought slips into his head that dressed like that Wanda's hot. He mentally slaps himself. "What are you doing here?" he asks her, completely confused by her presence. Any attempt he has made to reconcile with her she has rebuffed forcefully.

"Why indeed?" Wanda asks back as she advances on him.

Pietro starts backing up feeling incredibly uncomfortable at the way she is acting until he bumps into something...or more accurately two someones.

"You're kind of...cute I think the saying in this century is," the someone behind him to the right says.

Pietro's head snaps to his right to find Rogue...dressed like he has never seen her. She is in her own strapless black dress that is literally hanging off her curves. Most of her dark make-up is gone except for, like Wanda, around the eyes. Around her neck is a black strap with interlaced loops hanging down which automatically draws your eyes to her cleavage...and boy does she have some. Pietro had no idea Rogue was this incredible looking under all that Goth stuff. She is also looking at him with a hungry lustful gaze as if she is a lion and he's a zebra.

"Must you Brianna," the one behind Pietro's left chastises Rogue...although why she is calling Rogue Brianna Pietro has no clue.

His head snaps round to the left to see a girl with long hair dark dressed in a black dress that has one strap over the left shoulder and around her neck is a necklace with some kind of red gem in the centre. She is exotic looking and pretty gorgeous in her own way too Pietro would say.

"It's been 400years," 'Brianna' complains in response, sounding whiny and also with no trace of Rogue's normal southern drawl.

"We have a quest to complete. Once that is done and we have ultimate power then you can indulge with whomever who want, as often as you desire," the other girl says in a stern tone.

"You know you never were very much fun," 'Brianna' criticises.

"Perhaps you should remember who brought you back from beyond the veil and who can send you back there just as easily," the girl warns harshly.

Suitably chastised 'Brianna' seems to shirk slightly which is definitely out of character for Rogue.

The woman to Pietro's left grabs his shoulder and spins him round to face her. Now that she has Pietro notices in one hand she holds an old looking, rather battered, leather bound book. "Hello there. You are the one known as Quicksilver," she states as if she knows this to be fact.

"Yeah?" Pietro says, still in a complete befuddlement at what is going on.

"I am the Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux," she announces herself in a haughty high-classed tone with a strong, but slightly odd, French accent. "And I have a task for you and your..." She looks to Wanda. "What was it again Madeleine?" she inquires for her memory to be jogged.

"Brotherhood," 'Madeleine' fills in.

"Brotherhood," the Countess repeats.

"Look...lady. Unless my father sent you I don't perform any task for anyone," Pietro says, finally starting to get his mind moving up a gear. Even he can tell something here is very wrong when his sister is getting called by the wrong name.

The Countess laughs amused and 'Brianna' and 'Madeleine' join in.

"You speak as if you have a choice. Poor little Pietro always trying to live up to his father's dreams but never quite being good enough. Such the disappointment," the Countess says with glee.

Pietro starts to get angry. "You don't know what you're talking about!" he snaps.

"But I do," she corrects him. "I have seen it all before. Technology may change but humans remain the same as do sons trying to prove themselves to their fathers but enough about the past. Lets talk about the future. I can help you Pietro if you help me. I can make it so you are everything your father wants you to be. Also help me and there will be..._rewards,"_ she adds with a deeply husky tone.

"Rewards?" Pietro asks, with a sudden squeak.

The Countess licks her lips and moves her face towards his. "Pleasurable rewards," she promises enticingly.

"Pleasur..." Pietro's words are cut off when the Countess kisses him deeply. Her lips move a little way from his and she whispers, "Obedire."

Obey.

A reddish-pink energy flows from her mouth into Pietro's. He gasps a sharp intake of breath. The Countess smiles knowingly. "Now your help?"

Pietro drops to his knees in front of her. He takes her hand and kisses it. "I'll do anything you want my Countess."

The Countess laughs. "Of course you will. The weak minded are always so easy to influence." Her fingers glide over his jaw. "Now you and your Brotherhood are going to help me with one simple task."

"What's that?" Pietro asks as he gazes with glazed over, love-sick, eyes up at her.

A dangerous, almost malicious gleam, full of anticipation comes to the Countess' eyes as she declares, with absolute certainty of this, "You're going to help me defeat the X-Men!"

* * *

_Author's Note: I skipped over details of the party so that you can share in the confusion and loss of memory at what happened. Everything will be filled in eventually. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Bobby's video reveals a few revelations and Isobel lures out the X-Men as her plans begin._


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**At the Institute...**

Bobby's camera work is pretty awful. Poorly focussed, jumping around all over the place but what becomes clear as time progresses on the tape is that everyone is acting like they're intoxicated...which they've already mostly dismissed. Alcohol has no effect on Clark. It also has little effect on Logan thanks to his healing factor and it wouldn't explain the complete memory loss. Whatever affected them wasn't alcohol. It was something else but nothing they had seen so far explained what happened.

Right now Chloe has her head in her hands and is cringing at the fact that she, Lois and Wanda did a little Chippettes impression singing 'Hot 'n Cold'. Chloe can't believe Lois, next to her, is finding this funny. She is destroying this tape Chloe swears to herself. If that ever got out no reputable media organisation would hire her. It would be the end of her career.

Chloe looks up and sees herself on the film walking in a sultry pose towards the camera and Bobby as she sings to him. She guesses that might explain how she ended up in bed next to the mutant ice generator if she found him attractive in her obviously mind altered state. No way in hell does Chloe ever want to be a Chipette. She outgrew that phase when she was 3. Really she did.

Everyone else is thinking about what happens when Wanda sees herself acting like she was on this tape. They should probably be far, far, far away when it happens...or they may just value their health too much and not tell her.

After that and a few jokes from from both Peter and Domino the video jumps a little as in was turned off for a period of time and then turned back on. By whatever time it was things have changed. Lex is no longer anywhere to be seen and neither is Lana nor Wanda. The video focusses in on Ray, now dressed in a Hula skirt. There are many snickers and jokes from the watching audience. Ray, on the video, clears his throat and makes an introduction.

"_**Ladies, Gentlemen, Mutants of all ages please welcome, for their reunion tour, the Bayville Sirens!"**_

"Oh God," Jean groans as her head falls into her hands. That explains why her Sirens outfit was lying across the floor of the room she woke up in this morning. Scott places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Whatever happened it can't be that bad.

On the tape the 5 Sirens walk into the room. Jean, Kitty, Rogue, Amara and Tabby. They strike a Charlie's Angels-esque pose and the music starts.

_#I'm just your sweet next-door neighbour  
I do what I'm told  
And I never cause any trouble  
I'm so much more than meets the eye  
But there's something that I keep hidden deep inside#_

_#Don't mess with my kind  
Don't play with my mind  
I'm only a girl  
But I can move the world  
Don't put me down  
Or kick me to the ground  
I'll be up in a flash  
My superhuman blast#_

While singing the 5 girls all dance sexily. Tabby comments abut how damn good she looks. After the 1st time the chorus is sung the girls split up and move. Jean moves to Scott. Rogue moves to Clark. Tabby moves to Sam. Kitty moves to Peter while Amara, sadly she notes to herself, moves to no-one because the only person she would dance for isn't here.

What follows next is all 4 girls dancing in a blatantly sexual manner for the 4 boys.

Watching this Scott, Clark, Peter and Sam all turn beetroot red as do 3 of the girls. Tabby just grins while Amara is sort of indifferent about it.

"Where were we?" Jonathan has to ask and he doesn't just mean himself and Martha. None of the adults can be seen by this point. Even intoxicated Jonathan is pretty certain he would have put a stop to this.

"That's an answer we don't have," the Professor has to regretfully say. It must have occurred during the part that is far too conveniently missing from what they have seen so far.

Clark watches in shamed horror at himself. He cannot believe he did that because he is dancing right up against Rogue. Her rear grinding up against his groin. He didn't even think he knew how to dance in that manner...ok well there was him under red K in Metropolis he supposes but normally he's too shy. He's pretty certain it's illegal to dance in way that is that blatantly sexual.

"_**Ya know," **_Rogue on the tape says, complaining a little about the lyrics she's singing. **_"Ah'm not really a girl any more. Ah'm a woman."_**

In response Clark nuzzles into her neck. _**"That's because I made you one,"**_ he says in a blatant sexual tone.

"_**Ya sure did sugah!" **_Rogue confirms. **_"Many, many tahmes over."_**

"_**Feel like becoming one again,"**_ Clark makes the suggestive offer.

Rogue grins a wicked, sinful smile. _**"Ah thought ya would nevah ask." **_She then grabs Clark by the hand and drags him away. **_"Don't wait up!" _**she shouts with a flirtatious wink to the rest.

The tape is paused and everyone looks at Clark who has buried his face into his hands, horribly embarrassed by what everyone knows now.

Tabby's expression is priceless and she is seeing Clark in a whole new way. "Care to explain that one CK," Tabby says barely able to contain herself at the idea that sexual exploits have been going on under her nose.

"No," Clark says in a dour tone.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later you know," Domino points out to Clark that he would be discovered.

"Wait!" Kitty shrieks, still in shock at learning her best friend has been getting some...or a lot if this tape is any indication. "You knew?" she asks Domino.

Domino smiles to herself. "Yeah. It was kind of obvious if you know the signs."

"How long?"

"Back in the woods after you guys rescued us from the dam."

"That long!" Kitty yells in disbelief

The Professor steps in at this point. "Please everyone calm down," he instructs in a stern tone. "Now I know you will no doubt have questions for Clark and Rogue but lets save them for after we have found the others."

That sobers everyone up and they all nod in agreement.

"Please restart the tape," the Professor asks. They should see it the whole way through just to be thorough.

The tape is restarted and it swings round to Jean dancing round Scott like he is a stripper pole. Scott can't believe just how sexy Jean can move. He is getting a little turned on. He needs to watch that.

If Jean thought she couldn't get more embarrassed here she is. Unfortunately it is about to get worse.

On the tape Jean giggles and wraps her arms around Scott's neck as she grinds up against him. _**"You know Rogue's not the only woman around here is she stud?"**_

On the tape Scott grins. _**"Definitely not. You're all woman Red."**_

"_**Thanks to you."**_

The tape is stopped again and now everyone looks at a very embarrassed Jean and Scott.

"Oh ho!" Tabby proclaims in delight, grinning, at what could be the greatest day of her life. "Well now we're just learning all the dirty little secrets today aren't we. So come on Jean spill. When did this start?"

"I am not talking about it," Jean states bluntly, her face as red as her hair. Scott's face matches hers perfectly.

Domino decides to fill in the details and answer Tabby's question seeing no reason not to. "Same time as Clark and Rogue in the woods."

"I don't believe it!" Kitty says in total shock at how she missed both Jean's and Rogue's exploits and complete astoudment at the fact Jean did that. Rogue, yeah, at a push but Jean and Scott? Kitty thought they were far too uptight to do that sort of thing. "How did you manage to keep this a secret?" Kitty asks her friend Jean, whom she is thinking, a little miffed, is not as good as friend as Kitty thought she was if she kept that a secret from Kitty.

Lois snorts. "They weren't that good at it. Me and Smallville caught them trying sneak out a room this morning," she relays to everyone.

"Lois we will talk later," Tabby promises to her new friend because Lois was great. She was a whole bundle of fun from what Tabby can remember of yesterday. "But someone press play!" she demands. "Lets see what other juicy bits of info we can learn!"

"Be careful what you wish for," Amara mutters quietly because Tabby has her own secret in relation to Sam.

The tape is restarted. Jean and Scott follow Clark and Rogue in departing the party. Best guess for that room they found themselves in when they woke up this morning.

The camera shifts to Kitty and Peter. Peter sitting down and Kitty giving him essentially a clothed lap dance.

"Oh my god," Kitty says in a horrified whisper. She places her hands over her face but has to peek through her fingers just to see the disaster of Titanic proportions.

On the tape Kitty sits down on Peter's lap and wraps her arms around his neck. _**"So what about you Pete? Want to make a...dishonest woman of me?" **_she asks him in a deeply bad girl tone.

Kitty's eyes widen in horror that she, the sweet girl next door, would just ask Peter to punch her V-card.

On the tape Peter's lips curve up into a bad boy smirk that makes the him here and now shiver in revulsion where he stands as it reminds him too much of when he was under the influence of the symbiote. _'Oh please God don't let me have done something else terrible?' _he mentally asks of the Almighty.

On the tape Peter then kisses Kitty deeply, his hands roaming over her leather clad frame. _**"Well you wouldn't be the first girl in black leather I've made a dishonest woman out of."**_

_'Oh Jesus!' _Peter swears in his head. For once this morning he had been mostly quiet, by his standards, apart from the occasional joke. Now he is rendered into complete silence. He really hopes he didn't take Kitty up on her offer because that would just be beyond low.

On the tape Peter continues. _**"And I would be more than happy to make a dishonest woman out of you...after we date a little."**_

"_**You asking me out?" **_Kitty wants to know.

"_**A smart, hot chick like you? That's a no brainer. That guy who dumped you was obviously the world's biggest moron. I would date you in a second so yeah I'm asking you out."**_

"_**I accept!"**_ Kitty announces merrily. **_"Now just sit there and let me give you a taster of what dating me means!" _**She then kisses Peter and they proceed to make out. _**"Hmm. Warm me up Pete," **_she murmurs in sultry tones.

Peter's eyes widen slightly. That's what Kitty said in her sleep this morning. Maybe a subconscious remembrance...although Professor Xavier said the memories are there, only blocked. He raises a hand to his head and blows out a breath. One of relief that he didn't cross the line and screw Kitty's life up. He mentally thanks God for once not screwing him over. He glances over at Kitty who glances back looking shy and more than a little embarrassed. Peter knows the feeling.

"_**Come on Mara. Join the party!"**_ Tabby's voice on the tape can be heard and the camera is swung round as Tabby pulls Amara over to Sam where both proceed to dance around him.

"Dude that is so unfair," Evan complains in a whisper to Roberto sitting next to him. So far they hadn't been any images of girls dancing over him.

"I know," Roberto says in agreement.

Sam just goes a deeper shade of red. What would his momma think if she saw her son acting like this?

"_**When I'm your girlfriend Sammy this will be just a taste of the good stuff I can bring!" **_Tabby on the tape promises as she playfully nibble's on Sam's ear.

"Told you," Amara mumbles at being proven right.

Sam looks at Tabby wide-eyed. Did she just say she wants to be his girlfriend?

Tabby laughs a litter nervously for her. "Lets talk about that later. You know after we find the others," she says because yes she wanted to become Sam's girlfriend. However this was not how she planned it.

"Oh now you don't want to talk about it," Jean grumbles because when it was her Tabby couldn't wait to hear about it. Hypocrisy anyone?

The rest of the tape is full of more singing, more dancing. At some point it seems practically everyone joined in the fun giving everyone their small moment of embarrassment.

Kurt and Amanda get their turn to cringe in embarrassment when they get caught on tape making out heavily in the corner giving Tabby more ammunition for teasing later. As for their missing clothes Kurt and Amanda found them in Kurt's room so at least they get to avoid explaining where they woke up this morning.

The tape in the end, while revealing many embarrassing acts, it, however, does not reveal what happened to the 3 missing girls or explain the memory loss...or so it appears on the surface.

After the tape is finished the Professor goes to help Hank with Cerebro while everyone else really just has to hang around until they get a lead. For quite a few people that leads to awkward silences as they try to absorb what they witnessed themselves doing on that tape.

"I still don't see how I ended up out in the pool," Roberto points out.

"I don't see how I ended up in a bathtub of baked beans," Domino replies. "Oh...those are still there by the way," she suddenly remembers and announces.

"Grab a bucket," Martha says to her. They'll have to get that cleaned up.

"Me?"

"You have something better to do?" Martha asks her, with a raised eyebrow, daring Domino to contradict the fact that until Cerebro is going Domino doesn't have anything to do really.

Domino opens her mouth but the stern expression on Martha's face stops her. Now there's a women you don't mess with Domino decides...which makes her respect Martha all the more than she already does.

Logan finds that a little amusing but he is also angry and confused about Rogue and Wanda being missing and the circumstances of where he woke up this morning. Until Chuck finds something he's going to wreck a few things in the Danger Room.

Clark is a little relieved that, at least, he did nothing 'super' on the tape. He goes over to speak to Lex. "We'll find Lana, Lex," he promises.

Lex frowns. Something is wrong about this but he can't quite put his finger on it. "Clark how did we end up here?"

"What do you mean?"

"In this place where we seem to barely know each other any more."

Clark sighs and stuffs his hands into his pockets. "Time passes Lex. You have your life in Smallville running your company while mine ended up here."

"Yes. Here...living with mutants."

Clark's eyes narrow slightly. "Lex please don't tell me you've joined your father in hating mutants," he almost pleads.

"Hating mutants no? But my father wasn't wrong in that some method of controlling mutants is required. After all don't your friends have to obey the law?"

"They do obey the law."

"But for arguments sake lets say they don't. With their powers what jail exists that can hold them? You can't stand there and say that facilities to hold mutant criminals don't need to be created."

No Clark can't stand here and say that. "Those things are for the government to decide and legislate on Lex. Not for one person to go on a mutant hunting rampage," he argues, making the best point he can.

"Ah back to my father."

"I know he's free."

"Of course you do. Your friend...what do the press call him now? Oh yes. Superman. He told you right."

"Yes."

"Did he tell you he almost killed me?"

"He was under the control of someone else. It wasn't his fault."

Lex chuckles sadly at Clark's naivety. "Still so willing to believe in people aren't you Clark?"

"Most people," Clark corrects.

"Back to my father," Lex assumes.

"Lex what are you doing with him?" Clark asks in reference to Lionel. "I know you don't like nor trust your father."

"I can't go into that."

Huh. And people accuse Clark of keeping secrets. Lex has been no better over the years Clark has known him.

"Did you notice Lana on the tape?" Lex suddenly asks.

Clark is a little caught out by the sudden change of subject. It seems Lex doesn't want to talk any more about his father. Clark replies to Lex's question, after a short pause, "A little. She seemed to stay to the edges up to the point where you and she seem to disappear."

"I noticed that too...and also she didn't seem quite as intoxicated as the rest of us."

Now that Lex mentions it Clark can't argue that he's wrong. "Lex you suspect something don't you," Clark guesses.

"Lana's not been quite...right since she returned from Paris. She's been acting a little odd." Not to mention the fact she got that strange tattoo on the small of her back but that's not important information that Clark needs to know about Lex determines.

"Odd how?"

"It's hard to describe. Just not quite herself. Almost as if it is someone pretending to be her."

"Could it be?"

Lex looks at Clark oddly.

Clark shrugs. "Uh...well you know I live with mutants. We deal with shape-shifters," he explains why he asked that question. "Not to mention Tina Greer," he says in reference to the girl back in Smallville who impersonated Lex once.

"After Miss Greer I took measures to ensure that the people around me are who they claim they are. Lana is Lana."

"How do you...did you test her?" Clark asks, appalled that Lex would do that.

"It was a simple swab," Lex plays that off lightly, giving away the fact he did a DNA test. "I do what is necessary Clark. I thought living here would have taught you something."

"It did. That people with powers are just people and more over are good people who are my friends."

"Still trying to see the best in people aren't you."

"I try...although some times they can make that very hard," Clark accuses Lex of doing that exact thing by his actions. Clark cannot believe Lex is so paranoid he would test Lana just to make sure she was Lana.

"Clark what are you doing at this school?" Lex just comes out and asks him directly.

"You know what. We explained it to Congress. We bumped into the Professor and wanted to help him."

"That simple huh?"

"Sometimes it is Lex but people by nature sometimes think there is always something more. That's why you get all these conspiracy theories about historical events. I'm here for exactly the reasons I and my parents said we're here and I hope you'll see why I consider my friends good people when they rescue Lana from whatever it is that has transpired here."

"We'll see Clark. We'll see," Lex says in a flat tone, not showing any true belief in Clark's assurances. He's only going along with this for now because Professor's Xavier's mutant finding machine is his best chance of finding Lana and Lex does genuinely care for Lana. That's why he tested her to make sure nothing had happened to her.

Lex will give these X-Men a chance but should they fail...then he might have to take more extreme measures himself.

* * *

"You're concerned," Hank comments at the Professor's expression as they work together to get Cerebro up and running. Hank is under the control panel at the moment.

"I am," Charles confirms. "We have no idea really of what transpired for a 17 hour period. We have no idea what any of us may have done or what was done to us." Not to mention his deep concern for the 3 missing girls.

Hank must admit he shared the worry. None of it made sense and as a scientist he has an intrinsic need for events to have a logical order to them. Hank continues his work trying to rewire Cerebro to work with jury-rigged parts he put together.

The delay in the proper parts being delivered had been becoming an irritation. They kept getting excuses about why everything was delayed. If one was suspicious one might think it was being done on purpose possibly because they're mutants.

Hank makes the last connection and the control panel lights up. He moves to it and checks the readings. One or two worrying power spikes. "It's working but I would keep it to minimal power," he advises.

Charles nods and places the helmet upon his head.

"Are you sure about this Charles? In this condition if there is a power spike you are risking severe brain trauma," Hank worries about his old friend.

"It must be done," Charles says with determination. He turns Cerebro on, closes his eyes and concentrates.

Hank monitors the power readings constantly in case he has to shut it down. He flinches every time there is a small power spike fearing it won't settle back down.

Charles' mind expands outward. Cerebro, at its simplest, is a giant amplifier of his telepathic powers. His mind reaches across Bayville as he filters out the extraneous noise of the minds he isn't trying to find.

He finds the minds of the most of the Brotherhood down-town in a group and there are the 2 girls. Rogue and Wanda are with them...although their brain patterns seem...suppressed?

Charles removes the helmet and takes a moment to refocus. He hears the door open and senses Scott walk in.

"Professor!" Scott says, sounding agitated.

"Yes Scott?"

"It's the Brotherhood. They're on the news wrecking the shopping district down-town," Scott reports.

Charles frowns and turns round to face the leader of the X-Men. "This may be related to what has occurred with us."

"How?" Scott asks at that.

"Because I found that Rogue and Wanda are with them."

Scott's expression becomes puzzled. That doesn't make sense...just like this entire morning so far.

"Get the X-Men suited up Scott. We have to stop the Brotherhood and find out what has happened to Rogue and Wanda."

"Yes Professor," Scott replies, instantly slipping into leader mode, before he turns to go gather the others together. While Scott was not fond of violence the fact they had a mission of a sort was a relief. It gave him something to focus his attentions on rather than just the confusion and purposeless sitting around most of this morning so far has been.

"Hank I'll need you to stay here and keep Cerebro working," Charles asks of his friend because he'll need to use it remotely from the Velocity.

Hank nods, wishing to go and help but understanding his skills are needed more here for the moment.

* * *

Trying to get down-town turned out not to be entirely simple when Lex showed up down in the lower levels where the Velocity was kept demanding to go with them. One question that hit them was how the hell Lex managed to get down here since the elevator is locked with a code.

The Professor tries to calmly rationalise with Lex. "I appreciate you are concerned about Miss Lang," he says first off, guessing what it is that is driving Lex. "But this is a critical situation and we are going to have enough on our plates without adding an unfamiliar element to the scenario."

"Nicely put," Lex commends the Professor for his use of language. "However I am coming with you," he insists strongly.

Charles rubs his brow in frustration. It had already been a trying morning and he didn't need to waste more time arguing with Lex Luthor.

Clark is here watching on. He too was frustrated because with Lex around he couldn't find an excuse to vanish to go be Superman and go down-town. However Lex may have given him a way around that. Clark makes his way over to Jean who is at the bottom of the ramp to the Velocity and whispers to her. "You know if Lex goes, me and Peter could help," he points out because then Lex wouldn't be around to notice their absence. Amanda, Paul and Taryn knew who Clark was and as for Peter...well they could think of something to say. Lex is too smart and too canny not to see through paper thin lies.

Jean looks at Clark sceptically. She could see his point but still. "Clark...that's not a great idea," she has to caution for the same reasons the Professor was still trying to argue with Lex about.

"I know...but if he promised to stay on the helicopter with the Professor that would minimise the danger he could get into," Clark suggests. "At least send it to the Professor...please," he asks her because without that Clark is struggling to find a way to help Rogue without blowing the months of effort his friends have put in to protect his identity.

Jean sighs and relents only because she knows how worried Clark must be about Rogue. She closes her eyes and telepathically sends Clark's suggestion to the Professor.

Charles hears it and can see that might work. He makes the proposal to Lex. "If you come you must do what we ask no questions asked. No debate," he lays out the terms that are not up for discussion.

Lex agrees because he has to go. This is partially his fault. He knew Lana was acting odd yet he came here anyway...only Lex still can't remember how Lana managed to talk him into that. He is pretty certain when she first proposed it he was all ready with numerous reasons to refuse but they all melted away in the face of...well that's the bit Lex can't remember.

Lex passes Clark on the way on board the helicopter. "You're not coming?"

Clark puts on the act for Lex's benefit, pushing his glasses up his nose. "No."

Lex looks surprised. "Clark Kent who always seemed to dive in back in Smallville no matter what is not going to save his girlfriend?"

Clark tries to remain calm. "If you're trying to imply I'm not worried Lex or don't care you're wrong. I'm worried out of my mind for Rogue...but I trust in my friends to save her just like I said for you to trust them. I would only get in the way."

Ok that does not sound like the Clark Kent Lex remembers at all but there isn't time for a debate. Lex gets on the helicopter and as soon as everyone is on-board it takes off for down-town Bayville. As soon as it is gone Clark vanishes in a blur of motion and changes into his costume.

He comes to a stop next to a certain red and blue clad webslinger on the roof. Peter had been waiting for the signal to go.

"You sure you want to help?" Clark asks Peter. "It's not really your fight."

"What are friends for?" Peter asks back. He was not...never going to standby and do nothing when innocent people are in danger.

"I can't believe you brought your costume along," Clark has to remark that Peter brought it to a party.

Peter shrugs. "One thing I have learned so far in this hero biz is when you least expect something to happen it invariably does."

"And it did."

"I think my point is made."

Normally Clark would love to banter with Peter a bit more but they need to get going. He has to find Rogue. He picks Peter up and leaps high into the air over the fence before as soon as he lands blurring off in the direction of down-town Bayville.

* * *

Down-town Bayville is chaos as the Brotherhood, all of them, bar Mystique and Haze, are causing destruction in every direction.

Clark comes to a stop atop a rooftop and deposits Peter down. Peter takes a moment to let his stomach catch back up. No matter the fact he swings at perhaps 60mph through New York the speed Clark moves at takes a lot of getting use to.

"Is it me or do they just seem to be instigating random violence?" Clark asks Peter as he surveys the sight below.

"You noticed that too huh?" Peter says wryly.

"Seems to be just to draw attention," Clark observes.

"Yep. All they're missing is the big 40 foot neon sign saying 'Trap'," Peter jokes, pointing out how obvious a lure this is.

"Well I would hate to disappoint them by not showing up."

"Ah the glamorous life of a superhero," Peter mock praises. "Where we get to walk into traps so obvious it would make comic book writers blush."

"Well there's also the protecting of the public."

"That too," Peter agrees.

"The X-Men will be here in a couple of minutes," Clark informs Peter.

Peter rubs his hands together in anticipation. "Shall we?"

"After you," Clark offers.

"You're too kind," Peter remarks. "Tally ho!" he shouts, in a poor English imitation accent, as he leaps over the edge, fires a webline and Spider-Man swings into action.

Clark shakes his head in amusement and chuckles before he bends his knees and pushes off after Peter. The thing that is bothering him, beyond this being a set-up, is that there is no sign of Rogue or Wanda despite the Professor saying they were here. He wonders where they are and how they are being hidden from his senses.

* * *

Since they got here this morning the Brotherhood have been acting as they were instructed to by their Countess and that was just to create general mayhem knowing the X-Men would come. Neutron was having a ball, laughing joyously as he throws one of his energy balls into a shop causing a loud explosion. Why Magneto never allowed him to do this he doesn't know but all that has changed now with them working for the Countess.

Plastique was wandering along the sidewalk brushing her fingers over anything she happens to walk by. Fire hydrants, mail boxes, rubbish bin, street lamps. Several seconds later they explode after the charge Plastique imparts into them. This was fun she has to admit. Not as much fun as getting revenge for her father but fun nonetheless and the Countess had promised her her vengeance in time so Plastique will simply enjoy herself for the moment.

Toad's powers are not the most destructive by nature but helping himself to some goods from the shattered shop windows was on his resume. Perhaps if he gets some swanky clothes he can impress Wanda. Toad just knows there is some way to her heart.

Puzzler, standing in a form that resembles pure silver, raises her hand and jigsaw shaped pieces of herself detach and she wills them at a parked car. The shoot through it as if razor hot metal peppering it with holes. The Countess told her that she can make herself useful to Magneto if she shows him what she can do and Puzzler wants to impress Magneto, the closest thing she has to family left in this world, so listen to the Countess she will.

Avalanche clenches his fists and focusses his power as he tears up the main street bursting water mains, gas lines and power cables as he does so. The Countess had told him he was special and that Kitty was a fool for not seeing how special he was. Well Lance would show Kitty what she missed out on and in doing so prove himself to his Countess.

Quicksilver zips about and around innocent shoppers caught up in this rampage. He wasn't looking to hurt them really. Just have a little fun with them which he was. He comes to a stop, looks on at what they have done so far and smiles. The Countess will be pleased. It can only be a matter of time until the x-geeks show up just as she planned...and then they will defeat them for her. As for the police...well the wreckage of the first two cars they sent down here is plenty evidence of how truly pathetic humans are. When more come they'll just crush them too.

Pietro's gaze turns to Blob as the large mutant emerges from a convenience store, guzzling a tub of tutti frutti. Fred literally pours it down his throat before tossing away the carton followed by a large loud belch.

Fred wipes his mouth using the back of his hand. The Countess had promised him he could take and eat whatever he wanted and so far she seems to have lived up to her word so Fred will live up to his and cause chaos. He picks up a car someone abandoned when they were unlucky enough to run into the Brotherhood.

Fred raises the car above his head and prepares to throw it...only to find it resisting. He looks up to see the car snared by a series of webs. A red and blue clad figure spins through the air and lands on the roof of the car.

"Whoa there big fella! If you're going to transport something about, someone of your generous girth needs a 'Wide Load' sign."

Fred's face screws up in puzzlement. Is this guy making fun of him?

"It's Spider-Man yo!" Toad exclaims in surprise at seeing the hero in the flesh.

"Spider-Man?" Spider-Man says in surprised excitement. He looks around. "Where? Where?"

"Are you nuts?" Avalanche asks, completely befuddled at the way Spider-Man acts.

"I ask myself that every day." They all look up as Superman floats down serenely to land softly on the ground. He then looks around at the destruction of the shopping district. "Let me guess. They wouldn't give you a refund," Clark dead-pans.

Spider-Man places a hand to his head. "Man I hate it when they do that. I mean it was so not a curry stain. I swear I never wore that shirt once!"

Peter's spider sense suddenly flares and he leaps into the air, flipping head over heels over what looks like to him a silver jigsaw piece before he lands gracefully exactly in the same spot he took off from. He watches the piece fly through the air in a circle until it merges back into a completely silver-looking girl. Well that was a new one to him. "Let me guess. You're amazing at jigsaw puzzles. I wish I was. I'm still trying to complete this one I got in the 3rd grade. Hey do ya think you could help out this friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man?"

"How about we put a _friendly_ hurtin' on you instead," Neutron sneers.

"I might have to pass on that one but thanks for the offer. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know that people care."

"I don't care!" Neutron snaps. "Because of you I ended up in jail!"

"Really?" Spider-Man questions that.

"You don't remember!" Neutron rages at the fact he has been forgotten so easily.

"Dude I put 2-3 people a night in jail. You're going to have to narrow it down a bit."

Neutron growls and summons a ball of radiant energy into his hand. Clark zips in front of him. "I would advise against that," he says sternly. "Remember what happened last time."

"Oh I remember," Neutron assures Clark. "I remember how I will make you pay."

"You have no idea how many times I hear that," Clark says with a mocking roll of his eyes but it is true. He hears that from the people he stops all the time.

"Tell me about it," Spider-Man says in agreement.

"Why are we just standing around talking?" Blob asks, scratching his head in confusion, wanting to pound something.

"Because they're delaying us until the X-Men arrive," the realisation suddenly hits Lance.

"And you guys are only figuring this out now?" Spider-Man queries in disbelief that it has taken them this long.

"Yep. I think Pietro there will have to rename himself Slowsilver," Clark quips.

"That does it!" Pietro's temper snaps. He charges in at Clark aiming a punch but the distance between them isn't enough for Pietro to accelerate fast enough to prove if he is actually faster then Clark giving the alien teen enough reaction time to dodge the blow. Pietro being completely off balance falls flat on his face.

"Wow you almost got me," Clark mocks.

Pietro snarls with rage, gets back to his feet and charges at Clark once more...who once more dodges, leaves his foot out causing Pietro to trip over and fall down once more.

"Ooh I think I felt the air move that time," Clark continues to mock.

Spider-Man points and laughs at the scene. "Better than a roadrunner, Willy E Coyote cartoon."

Clark smirks. "Beep. Beep," he says in an impression of the roadrunner.

At this even a few of Pietro's team-mates can't stop themselves sniggering at the sight.

"Can we get back to getting them!" Pietro shouts at his team-mates.

"Finally!" Neutron shouts with glee, pulling his hand back and preparing to thrown an energy ball...only for a crimson red beam to slam into him knocking him over.

Clark and Peter's distraction and delaying had worked as the X-Men arrive on the scene lining themselves up. Superman zips to stand with them while Spider-Man, leaps, swings, and somersaults to a land next to Kitty who can't help but take a moment to be impressed at how agile and flexible he is...and how great he looks in that costume.

The Brotherhood form up into a line opposite the X-Men.

"Took you guys long enough to show up!" Pietro yells, trying to insult them.

Cyclops steps forward as leader to ask the obvious question. "What's this about Pietro? What's Magneto up to?"

"My father has nothing to do with this!"

Cyclops' gaze never wavers even if puzzlement touches his brow. Like Clark and Peter, he figured this was a trap too, judging from the news footage, but if Magneto wasn't setting them up who was?

The Brotherhood step back, creating a parting in the middle of the street, and they stand either side as if lining it.

Everyone looks on puzzled. Clark's brow furrows deeply. "You hear that?"

"Hear what?" Dom asks

"Footsteps," Logan answers, as his sensitive hearing picks it up.

"Ja," Kurt says in agreement. "3 pairs. High-heeled boots I vould say."

They all peer closer when the air in-between the Brotherhood starts to shimmer, like a heat haze. Then 3 blurry figures start to appear, walking towards them. Eventually the images clarify into Lana, Wanda and Rogue all dressed in black dresses, with high-heeled boots on their feet.

"Oh come on!" Spyke complains at the sight "Seriously? We're doing this again?" he asks, the incredulity his tone all too clear.

"That's like so old," Shadowcat agrees with Evan's complaint.

Spider-Man raises his hand. "For those of us not fluent in mutant speak?" he queries.

"Mind control," Storm says in an eerily calm tone. "They're under some form of mind control."

"Which happens to us worryingly often," Superman fills in while dreading what comes next. What comes next is fighting is the girl he is in love with...and he can't argue the mind control part because Rogue would never be caught dead wearing a dress like she has on now.

"Jean?" Cyclops queries from his girlfriend who has her right hand to her head as she concentrates.

"I can't get in. I'm being blocked," she reports at her attempts to penetrate the minds of their friends and shut them down so as to avoid having to fight them.

Lana laughs with a haughty tone. "Don't waste your time mind-walker," she dismisses what Jean is attempting. "You're nothing but a rank amateur who is out of her depth," she then insults Jean.

Jean frowns annoyed.

Cyclops steps forward. "Lana," he addresses her. "Whoever is controlling you, however they are doing it you can fight them. Rogue, Wanda, if you can hear me, fight whatever is being done to you."

Lana, Wanda and Rogue all smirk. "Pretty speech," Lana compliments him. "But you have no idea what is going on here," she says darkly. "My Brotherhood! Destroy them!" she commands.

The Brotherhood step forward ominously toward the X-Men.

Scott inwardly groans. Here they go again. "Try not to hurt Wanda, Rogue and Lana too much," he requests.

"Not hurt them?" Evan exclaims. "Do you remember what Wanda did to us last time we fought her?" he asks Scott.

Sadly Scott remembered all too well the beating Wanda single-handedly delivered upon them. "It's never easy," he grumbles. He takes a breath before ordering, "X-Men! Ta..."

Before Scott can finish that there is a cough interrupting him. He looks to its source; Spider-Man who has his head cocked to one side as if expecting something.

Clark moves over and whispers in Scott's ear what to say.

Scott closes his eyes briefly and starts again. "X-Men...and Spider-Man!"

"Thanks. My fans expect a minimal amount of name dropping," Spider-Man appreciates.

"Smart-ass punk," Logan grumbles under his breath.

Scott can tell he is going to have an enormous headache by the end of the day. He decides to just point at the Brotherhood and issue the command. "Take them down!"

* * *

_Author's Note: So many little secrets revealed. The lives of quite a few people are not going to be fun once this is over. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; We find out what happened to Mystique and Haze and Isobel's true intent in orchestrating this conflict is revealed._


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

**The Boarding House...**

The door to Alicia's room opens a crack and the blond teleporter peers out. She had slept in...more correctly she had slept in after spending a night with Gambit had left her thoroughly worn out. Problem is she slept in in some place other than her own bed. That all meant she hadn't been here and right now she is checking to see if anyone noticed her absence.

It is not like she doesn't have an excuse thought up. She has been doing this, sneaking around behind her mother's back, long enough to always take her jogging gear with her, so if anyone notices her absences her excuse is she was out on an early morning run, which is a perfectly plausible explanation considering she does do that very thing as part of her fitness routine.

Alicia's brow furrows slightly at how quiet it is. Too quiet for this place. She opens her door fully and steps out into the hallway. Her hands go to her hips. Ok something is definitely wrong she concludes.

Alicia moves from room to room and finds no-one. She tries her mother's last. She knocks and enters. "Mother?"

In the darkened room she spots Mystique still asleep in bed...which is really unusual. Her mother never sleeps in this late.

Alicia walks towards the bed. "Mother?" she queries again in a soft voice so as not to startle her mother.

Alicia reaches the bed and gently rocks Mystique's form. "Mother?" she repeats the query, now more than a little concerned.

"Mother," Alicia says with a stronger, voice. "Mother. Wake up!"

Mystique doesn't even stir in the slightest.

Fear starts to grip Alicia. What's wrong with her mother? Tears threaten to fall but Alicia pushes them back. Alicia gathers Mystique into her arms and the two vanish in a green mist as Alicia takes her mother to the only place she can think of for help.

* * *

**One of Magneto's bases...**

Many people consider coffee a vice but when you are trying to secure the future for an entire species Magneto had found it a necessity to cope with the little sleep he can afford himself.

After Charles had made his successful plea to Congress for peace, Magneto had been forced to reconsider and slow down his plans. In the end he had come to the conclusion Charles had done him a favour. It allowed him time to set up his underground organisation and prepare for the mutant revolution that was to come.

To ensure the success of the mutant uprising Magneto needed an edge over a human race that vastly outnumbered mutantkind. To that end he had dedicated himself to the discovery of the 3 stones of power mentioned in Lionel Luthor's journal that would supposedly grant someone ultimate power once united. That had been his number 1 priority lately.

Magneto sips on his coffee and looks down at the scattered papers on the desk in front of him that contain his research so far. It was an intriguing puzzle. It seemed to be that way on purpose as if whoever hid the stones wanted to ensure only the cleverest...the most worthy could find them.

Out of the corner of his eyes he spots the green mist that signals the arrival of Haze. He turns to that direction as she appears with an unconscious Mystique in her arms.

"Help me," Alicia pleads.

Magneto swiftly moves over and bends down. "What has happened?"

"I don't know. I just found her like this and I can't wake her up,"Alicia explains, almost close to panic.

Magneto presses his fingers to Mystique's neck and picks up a slow, steady pulse.

Just then the doors to this chamber open and in walks a 17 year old girl with brown skin and braided hair, dressed in a black leather sleeveless top, black leather pants and black boots. Magneto had named her Frenzy due to what happens when the girl loses her temper combined with the superstrength and durability she possesses. She was one of many recruits that had swelled the ranks of his followers since mutants went public, no longer feeling the need to hide themselves away.

"Speak," Magneto commands because he knows it must be serious for her to intrude. His standing orders are to not be interrupted unless urgent.

Frenzy briefly takes in the scene with puzzlement in her brown eyes before reporting what she came here to. "It's the Brotherhood."

"What about them?"

"They're on the news fighting the X-Men."

Magneto turns his head to look at Frenzy with a hard penetrating gaze. Frenzy and several others had been assigned to monitor many forms of media for anything mutant related. Magneto needed to keep up to date with whatever was transpiring in the world that affected his people.

Magneto then turns back to Mystique. "To summarise Mystique is in a mysterious coma and my Brotherhood are disobeying my direct command not to act." He then looks at Alicia for an explanation.

Alicia swallows. "Um...I was out jogging. I came back to find the house empty apart from Mother," she tries to explain without revealing her relationship with Gambit.

Magneto isn't quite believing that but what he can believe is the following. "I doubt this is a coincidence."

"What do we do?" Alicia asks.

"Frenzy, fetch me Sinister," he commands.

"Yes Magneto," she replies obediently before turning and departing.

"And the Brotherhood? What do we do about them?" Alicia asks.

"Until we know what is going on nothing. It is always unwise to go into a situation unprepared Haze. Surely Mystique has taught you that."

"She has," Alicia confirms, as she looks down at her mother, her stomach clenching with worry.

"The Brotherhood will be fine," Magneto says in what may be interpreted as an attempt to reassure Haze. "The X-Men will only incapacitate them. After all that's what heroes do."

"You admire them," Alicia draws from Magneto's tone.

Magneto smiles wryly. "Heroes are always worthy of admiration Haze. Even if they're foolish and misguided in fighting for a hopeless cause."

Alicia is too worried about her mother to really absorb that.

Magneto looks at Mystique with his own concerns for her. He is not an uncaring man. He is a man who understands that sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Something is going on. Mystique in a coma with the Brotherhood out causing mischief. It's as if someone wanted Mystique out of the way because she would put a stop to it. Magneto believes he can make that educated guess.

Magneto can also make the following educated guess. Someone is daring to use his mutants for an agenda.

They will learn quickly that crossing him is their first and last mistake.

* * *

**Bayville...**

"So really I got you arrested?" Spider-Man inquires of Neutron as he leaps off cars and streetlamps, avoiding being struck by Neutron's attacks as spheres of radiant energy get thrown at him. This is only a small part of the battle being fought in the streets of Bayville between the X-Men and the Brotherhood.

"Yes!" Neutron yells in anger.

"What was it for? Mugging an old lady? You do look like the type."

"Do you ever shut up!" Neutron screams as another thrown energy ball misses easily as Spider-Man somersaults over it, fires a webline to hit a streetlamp and swings into Neutron knocking him over before landing neatly on the ground.

Neutron rolls over backwards, not too hurt as he is quite durable. Spider-Man continues his talking. "You know I'm certain I would remember a guy who threw multicoloured energy balls around but then again I do have a tendency to lose track of stuff. The other day I went out webslinging without one of my boots. Boy was my face red! If you could have seen it that is..because you know I wear a mask...secret identity and all that."

Neutron almost pulls his hair out in frustration. "Shut up!" he shouts throwing another energy sphere at Spider-Man who arches backwards, at a near impossible angle, and it sails over him.

He stands up straight and point a finger at Neutron, waggling it slightly, as he talks. "That's terribly rude you know. Here I am trying to make polite chit chat and you just yell. My brow may just have become furrowed and believe you me you don't want that. A furrowed brow...oh boy that's trouble."

Neutron's fists clench as he charges at Spider-Man, who leaps over the charging boy as he throws a punch, delivering a kick to the back of Neutron's head as he does, sending Neutron down face first to the ground. Neutron punches the ground in frustration, cracking the road surface, giving Spider-Man a clear sense of just how strong this guy is. Neutron gets to his knees and rips out a large chunk of the road. If his energy attacks couldn't hit the wallcrawler he would try brute strength instead.

Neutron throws it. Spider-Man leaps on top of it and pushes off, firing weblines behind him and snaring the chunk. He lets the webs' natural elasticity do the work as they stretch before snapping back the chunk back at Neutron.

Neutron holds his hands out with a glowing wall of energy growing out of them which shatters the chunk into pieces upon impact. "That the best you got!" he shouts at Spider-Man who is swinging around Neutron off the surrounding buildings looking for the best opening.

"Depends. What day is it again? Because let me tell you I'm not a Monday person...or a Tuesday person. I'm more of a every other Wednesday type of person to be honest," Spider-Man kind of rambles.

"Argh!" Neutron shrieks.

"Dude you sound like a girl...which is probably going to be offensive to the person behind you."

"I'm not going to fall for that!" Neutron shouts.

"That's like too bad for you," a voice from directly behind Neutron states.

Neutron spins round as Shadowcat phases up from underneath the road. Neutron automatically tries to hit her, only for his arm to phase right through her, leaving him off balance for Spider-Man to smack right into him from behind.

Spider-Man lands next to Shadowcat as Neutron once more picks himself up. "Ok what does it take to get him to stay down?" Spider-Man asks.

Shadowcat scratches her head. "Not sure. Only fought him once and Superman did it by smacking his own attack back at him."

"Yeah we're not all invulnerable. I bruise easily," he jokily whines.

Kitty smiles and then takes him by his hand.

"What are you...?"

"Trust me," Kitty requests.

Looking into those honest blue eyes of hers Peter can only nod.

Neutron growls and throws another energy ball at them only for it to phase through both of them.

"Run," Shadowcat whispers at him as she breaks into one still holding his hand. Spider-Man runs with her. "Swing me round," she tells him.

Peter gets it and picks her up, swings her round and her foot connects with Neutron's face. He follows that up quickly with a few hard punches and a kick of his own for good measure knocking Neutron down. Neutron manages to throw another energy ball as he spins round toward the ground.

Peter grabs Kitty intending to protect her only she protects them by phasing once again.

Kitty tries to ignore how nice it is to be in Peter's arms...although it is nice...like it had been this morning when she woke up and found herself curled up atop of him...she blushes slightly at the memory.

Neutron growls loudly as he gets to his feet rather unsteadily, showing that last combo of blows did have an effect.

"Web him and swing him down head first. I got an idea," Kitty says.

Peter goes with it and shoots off some webs cocooning Neutron. Before he can break feet Spider-Man jerks the blond haired boy into the air and over his head so that he comes down head first. Kitty leaps up and grabs hold of Neutron on the way down.

She phases him head first into the ground up to his waist, leaving his hands pinned where he can't use them and his feet flailing helplessly in the air.

Kitty phases herself back up to ground level.

"Um...not to question your genius but will he be ok like that?" Spider-Man asks her.

Kitty waves off any concern. "Like totally. The sewer runs right under the street so while it may smell bad he can breath and I phased him so its him in the road and not the road inside him," she explains.

Peter gets it. The other way round would be fatal. This way it's only the road that is damaged...once they get him out of there. He almost has to laugh at how ridiculous Neutron looks with his legs sticking out of the ground with his feet wiggling in the air. "High five?" he suggests to Kitty to celebrate their victory.

Kitty smiles shyly and holds her hand up. Peter slaps it with the high five and to his surprise Kitty then hugs him. "We make a great team huh?" she says.

"Yep," Peter replies, agreeing with that.

Looking on, as they had been since the fight began, Isobel, Brianna and Madeleine cackle slightly at the chaos around them. Isobel spots the _cosy _moment Spider-Man and Shadowcat are having. She points at them. "Madeleine since they seem to like being stuck together lets really make them stuck shall we?" she suggests to her cohort who is wearing Wanda's face.

Madeleine smirks and reaches into this vessel's inherent power. A blue/black hex bolt emerges from her hand and hits Spider-Man causing one of his webshooters to explode and encase him and Shadowcat in a mass of white webbing.

A few moments later it falls to the ground as Spider-Man and Shadowcat phase away below, both realising a short retreat is in order.

The 3 girls cackle gleefully. They hadn't had this type of fun in centuries and were intending to enjoy it while they could before they set in motion their true agenda.

* * *

A stream of hardened puzzle pieces bounce off Jean's TK shield as she protects herself and Scott, who responds with an optic blast, striking what remains of Puzzler that hasn't been sent to attack them. The beam diffuses off Puzzler's almost indestructible form.

"How is she doing this?" Scott asks, amazed at the way the girl breaks off literal parts of herself. He had never seen a mutation like it before since this was the very first time they had faced off against Puzzler.

Jean tries to concentrate slightly, reaching out with her telepathy while also maintaining the TK shield. "It's some kind of psionic link between her individual components. In essence every part of her thinks. Her consciousness is diffused between the pieces," she reports from what she can sense.

"Can you break the link?" Scott asks, because if she can't talk to herself then Scott is theorising the pieces should become effectively inert.

"By myself? No."

"_But she is not alone," _the Professor's voice reaches into Scott's mind from close-by, still in the Velocity, with Lex.

Together Jean and the Professor attempt to create an psionic interference pattern to make it impossible for Puzzler's individual pieces to 'talk' to each other.

Scott lays down some covering fire as the concentration required means Jean can't maintain a shield around them. Scott rolls, dodges and fires at the silver jigsaw shaped pieces hoping to keep Puzzler focussed on him. A piece strikes him hard in the shoulder knocking him down. That's definitely going to leave a severe bruise Scott muses as he groans in pain on the ground because that really hurt. It was like getting hit by a cannon ball or something...or it felt like it to Scott.

He watches the pieces circle around, above him...like vultures waiting to strike.

Then suddenly the pieces rain down from the sky and make a _plink-plonk_ sound as they strike the ground. Scott looks at where the bulk of Puzzler was standing to find a small pile of silver jigsaw shaped pieces.

"There. She's inert for now," Jean states as she holds her hand out to Scott to help him up.

Scott takes the hand and gets to his feet.

"Oh dear. Oh my. You've taken down one of my servants. Oh whatever shall I do," Isobel feigns fear, even going as far as placing her hands on her cheeks. A smirk soon starts to grow on her lips.

Scott and Jean frown as the 3 girls move to confront them.

"You could give up," Scott suggests.

"The mind-walker might swoon in your presence visor-boy but I've endured too much to be distracted by a pretty face," Isobel states in a cold tone.

"And hard, fit body," Brianna says appreciatively as she gazes over Cyclops. "Men did not look this good in our time."

A flash of jealousy strikes Jean at the way Scott is getting ogled.

Isobel rolls her eyes at her companion. She opens the leather bound book in her hand, turning it to the appropriate page, raises her hand in the direction of the pile that is Puzzler and speaks. "Surgere. Consurget. Sicut liquidum fluunt et mutatio usque a magna bestias legenda statet facit imperium."

Rise. Rise up. Like liquid flow and change until a great beast of legend stands and does my bidding.

Puzzler's pieces rise, glowing with a strange energy as they start to multiply and increase in number. High above they alter shape and slot together until a new form emerges. A large silver dragon. It lands before Scott and Jean, making the ground shake. It opens its elongated mouth and roars, shooting fire into the air.

"Uh...never saw that coming," Scott has to lamely say.

Jean's eyes are as wide as saucers. They had never seen power like this before. They were in BIG trouble.

* * *

Plastique had armed herself with a bundle of screws, nuts and bolts from a hardware store and was right now charging them before throwing them at Wolverine who was mostly dodging them because if they hit him they would explode. His costume already had enough holes in it that it was heading to be tossed out from before he figured out what it was she could do. In a couple of places his skin was still visibly healing over.

"How about showing a fellow Canadian a break lady?" Wolverine asks in his usual gruff tones as he dives out of way of a few exploding screws.

"Je ne suis pas Canadien. Je suis Québécoise," Plastique replies, sounding insulted at being called that, dismissing the notion she is Canadian. She's a Quebecian separatist like her father.

"So that mean you're not going to surrender?"

"Seulement quand je serai mort."

It's not the direct translation but Logan gets the gist of it to be 'Over my dead body'.

Logan sighs. "You had you're chance. Stormy! You're up!"

Storm descends from the sky and the wind rises up around Plastique with enough force to lift her. Several curses in French stream from her lips as she is spun round and round by a twister. She reaches into the back of the waistband of her purple costume and pulls out a gift she was given from a teacher who had been helping her with her power. A playing card. The Ace of Spades.

Plastique charges up the card and throws it in the general direction of Storm...or as best she can figure as she is spinning round and round. It explodes close enough for the force to knock Storm backwards and out of the air.

Logan sees this and sprints forward, dives and manages to catch Storm before she hits the ground.

This, of course, leaves Plastique in mid-air without anything holding her up. Another strong expletive in French escapes her at not thinking this through more before she plummets down and impacts hard upon a car roof.

Logan places Storm down for a moment, pops his claws and runs to where Plastique landed. He leaps atop the car and cuts into the roof before bending the thin metal around the dazed redhead tightly enough to ensure she isn't going anywhere.

That done he checks back up on Storm who is sitting up rubbing her head. "You alright?"

"I am fine," she says as Logan helps her to her feet. Storm looks at Plastique. "At least we know what her power is now," she comments as before the fight began they did not know what the girl was capable of. It would be why Logan volunteered to engage her first because whatever power she had he could take the impact better than almost anyone else.

A loud roar catches their attention and they look down the street at the large silver dragon that was Puzzler.

"By the Goddess," Storm remarks in prayer at the sight.

Logan sniffs the air. "You smell that?"

Storm looks at him with an arched eyebrow as if to say 'Of course not. I don't have an enhanced sense of smell.'

Logan sniffs the air again as that smell triggers a memory of something he has encountered before in his long life. "Can't be," he says, unable to believe it.

"Can't be what?"

Logan growls deeply. "Magic," he says with utter loathing. With a new grunt of determination he charges headlong towards the new threat as Storm lifts gracefully into the air to do the same.

* * *

Domino is learning first hand why every one of her students moans so much about Pietro. The guy was an obnoxious ass...and that's her carefully considered opinion by the way.

For the last...god knows how long he had been giving her and Spyke the run around...literally.

Quicksilver appears next to her. "So seriously I've got to know. Why is a babe as hot as you hanging out with this loser?" he asks as he jerks his thumb in Spyke's direction.

"As opposed to hanging out with someone who this_ loser_ has beaten what? A dozen times over by now?" Domino retorts.

"At least," Spyke says.

Pietro frowns. "You should think carefully about what side to choose. My Countess has promised me victory and so much more."

"Your Countess?" Domino queries, amused looking. "There's a joke there but I'm trying to cut down. I'm on the 12 step program to stop my compulsive joke making."

Pietro just looks at her confused.

"That...and why waste my good material on someone who is about as dangerous as a cuddly wuddly kitten."

Spyke snorts with laughter at Domino's mocking of Pietro.

Quicksilver is so flustered he struggles to find the words. In the end he exclaims, "Excuse me?"

"Sure. You're excused," Domino quips, making Spyke laugh more.

Quicksilver chokes with anger. "You and Daniels haven't come close to hitting me."

"Who says I've been trying?" she retorts. Ok she has and missing which is seriously starting to get on her nerves. She never misses but even her luck can't quite compensate for Pietro's speed of movement. However, by saying that she hasn't she can get on Pietro's nerves and make him do something stupid and get him exactly where she wants him. She's been working it out for the last 5 minutes what she needs to do.

Pietro's eyes narrow and his anger rises at feeling his pride has been insulted. "Ok I dare you to try!"

"Well if you insist," Dom says in a lazy manner. "How about I let you have a run up shorty?"

"Shorty?" Quicksilver mutters insulted. He isn't short. "Shorty? I'll show her shorty," he mutters to himself as he gives himself that run up.

Domino adjusts the settings on her pistols so they fire the correct intensity of energy blast she's going for. She'll have to remember to thank Forge once again for making these for her. "When I tell you make him turn left," she instructs Spyke. "And leave the rest to me."

Spyke didn't see what Domino could possibly be planning but brings spikes to the surface all along his arm ready to fire them off in front of Pietro.

Domino takes aim with one pistol and fires, knowing it will miss. Consider it the starting shot.

The silver streak that is Quicksilver approaches them as Domino fires off shots, subtly moving Pietro off course to where she desires.

"Now!" she yells at Spyke who unleashes a line of spikes driving them into the ground in a curved line that forces Pietro to turn sharp left and then a right as he runs along the sidewalk.

Behind her back Domino fires off a shot from her other pistol at a right angle. The energy blast strikes the base of a road sign which topples over into some power cables that pulls down a damaged pole which topples into a shop causing the shade above the window to unroll. Two quick blasts later at its supports and it is falling down on top of Quicksilver who, as Domino had perfectly timed it, is passing under. Tangled up he trips up head over heels.

Domino changes the setting on her pistol, aims at the complaining lump under the shade and fires, stunning Pietro into unconsciousness.

Spyke looks on with raised eyebrows. "That's impossible," he exclaims at what Domino just did.

"Not impossible. Just lucky," she pronounces with a grin.

A loud roar catches their attention and both turn to see the silver dragon that was Puzzler.

"And does luck apply to how we defeat that?" Evan asks, his tone full of dire foreboding about this.

Domino puts her hands to her hips and sighs loudly. "It's going to one of _those _days isn't it?" she asks, rhetorically. "Come on spiny. Lets go save the day!"

"Spiny?" Evan mutters as he follows Domino. "Spiny?" he repeats, incredulously. He would rather be called what Logan calls him; Porcupine.

Domino quietly sniggers at Spyke's mutterings. Some days it's just too easy.

* * *

Clark punches Blob hard, sending the mountainous teen smashing into the side of an already wrecked car.

Blob rubs his chin. "Huh. You hit harder," he remarks at how much more that seems to hurt than last time Clark punched him.

Clark is thinking he should have hit Fred harder just to get this over with so they can get back on trying to help the 3 girls. His nostrils flare slightly, his brow quirks and he spins round on the spot and unleashes his freeze-breath at one of Toad's slime balls, freezing the goopy, sticky green mucus solid where it promptly falls like a stone to the ground.

"How did you know?" Toad asks as in how did Clark know he spat one of his slime balls at him.

"Because I'm downwind of you," Clark says, wrinkling his nose at the unpleasant odour.

Toad leaps into the air and Clark blows out a superbreath sending Toad flying.

"Whoa! So not fair yoooooo!" Toad gripes as he sails off into the distance.

"RARGH!" Blob roars as he charges at Clark trying to get back at the alien teen for what he did to Toad.

"Fun science fact Fred," Clark starts to say as he sidesteps the attack. "A body in motion stays in motion..." Clark presses his hand to Blob's back as the large teen passes him and pushes. "...unless acted upon by another force." Blob's momentum increases substantially. Clark zips forward and pushes again. "If that force is applied in the same direction you get acceleration," he continues his physics lesson as he continues shoving Blob faster and faster to the point the boy with the mohawk is about to fall over at which point Clark puts all the force he can muster into it, essentially pushing Blob skyward and up and away and if Clark's done the maths right Fred should land in that nice vacant lot a few miles away and shouldn't be back any time soon.

Clark skids to a halt and turns round to be greeted by the sight of the silver dragon that was Puzzler. His eyebrows rise. "That's new," he remarks, before with renewed focus zipping off to help his friends...only he gets distracted by Avalanche, who since the fight started had seemingly been given the task of keeping the police back, raising up the streets as barricades.

One unlucky police car get tossed high into the air. With a quick change of direction Clark is running towards it. He deliberately side-swipes Lance on the way, knocking the ground-shaker down. Clark comes to a halt and waits for the car to come to him. He catches it and moves with it, bringing it to a not too abrupt stop. He places the car down, moves round the the driver's door and checks on the police officer inside. A young woman, with short blond hair.

"Are you alright Officer..." Clark checks the name badge. "...Sawyer?"

Maggie Sawyer rubs her neck thanks to the whiplash she just endured. Some job being a police officer in Bayville was turning out to be. She turns her gaze to the young man looking at her, through the window, in the red and blue. She knew who he was...or at least what the Bugle called him. You couldn't do your job as a police officer in Bayville these days without knowing about the man who use to be called the Bayville Blur and was now dubbed Superman. She gets out of the car. "Yeah I think so. Thanks," she says, genuinely grateful for his aid.

Clark checks her over quickly and can see she seems unhurt. "You're welcome," he replies politely.

Sawyer's eyes flicker on the large silver dragon and the many mutants now battling it. "That's crazy," she mumbles in disbelief at what her eyes are beholding.

"Welcome to my world," Superman mutters sarcastically.

Sawyer looks at him.

"Sorry," he apologises for his tone. "Bad day," he explains.

Sawyer's lips quirk upward slightly. It was kind of funny the way the kid looked humbled by her look. Then suddenly he snaps out if it and an air of authority rises up around him.

"My friends and I will deal with the dragon. I think it best if you and your colleagues concentrate on getting the civilians clear," Superman says.

Sawyer chews it over for a minute. The police did not have the firepower to deal with this. It had been a major issue of discussion these last few months about how to equip the police for handling mutants. No decision had been reached as of yet so it's really not a choice for her but to do what Superman is suggesting. "Alright. I'll trust you this time...but I'll add I really don't like vigilantes," she says with some hostility. It was the police's job to handle criminals in her mind. Pure and simple. On the other hand Superman just saved her life so she's cutting him some slack.

A pensive expression comes to Clark's face. The police in Bayville had never really liked what he did, labelling it vigilantism. "Thank you," is all Clark can think to say.

Sawyer nods and then her gaze turns to behind Superman.

Clark turns as the 3 girls advance toward him obviously settling up for a showdown. "Go," he tells Office Sawyer. "I'll deal with this."

Sawyer hesitates for one moment before running off. She spots a few colleagues taking cover, shouts at them to get up and they all move to try and pull innocent people out of the way.

Clark's attention turns to the 3 girls. Even though Scott had tried to reach them Clark feels he has to try again. "We don't have to do this. Whoever has control of you can be fought. You are stronger than they are."

Isobel chortles. "Poor foolish Clark." At his surprised expression that she knew it was him she adds, "Oh yes. I know it's you Clark. I can practically smell your power from here. It can't be hidden by a pair of glasses," she points out with an oddly gleeful tone.

Clark's expression hardens. "What is this about?" he asks, seeing if he can get any answers.

Isobel answers with a single word as she points directly at him. "You. This whole carnival was about luring you out." She points at the dragon fighting the X-Men. "My creation there is about keeping your friends busy leaving you and us. Now I give you the choice. Submit to our will or this shall get unpleasant," she warns.

"I don't know what is going on but this has to stop. People will get hurt," Clark says.

The 3 girls smile dangerously. "You're right. People shall get hurt. Starting with you!" Isobel promises him. She turns to her right. "Brianna," she instructs her companion.

Clark frowns. _'Brianna? What?'_ he asks himself in his head because as far as he can tell the girl in front of him is Rogue who is right now raising her right hand in the sign of the devil. "Rogue. Please don't do this," he asks of her, his voice taught with emotion at having to fight the girl he loves.

"Surgite!" Brianna says and a torn up piece of the road rises up with an odd purplish glow around it, before, with a gesture of her hand, she sends it flying at him.

_'That's new,' _Clark thinks to himself seeing Rogue do something he has never seen her do herself. He goes with just letting the the chunk hit him and smash to pieces. The pain that resonates through him when it does hit him quickly makes him regret it. To his complete surprise it hurts and sends him flying backwards. He lands on his back with a grunt, momentarily winded but is soon back to his feet.

"So you are as tough as I was told. So much the better. That will make this so much more fun," Isobel says, her eyes gleaming darkly as she seems to revel with joy at the idea of prolonging Clark's suffering.

Clark almost asks who told her but that could be anyone from Rogue or Wanda to the Brotherhood, all of whom seem to be under some kind of control, to whoever it is that is controlling them. He'll deal with it later. Save them first...from themselves it seems and then they can get answers.

"Madeleine," Isobel commands her other companion.

_'Oh boy,' _Clark worries to himself. Fighting Wanda is never fun because she can really hurt him if she can hit him.

Madeleine brings her two hands together in front of her, both in the sign of the devil. "Incede," she says. Several objects that litter the street rise up and she sends them at Clark.

Clark's eyes glow red and one after the other he shoots them out of the air. His eyes then narrow and he is puzzled by the surprised expression on the 3 girls' faces as if they didn't expect that...when they should. It doesn't add up...nor do these little tests because they should know better than most what it takes to stop him but they seem surprisingly ill-prepared.

Isobel frowns in annoyance. This was not going as hoped. "Serpentes ortum et cáperent!"

Serpents rise and ensnare!

Power cables smash out of the ground and wrap themselves around Clark's wrists and ankles.

"Fulgur!" Isobel shouts and a mass of electric current flows through the cables into Clark. The electricity is visible as it arcs over and through his body. He grunts as the current messes with his nervous system a little.

"Together. Quickly," Isobel commands her two companions seeing that it will take their combined power to put Clark down. All 3 girls bring their hands together in front of Isobel and a purple energy starts to glow in a twirling ball above their conjoined hands.

Clark snaps the cables, freeing himself, just as the 3 girls dispatch their attack and smash the ball into him. He cries out in pain as he goes flying, smashing through a wall into one of the many stores that line the street.

"We must hurry. Before he recovers," Isobel says as she and the other 2 dash after where they sent Clark.

* * *

Back with the X-Men the fight against the dragon was not going so well. In her silver form Puzzler is close to indestructible and being transformed into a dragon hadn't altered that any. None of the attacks the X-Men had attempted so far were working. They couldn't even scratch it.

The Puzzler dragon swings its tail around like a whip hitting Logan, who was trying to get in close, and sending him crashing through a store wall.

"Logan!" Storm cries out in worry and lets loose a twister which drives the altered mutant girl back a little, buying them all some breathing space.

"This isn't working!" Domino points out as she hits the creature repeatedly with her pistols, again with little to no effect on it, beyond aggravating it, it seemed.

Scott realises that. They only good thing so far of this fight was the police pulling people out of the way, freeing up what he can do without worrying about civilians getting caught in the crossfire. "We have to try and immobilise it! Nightcrawler! Go find as much cable as you can!" Cyclops shouts.

"On it!" Kurt replies as he teleports off.

Scott intends to try and tie it up.

The Puzzler dragon lets loose a bestial roar and unleashes a stream of fire from its mouth, blasting Storm's twister away and forcing Jean to raise a TK shield to protect everyone. She grits her teeth and groans at the effort.

Spider-Man, down to one webshooter, he's so suing, swings onto the back on the dragon, to distract it. It immediately tries to buck him off. "Whoa! Ride 'em Cowboy!" he rolls off the quip and his sticking ability gets tested to its limit.

Spider-Man's efforts buy the time for Nightcrawler to reappear, bundles of cables he scrounged up in hand.

Cyclops says grimly, "Kurt, Kitty...I think you know what I'm going to ask you to do."

Kurt and Kitty nod. With their powers they are the ones who have to get close and try and tie up the legs.

"We'll cover you," Cyclops promises. He turns to the rest. "Alright. Here's the plan. We get its attention and keep its attention off Shadowcat and Nightcrawler and do our best to protect them while they tie up its legs. Don't group together or stand still and give it an easy target for breathing fire at you. Everyone clear?"

There is a collective "Yep."

"Spyke. Domino. Storm. Lets get its attention," Cyclops orders. "Spider-Man! Get clear!" he yells.

Spider-Man jumps off the dragon as Cyclops fires his optic beam. Spyke fires off an array of bony projectiles. Storm sends lightning crashing into it. Domino fires off her pistols. They don't really hurt the dragon but they do get its attention. It roars in anger and stomps towards them unleashing a torrent of fire from its mouth forcing them to dive for cover.

By now Kurt has already teleported himself and Kitty to under the dragon. While their friends keep the dragon busy they loop the cable around the back right leg before Kurt teleports to the back left and Kitty throws him the line. Kurt loops it around the leg while Kitty runs to the front left. Kurt throws her the line and she loops it around while Kurt teleports to the front right. She throws him the line just as the leg moves and clocks her, knocking her down.

"Kitty!" Kurt shouts in panic which gets the Puzzler dragon's attention. Its head moves down to chomp on Kitty.

"Nightcrawler! Finish wrapping the leg up!" Cyclops orders as he desperately fires blasts at the head to try and get the dragon focussed back on him.

Kurt does as he is told while the dragon prepares to bite into Kitty.

"Not so fast there you overgrown gecko!" Spider-Man shouts as he leaps through the air and fires a large glob of webbing right into the eyes. He fires a line which sticks to the neck of the dragon and he swings down and picks the groggy Kitty up. "Fear not fair Maiden. Sir Spider of Man shall save you from the beast," he says in an impression of a knight of yore as he swings her to safety and lands on the roof of a car.

Kitty is in grip enough of her senses to giggle at that. "Thank you kind Knight," she says back playing along.

Peter smiles under his mask at that one.

"Hey webhead!"

Peter's head turns to see Logan, who is back from where the dragon sent him, now holding the end of the cable Kurt and Kitty had tied around the dragon's legs along with Cyclops and Spyke.

"We could use some extra muscle!" Logan explains that they need his superstrength to help pull the dragon down.

Spider-Man leaps and lands near the X-Men and turns Kitty over to Storm before grabbing the end of the line. "Ready whenever you are Wolvie old buddy," he says jovially.

A mental image flashes up in Logan's head of Spider-Man on the end of his claws and he doesn't even feel guilty about it. "Just shut up and pull!"

The 4 guys yank hard, pulling the cable taught. Jean uses her telepathy to add an extra restraining force while Domino fires blasts at the ground under its feet, tearing the street up, trying to destabilise its equilibrium further and as advertised the Puzzler dragon trips up and crashes down to the road tearing it up even more than it already was. It lays there motionless for the moment.

"So what now?" Evan asks, as in what do they do now.

"_Jean," _comes the Professor's telepathic voice into Jean's mind.

"_Yes Professor," _Jean replies.

"_I've been trying to get into her mind but the primal instincts are too strong. I need a conduit. I need you to physically touch her for me."_

Jean's expression is wary.

"Jean? What is it?" Scott asks at her expression.

Jean explains the situation.

"Ok that sound pretty nuts," Kitty offers her opinion, as she rubs her banged up head. There's so going to be a massive bump there. She just knows it.

"If we don't shut her down how long will that really hold her?" Domino points out.

Jean realises Domino is right. She needs to do this. She takes a breath and carefully walks up to the fallen silver dragon.

"Everyone stay sharp," Cyclops advises so that they move in an instant should the dragon do anything.

Jean reaches out with her hand and places it gently on the top of the head and closes her eyes as she allows the Professor to use her as a conduit.

Charles delves into the chaotic mindscape of Puzzler which has been twisted and bent by forces yet unknown to him. His astral form walks through a landscape which is literally full of structures of places Puzzler knows twisted beyond the realms of physical reality.

"You need to leave. The girl belongs to me."

Charles turns to find what looks like Lana Lang standing there. Only this woman looks older, her eyes darker, with much power, wisdom and evil in them. "I shall not," he declares. "You will return the girl to normal and leave," he orders.

The woman laughs wickedly. "You don't know who you are messing with mind-walker."

"No. It is you who does not who she is messing with...whoever you are because you are not Lana Lang are you?"

The not-Lana smirks. "I'm an echo. Left here to ensure the girl serves her purpose but yes the one who left me here is not Lana Lang. She's...not been around for awhile now."

Charles eye's narrow. If all this apparition is merely a psychic copy left behind then he should be able to disperse it completely without harming the real person. "I give you this chance to leave for in the battlefield of the mind you shall find me a formidable opponent," he warns.

"Don't threaten me old man," she hisses, any mask of civility faded away. A fencing sword appears in her hand and her appearances changes into one dressed for combat in fencing gear.

Charles' form changes too as he adopts the garb of a gladiator of old holding a sword of his own in his right hand and a small round shield in the other.

The not-Lana charges at him and strikes but he deflects the blow with his shield and counters with swiftness and strength his body could never manage but in this place it is one's strength of will that matters. He drives her back before knocking the sword from her hand and hits her in the face with the shield sending her tumbling over.

She rolls over, gets to her feet and a long spear manifests in her hands with which she jabs at him. Charles deflects her strikes with his shield. She jabs forward once more, he sidesteps it and using his sword cuts the spear. The metal tipped end drops to the ground. Charles charges forward and smashes his shield into the not-Lana once more before he turns, picks up the cut off spear end and transforms it into an arrow. A bow manifests in his hand. He loads the arrow and fires hitting the not-Lana in the heart.

She screams before disappearing. The apparition is gone.

Charles' form reverts to him in his suit walking this bizarre landscape. It is then he hears someone crying softly. He walks towards the sound and behind a twisted knoll of grass he finds a girl curled up into a ball. Charles bends down and strokes her head. "It's ok child."

The mental image of Valerie Van Haaften shivers. "Help me please," she pleads. "I can't control myself. I don't know...I can't stop. Please make it stop!" she begs.

Charles feels deep sympathy for her and deep anger at who did this. He pulls her into his arms and hold her close. "You need to help me. You need to let me into your mind fully and not fight me."

"I...I just want Uncle Erik!" she sobs.

_'Uncle Erik?' _Charles thinks to himself with some bemusement. What is Magneto's relation to this girl that she calls him uncle. "I'm a friend of Erik's," he tells her. "I can help you to see him again if you let me."

Valerie nods pathetically and Charles feels her mental barriers fall away. Once that is done he reaches into her mind, effectively becoming one with her and can feel the overwhelming animal instincts this transformation has brought about. No wonder she couldn't control herself. Luckily Charles' mind is stronger and he has experience helping those mutants whose transformation involves strong animal instincts.

He pushes the instincts away and accesses her powers. Charles soon finds the way to shut them off which he does and then he plants the suggestion in Valerie's head to sleep...although he hardly needs to. This transformation has strained her powers past the point of exhaustion only she still couldn't stop thanks to the not-Lana.

Valerie drifts off into unconsciousness and with that the Professor's mind snaps back to his place in the Velocity, with the portable Cerebro helmet on his head. He takes a moment to regather himself before inquiring after the guest they were forced to bring along. "Lex?"

No response.

Charles looks around and can see the helicopter is empty. Lex is gone in the process breaking his word that he would do as asked.

* * *

Back in the real world with the X-Men, they watch on as the dragon's form starts to dissolve into fine powder. It literally blows away in the breeze until all there is left is a 14 year old girl with brown hair lying naked in the street.

Storm quickly unfastens her cape and uses it to cover the girl.

Scott rushes over to Jean who is rubbing her head. "You ok?" he asks with concern for his girlfriend.

Jean smiles and nods. "I'm fine." She looks down at the girl on the ground. "She'll be out for awhile," she reports.

Domino blows some hair out of her face. "Remind to add dragon slaying to the training roster," she says in a tried sounding joke.

"I have like a question," Kitty raises. "Where's Superman?"

"Ja," Kurt says in agreement. "And vhere did zhe 3 girls go?" he adds on to the question because all 4 of those people are nowhere to be seen.

"So Supes is missing as are our 3 mind controlled girls," Spider-Man sums up the situation. "Does anyone else think this is bad?"

"Right there with ya dude," Spyke says in agreement.

Jean looks to Scott who looks to Logan. "Can you pick up their scent?" he asks.

Logan sniffs the air in several different directions before fixing in on one and pointing. "That way."

"I'll stay with the girl," Storm says since she is obviously in a bad way.

Scott nods his agreement. "Wolverine. Lead the way."

Logan takes off with the X-Men plus Spider-Man in pursuit.

* * *

After he was hit Clark found himself groaning in pain on the floor of the shop he crashed into. His entire body smarts like he was just on the receiving end of a blow from the Juggernaut and to his immense surprise he finds there are small cuts on his hands which aren't healing. Suddenly he finds himself rolled on to his back with his arms pinned out to the side as the 3 girls hold him down with Lana straddling his chest.

"Impressive," Isobel remarks, with a look of genuine admiration. "That curse would have killed a mortal man."

"What is he?" Madeleine, holding down the right arm, asks. "I can smell his power but he's not a mutant."

"Nor a sorcerer," Brianna also rules out, as she holds down the left arm.

"No. He's something very different," Isobel deduces. "We must act quickly before his powers revive him," she orders.

Isobel opens her book and lays it on Clark's chest. She summons up the power within herself and starts to chant. "Vestue Vines Chet. Potestas Genuras Genset."

A wind blows up around them and a great multicoloured stream of light starts to rise out of Clark's chest through the book. Isobel chants more. "Potestas Et Vellar Vis!"

And with those last words a huge surge of energy streams out. Clark cries out in pain. Isobel gasps in shock at the sheer amount of power she senses that is flowing over, around and through her. She breaths heavily, an almost orgasmic afterglow on her face as the last few whispers of energy vanish into the aether.

Clark's head lops to the side as he passes out.

Isobel takes a moment to gather herself before declaring, with satisfaction, "It is done. His powers are gone."

CLICK!

The sound of a gun being cocked.

Isobel remains perfectly calm. "Hello Alexander." She stands up and turns round to face Lex aiming a gun at her from a position behind the 3 girls.

Lex had left the helicopter when the Professor was busy and had witnessed Superman being hit into here followed by the 3 girls. He followed them because he needed to and that is all the explanation he requires to give. "You're not Lana," he declares with absolute certainty of that. "Where is she?" he demands to know.

Isobel laughs mockingly. "You still haven't worked it out have you. Even after you tested me...and yes I was aware of what you did. You think you're in charge don't you my dear Alexander but you're not. I'm the one who has been in charge from the moment I came into your life. That's why you will never live up to your namesake. Alexander the Great was master of all he saw in front of him and if he wasn't he conquered it. You...you are just a pathetic little rich boy trying to prove himself better than his daddy," she twists the knife in quite viciously with her verbal jabs.

Anger rises up inside Lex. "Where is Lana?" he asks the question again in a deadly serious tone.

"Right in front you...only she isn't running the show at the moment. Think of her as having a very long nap while I _borrow _her body. Permanently borrow."

"You're possessing her?" Lex queries in an uncertain tone because that's new even for him and everything he has seen.

"I am taking her body as my own forever!"

"Never!" Lex declares.

"Who's going to stop me? You?" she asks in a derisive tone with a terribly amused expression at Lex's gumption. "Him?" she asks, pointing at the unconscious figure of Superman. "You have no idea who I am Alexander. Nor the fact this conversation has only lasted as long as I wished it to." She snaps her open hand towards Lex. "Mea!" she yells and the gun flies out of Lex's hand into hers.

Before Lex can react Madeleine hexes Lex sending him flying into some shelves which topple over on top of him.

The 3 girls chuckle amused by it all.

"This way!" Logan's voice as he tracks them down.

Isobel utters a few old French curses. "Grab Alexander. I'm not done with him yet," she orders her two companions, now with haste in her tone for them to act quickly.

Madeleine moves but Brianna stays, her gaze suddenly distant.

"Brianna," Isobel hisses.

Brianna blinks her eyes. "Sorry? What?" she asks in confusion.

"Didn't you hear me?"

"No. Not above the other voices."

"Other voices? What are you prattling on about?" Isobel asks, looking at Brianna as if she has gone crazy...crazier than normal.

Brianna brow puckers in confusion. "You don't hear them?"

Isobel pinches the bridge of her nose. They don't have time for this. "Brianna. Snap out of it!" she barks. "And help get Alexander!"

Brianna seems to pull herself together. She and Madeleine pull Lex out from under the shelving and dump him next to Clark.

"We must leave," Isobel decides as she stands over the two bodies. Her book remains open on Clark's chest. She flicks it to the appropriate page, before she stands up straight and holds her hands out to either side. Brianna moves next to her and places one hand flat against Isobel's and hold the other out. Madeleine then completes the triangle placing her two hands flat against the two held out to her.

The 3 chant together. "Evanescunt in caligine solum ad redeo loco novo!"

Vanish into the mist only to reappear some place anew.

The X-Men burst in just as the 3 along with Lex and Clark vanish in a flash of purple light. They get a glimpse long enough of the 3 girls to see the smiles of triumph on their faces and an echoing laugh saying, "Too late!"

"Does anyone else get the feeling we were just played?" Domino asks because that's the vibe she is getting.

"Like this whole thing was a set-up to get Clark and Lex?" Jean asks Domino to clarify what she means.

"Yep."

"Ve're right zhere vith you," Kurt says, in a way speaking for all of them because they all are getting the same vibe as Domino.

Scott's face twists up in frustration and anger. Yet another trap they walked into. This is getting old and he is getting fed-up of being used in other people's games. "We're going to find them," he declares. "We're going to find them and we're going to find out who is behind this and put a stop to them," he says sounding certain to reassure the others. The only problem is he's lying because he doesn't have a clue where to begin.

For now Clark and Lex are on their own.

* * *

_Author's Note: Yeah Isobel's aim was to get Clark and Lex only why did she need to go through so much effort? A hint not everything is quite going according to her plan. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark and Lex find themselves prisoner, at the whims of the 3 witches' tender mercies._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

**New York...**

A rather bedraggled looking woman in her early 20s with auburn hair, light skin and large blue eyes emerges from her bedroom. She is dressed in a large fluffy yellow and black night robe with novelty wasp slippers on her feet as she shuffles across her penthouse apartment towards the incessant knocking on her door.

"God I'm going to give that security guard a piece of my mind," she grumbles because she left instruction at the main door that she wasn't to be disturbed this morning. She had a very late night trying to sell her wears. She is a top-notch fashion designer after all. A great one hence why she lives in a penthouse apartment in the really expensive part of New York.

She gets to her door, opens it and spies a man with grey hair and an eye-patch. "No," she says and then moves to slam the door shut in his face.

The man jams his foot in the way to prevent her shutting the door. "Is this the way you greet all your guests Janet?" he queries with a wry tone.

Janet Van Dyne rolls her eyes. "Only you Fury...and the answer is still no."

"Is that you speaking...or Hank?"

Truthfully it's Hank speaking. Janet hadn't quite got around to changing his mind yet. Seeing as she is too tired to try and force Fury out she relents and opens the door again. "What do you want?"

"You know what I want," Fury replies since he has asked her this before. He's back to get her to change her mind and agree this time.

"Yes. Yes. To join your 'Avengers Initiative'."

"The world's changing Janet. The reveal of mutants should be evidence enough. We have supervillains popping up everywhere and there needs to be a team to deal with it. A team to counter the threats that no single individual can handle alone," Fury makes his pitch.

"And you think Hank and I can do this?"

"Why not?" Fury asks her back. "Otherwise what is the point of the powers Hank gave himself and you?"

Janet rubs her face. "I'm too hungover for this," she complains.

"No change there then."

Janet frowns. She knows that voice. She looks up to behind Fury where there is a tall, athletic blond woman with blue eyes, the same age as Janet herself, with her, what would be shoulder length, hair tied in a pony tail, dressed in the typical dark blue SHIELD uniform. Janet's eyes light up in surprise. "Carol?"

Carol Danvers smiles at seeing her college room-mate again. "Hi Janet."

"Oh my God! Carol!" Janet cries in excitement as she pushes past Fury and hugs her old friend. Janet then pulls back and looks Carol over. "What are you wearing?" she asks, making a face and wrinkling her nose a little in distaste. "You know that uniform does nothing for you," she gives her assessment.

"That your professional opinion Jan?"

"Yep...and even that will cost you $500. You'll be getting billed for my consultation first thing tomorrow Fury," Janet teases.

"File it with the accountants," Fury dead-pans.

"You actually work for this kill-joy?" Janet asks Carol, jerking her thumb in Fury's direction.

"Fraid so."

"But I thought you wanted to be a pilot in the air-force?" Janet asks in confusion.

"I did. Qualified top of my class," Carol says proudly.

"And then I recruited her the day after," Fury fills in.

"You accepted?" Janet asks, still puzzled by her friend's thinking. Carol was so excited at the idea of joining the air-force. Carol loves flying. Why would she give that up for SHIELD?

"I believed I could serve my country better by joining SHIELD."

Janet arches a sceptical looking eyebrow. That's a very easy answer to give about serving one's country and while Carol does truly believe in doing that Janet won't be taking that reply at face value. There has to be a better reason than that why Carol left her dream to be an air-force pilot for SHIELD.

"Where's Hank?" Fury asks, in reference to who else he is here to see.

"What's the time?" Janet asks.

Carol checks her watch. "11.37."

"Wow that's early!" Janet complains in her usual jovial manner.

Carol rolls her eyes. Janet never changes.

"Where's Pym?" Fury asks, a little more sternly, his patience running out.

"Where he always is. Down in his lab," Janet assumes.

* * *

"Hank! Guests!" Janet yells, some 20 minutes later after she had had her caffeine fix, gotten dressed and led Fury and Carol down from her apartment to the lab Hank has in the lower levels of the building.

Bent over a microscope is a tall, lean man with blond hair dressed in a typical white scientist's coat over his more regular clothes. "I know," Dr Henry Pym replies, without looking up.

"How do you know that?" Janet wonders.

"The ants told me."

"Of course they did," Janet says with a sad sigh that those ants of his get more of a conversation from Hank than she generally does. She gestures for Fury to take the lead. "Be my guest."

Fury steps forward. "How's it going Pym?"

"My answer is still no."

"You haven't even heard my question," Fury argues.

"It's always the same. You want weapons. You won't get them from me. Go talk to Tony Stark," Hank tells Fury bluntly and borderline rudely.

"I want to make the world a safer place," Fury states.

Hank finally straightens up and turns round to look Fury in the eye. "You want a team of superpowered thugs to do your dirty work, beat up criminals so that they can then be locked up and the key thrown away," he gives his downbeat assessment of what Fury is up to. "Criminals don't need prison. They need rehabilitation. Those altered in some way need cures," he argues.

"That's a funny little world you live in there Hank," Carol says.

"Nice to see you again Carol...or it would be if you weren't wearing that uniform," Hank modifies his greeting, his displeasure all too evident at seeing Jan's friend as a SHIELD agent.

Carol rolls her eyes. Hank never changes either. Always the idealist and pacifist. "One day Hank you'll have to see the world as it actually is. So you go ahead and talk to your ants. SHIELD will be making sure there's still a world for them to live in," she states in a cold, harsh tone.

Fury raises his hand to stop Danvers. "Listen Pym you want to make a better world? You think you can do it in this lab then go right ahead and stay here but let me make one thing clear. I'm going to create a team to ensure world security...to take down threats no individual alone can. Now you can be a member of that team and influence its direction or not and leave it to others to decide the direction. The choice is yours."

"Hank," Janet pleads with him not to dismiss it out of hand. Personally she thinks it would be cool to be part of a superhero team, beating up bad guys, taking names, kicking ass.

Hank looks at Janet and can see the expression on her face. He sighs. He could never say no to her really. "I'll think about it," he submits.

Janet's face lights up. That means she can twist his arm into agreeing if given a few days.

"You know where to reach me," Fury says. "But really think about it," he requests of them. "Ant-Man and Wasp; Avengers."

"Ooh catchy," Janet says with enthusiasm, her eyes wide and gleaming with excitement as she imagines it.

Hank clamps his hand over his eyes and shakes his head. He can see Janet is all for this. He still harbours serious reservations.

Fury and Danvers depart...after Janet gets Carol to promise that they will spend some quality 'Girl Time' together soon.

"You do realise he only brought Carol along as a lure right?" Hank points out to Janet.

"How stupid do I look Hank?" Janet asks him back. "Of course I knew that...but he has a point. You can't say he doesn't. I mean look at mutants," she says using Fury's argument.

"I wish. I find them fascinating," he replies, with that scientific curiosity glint in his eye.

"Fury, Hank," Janet tries to get him back on track.

"I'll think about it Jan. That's all I promise. I still don't see how it's a good idea."

"But?" Janet prompts wanting to hear him say it.

"But...if we join, I suppose, I could contribute a few good ideas and input some much needed sanity to this whole Avengers proposal."

"See. That's just what I was thinking."

"I'll think on it Janet. Can you at least give me a few days to do that?"

"Sure Hank," Janet smiles sweetly, hiding her smile of triumph because she's won. She knows she's won. After all she always gets her way in the end.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

Clark groans as he wakes up. God what was that they did to him? He shakes his head and opens his eyes to find himself in what looks like a warehouse. Clark looks up to see his hands chained above his head to a vertical wooden support...and for some reason while he was out his jacket and t-shirt have been removed to leave his shirtless.

Clark tries to break the chains only to find, to his surprise, he can't. In fact he doesn't feel right at all. He still aches all over and if the pain in his shoulders is any indication he has been strung up here for awhile. Clark hasn't felt like this since...since Jor-El suppressed his powers.

Clark thinks and can remember being pinned to the floor by the 3 girls and then this great pain...not unlike what he felt when Parasite drained his powers.

Somehow they must have done something similar and removed them which means he isn't breaking these chains by brute force. Even, as he is, stronger than a human, without his powers, these chains aren't going to give way. He'll have to try and wriggle his hands free.

To his left, chained up like Clark, to the neighbouring wooden support, he spots Lex, stripped to the waist like Clark is. Clark briefly looks around for any sign of the 3 girls but doesn't spot them. Seems unlikely they would leave him and Lex alone for long if they went through the effort of stringing them up like this.

"Lex," Clark says in a loud whisper, hoping to wake up his friend. Nothing.

"That won't work. He's under a spell."

Clark's head snaps round as Lana, Wanda and Rogue appear into his field of vision. "Spell?" he queries with a puzzled frown.

"And so were you suppose to be," Isobel continues as she walks right up to Clark, looks into his blue eyes and seems to study him. "But it seems your strength of will is greater than I gave you credit for," she gives a reluctant compliment. She then snaps her fingers. "Wake up Alexander!" she commands and Lex starts to stir.

"Who are you?" Clark asks, because this isn't Lana. Not even Lana under some form of mind control. He looks into her eyes and sees a complete stranger.

Isobel smiles. "Ah not the dumb farmboy this vessel thinks you are."

"Vessel?"

"Since I wish for us to get along as best we can I'll skip straight to the introductions shall I." A large smirk then forms on her face at what she is about to do. "You are Clark Kent."

Clark's face instantly turns grim and he gazes at Lex who, to his credit, is schooling his expression well.

Isobel looks at Lex. "What do you think of that Alexander? All those years you looked into Clark Kent and it turns out he's a superpowered hero. Although personally I find the name Superman a little egotistical."

"I didn't come up with it," Clark has to say in his defence, his voice now gravely serious sounding, although he agrees about the name.

"If you say so," Isobel remarks, sounding like she doesn't really care. "Nothing to say Alexander?"

"Who are you really?" Lex asks, putting off any discussion about Clark until they aren't strung up like 2 pieces of meat on show but now he gets it. He finally gets the great secret of Clark Kent. The one Clark felt he so desperately needed to hide from him. Lex thinks he is actually hurt about Clark's lack of trust in him.

Isobel rolls her eyes, bored looking. "Very well. If we must get to it. I am the Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux. Born in France in the year of Our Lord 1574. Burned at the stake as a witch in the year of Our Lord 1604."

"Which won't be happening again right? Because that was not pleasant," Madeleine complains.

"You just won't let that go will you?" Isobel complains back at having heard this many times already today. She waves off her companion and returns to her story. "Just before my end I managed to speak one last curse to magically bind my spirit to this world until someone of my bloodline touched my tomb and behold the result," she says, as she gestures at herself.

Isobel pulls a hand-held mirror out of nowhere and looks at her reflection. "I must say the resemblance is remarkable. This body was given a form nearly identical to my own to be my vessel. This is not a coincidence. This is destiny. I was suppose to be reborn in this time to complete my quest."

"You're...possessing Lana?" Clark asks, his brow furrowed at how strange this is all starting to sound.

"That's a good a term as any," Isobel concedes as the mirror she materialised vanishes back into nothing.

If Lex accepts that possession premise for one moment he has a question. "Lana is your descendant?"

"Lana's ancestors come from France," Clark states which earns him a questioning look from Lex. "We did this family tree project for school," Clark explains how he knows that.

Isobel looks a little thoughtful for a moment. Almost wistful. "Contraception like today didn't exist back then. There were bastards I birthed but I was not cruel to them. I left them in care of others and no doubt they had children who had children and so on and so forth until Lana Lang was born."

"You actually expect us to believe this?" Lex asks scornfully. Magic. Witches. Ghostly possessions. He's not that stupid.

Isobel chortles amused. "What you believe or not is unimportant Alexander. You can concoct whatever explanation you wish for how I have defeated you. You are here only for my amusement. The only important person here is Clark. After all would I have gone through so much effort otherwise to lure him out."

"What do you want from me?" Clark asks.

"The stones of power."

"Don't know what you mean," is Clark's instant reply.

Isobel smiles not in the least surprised that would be the response. "Oh you know what I refer to Clark. You've touched one. I could smell its power when I ripped yours from your body and you will tell me where it is," she vows.

Madeleine strides up to Clark. "And if you don't we'll cut it out of you," she vows, sounding enthralled at the prospect, before she digs her nails in to the right side of Clark's chest and rakes them down cutting into his skin, making him bleed.

Clark grits his teeth at the pain.

"Madeleine. Enough," Isobel commands, with a grave expression, clearly unhappy that Madeleine did that when it wasn't necessary. Not yet anyway.

Madeleine's expression sours. Isobel never lets her have fun.

"_She's just like my father," _Madeleine's host expresses her opinion on who Isobel reminds her of from the prison within her own mind.

"_Silence! I have nothing nothing to say to you!" _Madeleine snaps back.

"_Why should I. It's my body you've taken over and you'll find I'll never stop fighting you you 400 year old tramp!" _Wanda promises, her fury all too palpable an emotion at having her body hijacked and her powers used to hurt her friends.

Madeleine tries to ignore her host's irritating struggles as best she can.

Isobel sighs at Madeleine's behaviour. She would have thought Madeleine would have learned by now that pain was like a scalpel to be used selectively. Isobel rubs her head. "Where was I?" she asks before she recalls. "Oh yes. The stones. Let me tell you a story of a 18 year old witch in training. Of her teacher, the Duchess Gertrude, who saw that her prized pupil had the raw magical talent to do what she couldn't and find 3 mythical stones capable of granting ultimate power."

"You're the pupil obviously," Lex assumes.

"Indeed," Isobel confirms for him. "It was a long, difficult quest in a time when you couldn't just hop on a plane and be anywhere in the world in hours. Even teleportation through witchcraft has its limitations when you don't know where or what you might be teleporting into. During this quest I picked up 2 sister witches with whom to share my dream; Madeleine Hibbins and Brianna Withridge. Together we decided that Gertrude's vision for what use to put the stones was too...limiting."

Lex chuckles a little as he guesses what happened next. "You betrayed your own teacher."

"She had a small mind and small ambitions!" Isobel insults her former teacher and justifies her actions.

"And terrible dress sense," Brianna adds.

"And absolutely no sense of humour," Madeleine too adds in to the criticisms.

"However she had knowledge enough of my magics to know how to bind them," Isobel moves the story on. "She stole my spell book and rendered the 3 of us powerless. Gertrude then whipped up the locals into such a frenzy we were hunted down, tried...if you want to call it a trial and burned to death."

"Which isn't pleasant I can assure you," Madeleine says again, repeating her complaint, with a glare at Isobel who she blames for how they met their end.

Isobel rolls her eyes again. That's all she gets. Complain. Complain. Complain. She brought them back from the dead. You think that would get her credit but no. Madeleine just keeps going on and on about being burned at the stake.

Isobel takes a breath. "Lets take a jump shall we. To the summer just past. Lana Lang is in Paris when she bumps into someone..."

**Flashback...**

Lana stands on a bridge, over the Seine, near Notre Dame Cathedral, leaning on the railing and sighs. She had been excited about coming here and learning design at the exclusive school but a month in and the homesickness has kicked in with a vengeance. She missed Lex. She missed Chloe...only she probably wouldn't miss Chloe's cousin, whom her friend had told her was visiting Smallville, if even half of what Chloe has said about Lois Lane is true. Lois Lane sounds like a handful.

_'Where's a blue-eyed farmboy when you need him?'_

Lana's eyes widen as she realises what she just thought. Good god she can't possibly be wishing Clark was here. She isn't that hung up on him. He dumped her. He lied and kept secrets. She has Lex.

Clark is just the obnoxious jerk who rejected her.

Only he's not a jerk. Not really.

Lana sighs some more before groaning. Damn Clark Kent for being too nice. It makes it harder not to like him. She drops her head into her hands.

"Vouz allez bien?" someone asks her.

Lana speaks passable French and knows she is being asked if she is alright but the accent was American.

Lana turns her head to gaze upon a young man, with blond hair looking at her with gentle concern. He was quite handsome really. "I'm American and I'm fine. Thank you for asking," she says.

The man smiles and Lana finds herself smiling back. "Lana Lang," she introduces herself as she holds out her hand.

The man takes her hand gently and introduces himself back. "Jason Teague."

**The present...**

_'Teague?'_ Clark thinks to himself. Clark knows that surname. They were part of the Veritas group the Professor told him about. Normally he might think that a coincidence. For some reason on this occasion he doubts it.

Isobel turns to Lex. "But of course you knew all about who Lana met didn't you Alexander. You had her watched constantly. Couldn't let her out of your metaphorical sight could you. Your flaw Alexander is that you're a man who has an intrinsic need to control everything and everyone around you. That flaw will lead to your downfall by the way...or it would if you were going to live past today," Isobel says with a dark smile.

Isobel turns back to Clark. "Now where were we? Oh yes. Jason. Being lonely as she was Lana sparked up a friendship with Jason. She even developed a little bit of a crush on him," she informs the two captive men, while she glances at Lex with a sly grin, wondering how he, as Lana's boyfriend, is taking the news that her affections were straying.

Isobel continues, "Jason told Lana how he was in Paris researching the family history. Looking into his ancestors. Particularly one Duchess Gertrude."

Both Clark and Lex frown simultaneously.

"Coincidence?" Isobel asks the obvious question. "No. Destiny," she tells them what it is. "Lets bring this story to the crucial moment. One day, a few weeks after they first met, Lana accompanied Jason to the church where he _supposedly _managed to track down where my remains were interned."

"How did you get interned in a church?" Lex asks her, interrupting her story. "Witches were tossed into unmarked graves so that their souls would be condemned nameless."

"Quite correct Alexander," Isobel congratulates him. "However interrupt me again and you will get to experience first hand what being burned alive feels like," she warns him. "The answer to your question should be obvious of course," she says with an insulting air as if Lex and Clark are stupid for not seeing the reasons which she then goes on to explain.

"The Duchess had me secretly interred in the church where my remains would be kept safe and then the story of my one day return was passed down the Gertrude family line along with the stories of the stones. They have waited for 400 years for my return all because of their singular greed and lust for power never waned. Their descendants thought I could restore to them the power and wealth that they had squandered over the centuries. Thought I could finally find the stones they have spent 4 centuries failing to locate themselves."

A truly disturbing grin appears on Isobel's face. "They had no true comprehension of who they were dealing with."

"Jason never tracked down your remains. He knew they were there and led Lana to them," Clark surmises.

"Ah. So you are brighter than Lana's memories of you make you appear," Isobel remarks. "True enough," she confirms that Clark is correct. "However this was where he made his biggest mistake. He thought it was just part of winning Lana over, preparing her for the truth of her ancestry so she could be used in the Teagues' schemes. To be fair to them they were not as foolish as their predecessors...I'll explain what I mean later in my tale," she adds as an aside as she wishes to get to the crux of this. "Jason, however, did not realise what would happen by bringing Lana to my tomb..."

**Flashback...**

Jason had left Lana after he got a phone call. While he dealt with this he had asked her to make a rubbing of the etchings marked into the surface of the stone that covers the grave of the Countess Thoreaux. While not a direct ancestor Jason had told Lana of the story of how his ancestors had the Countess burned as a witch only to feel such guilt afterwards they had her interned in this church.

Lana had come to really enjoy Jason's company and was only too happy to do this favour for him. Lana places the tracing paper on top of the slab of stone and starts rubbing with a piece of charcoal and the very faint image, difficult to see on the stone, appears in clearer, sharper detail. It is a stylised image of a woman, no doubt the Countess herself.

Lana works her way down until she is just above what would be the hips when her brow furrows as a symbol appears in her rubbing. Two parallel lines, curved at the end with a small circle sitting on the middle of each line and a black spot at either end. She has seen writing like this. In Smallville. In the caves.

Lana lifts the paper up and looks at the stone beneath. The symbol's not there. She places the paper back down where the symbol is as clear as day.

How?

How can the symbol be on the rubbing but not on the stonework?

It didn't make sense.

Lana reaches out with her hand and touches the mark. It suddenly glows with a purple energy. Lana gasps as the energy enthuses her. Her eyes, if they could be seen, flash with the same purple energy.

Then a sudden still calmness comes over her. She looks down at her hands, which then reach up to her face as if feeling it over. She reaches into her purse and pulls out a compact mirror and looks at herself. A delighted smile comes to her lips. "This will do," she says, with a strong French accent.

"Lana!"

Lana takes a moment to grab her rubbing, scrunch it up in a ball and shove it in her purse, before she responds. "Yes Jason?" she calls out in a sweet tone in her normal accent as he walks over to her.

"Sorry about that," Jason apologises for the phone call. "Where's the rubbing?" he asks.

"Oh it didn't turn out well. I was just going to start over," she explains.

"Maybe we could do that another day. That was my mother on the phone. She's coming into town to visit and I need to go meet her at the airport," he says.

Lana smiles with an understanding, sympathetic look. "Of course you do."

Jason helps Lana up to her feet and then notices her looking around strangely. "You alright?"

Lana looks at him with a gleam in her eyes as if she is starting life over anew. "Never been better," she assures him.

Jason leads Lana out of the church. "So I was thinking that maybe...if it's ok with you...that you could meet my mother. Maybe we could go have dinner together."

"Sounds delightful. I feel like I haven't eaten in centuries!" she declares with a haughty laugh.

**The present...**

"And from that day to this I have been in charge of this body," Isobel finishes this part of her story.

"And Lana? You said she was asleep?" Lex asks.

"I ascribed terms you could understand. She is completely unaware of what is happening. Her conscious mind is _asleep_."

Madeleine wishes her host's mind was asleep...but for some reason it wasn't, forcing her to deal with its incessant resistance to her control.

Isobel continues, "However I can access Lana's memories which is what allowed me to fool you all. Of course accessing her memories is what made me realise Clark's connection to the stones."

"What do you mean?" Clark asks.

"The symbols recorded to be etched into the stones match those in the caves in Smallville and from Lana's memories I could see how so many odd things happened there and how Clark Kent always seemed to be there in the middle of it. Lana couldn't see the connection but I can. It's not a coincidence. It never was and the second I was in your presence yesterday and sensed your power I knew I was right. You Clark Kent are the key I need to finish my quest. For I to gain possession of the stones. This is why I was returned at this time because you are here and through you I will gain the ultimate power."

Clark cocks his head slightly. "Don't you mean we?"

"What?"

"I. You said **I** to gain possession,** I** will gain ultimate power but don't you mean we as in the 3 of you."

Lex secretly has to admire Clark's observations there because he nailed it. The term would be a Freudian slip showing Isobel's true intents to take this power solely for herself.

Isobel finds her two fellow witches looking at her. "What? It was a slip of the tongue. That's all!" she insists.

"_Sure it was," _Wanda's voice drawls sarcastically inside her own head.

"_I told you to be quiet!" _Madeleine snaps back.

"_I told you. Just like my father. He goes around claiming to do stuff for all of mutantkind when it is all about himself. She's just the same. You wait and see. As soon as she doesn't need you any more she'll be rid of you and take these stones for herself."_

No. Madeleine can't believe that. After all they suffered together...except that whole thing was Isobel's fault in the first place for misjudging the Duchess.

"_The Duchess whom she betrayed without a shred of remorse I'm betting. What makes you think she would care for you more than she cared for her own teacher," _Wanda argues.

Madeleine looks at Isobel. What would make her think that? Isobel has betrayed many more than just the Duchess on her path. Hell Isobel betrayed her own mother without as much as a shred of regret. Saying that Isobel hated her mother for very good reasons so that's probably excusable.

Madeleine's gaze turns to Brianna who seems to be staring off into the distance again. She subtly kicks her and Brianna seems to snap back to the here and now.

"What went wrong?" Clark suddenly asks Isobel.

The question seems to catch her out. "What?"

"What went wrong?" Clark repeats. "Since you went through all this effort of catching me when you obviously cast a...spell..." That word sounds wrong coming from his lips. "...that affected us all at the mansion, and I'm guessing is to blame for the memory loss, you could have already had me easily so what went wrong?"

Lex can see Clark's point. Isobel could have had them during the period they were intoxicated and vulnerable.

Isobel looks visibly flustered at being seen through. "I'll admit this was not my original plan," she confesses. "My original plan was to use the person closest to you, Clark Kent, as a vessel for one of my sisters. My assumption would be that your girlfriend would know your secrets including information about the whereabouts of the stones and that by possessing her I would gain access to that knowledge."

"Didn't work out as planned," Lex assumes.

"Nope," Brianna answers, suddenly feeling like she has been left out of this conversation for too long. Besides she needs a distraction from all that incessant chatter she can hear. "I couldn't find what we sought but on the plus side at least I got this body out of the deal," she chimes with happiness as her hands feel over herself in a blatantly sexual manner. "I'm gorgeous!" she declares. Her hands then cup her breasts and push them together and up, emphasising Rogue's already generous curves. "I mean just look at these!"

Clark has. On many occasions and more than just looked. _'So not the time Kent,' _he mentally berates himself.

Isobel rolls her eyes. "Yes those are..._nice_," she humours her fellow witch.

"Didn't work out as planned," Lex repeats, staring at Isobel, pretending that little scene never happened.

Isobel looks uncomfortable at admitting her failure. "I underestimated how strong willed she was. Unlike Lana Clark's little girlfriend refused to be subdued as easily. She has been able to keep the important memories hidden from Brianna," she explains with more clarity what Brianna was meaning. "The same is true for the other one."

That could explain how they seemed surprised by what Clark could do when they fought and why they were so ill-prepared to fight him...yet they still won. Clark thinks he may need to practice in the Danger Room more.

Isobel scrutinises Clark closely. "Tell me Clark how do you do it? How do you inspire such loyalty that they resist so strongly to keep the truth hidden."

Clark can't give her an answer because he doesn't really think he does anything special. For Wanda he has tried to just be her friend and be there for her as she tries to piece her life back together. For Rogue too he started out just being her friend and it grew from there to the love they share now. He chooses to say, "I don't think they do it for me. I think they do it because they know what is right and what is wrong and that giving you what you want is wrong."

Isobel smiles as if hearing a wonderfully ridiculous concept. "And do you have such faith in them to know that they will never betray you?"

Clark says it without any hesitation or doubt. "Yes."

"_Damn straight!" _Wanda says to Madeleine. _"You'll never get what you want from me bitch!"_

"_I grow weary of you," _Madeleine says, starting to sound irritated.

"_Boo hoo. I feel so sorry for the one who hijacked my friggin body!" _Wanda yells sarcastically.

"_Just give me the knowledge I seek!"_ Madeleine snaps.

Wanda mentally smirks. _"Temper. Temper,_" she mocks, knowing how ironic that is coming from her of all people.

Madeleine fumes. What an irritating, frustrating host she ended up with.

"You still haven't explained what went wrong entirely," Lex points out to Isobel.

"The spell I cast to intoxicate you all was all designed to make sure you didn't notice what I was up to. I needed time to cast the spell to bring my sister witches back from beyond the veil. In your inebriated states it wasn't hard to get these two to drink my potion. The last part of it, the memory loss was to leave you confused long enough for us to find the stones," Isobel explains her original plan.

"Only you couldn't get the information you required out of them," Clark repeats what she admitted. "Let me guess by the time you realised this it was already morning when we would all be awake."

"Indeed."

"And since we have two telepaths living at the mansion they would instantly know that Rogue and Wanda weren't who they actually were you couldn't even come back and pretend nothing had happened. You managed to fool Jean and the Professor because they had never met Lana before. They didn't know what her mind is normally like. That being the case you needed a way to lure myself and Lex out so you...enchanted the Brotherhood into doing your bidding," Clark deduces the whole scenario.

"Nicely put," Isobel compliments Clark. "You have more or less deduced it," she confirms Clark is correct. "You **are** a lot smarter than you appear aren't you," she observes, comparing him to what she knows from Lana's memories.

"Why Wanda?" Clark feels he needs to ask, if for no other reason than to drag this out as long as possible and give his friends time to find them or for him(or Lex) to figure a way out. "Why did you choose her?" he clarifies.

That's what Madeleine wants to know as well right now because it is such an annoying host she has.

"Her latent magical powers of course," Isobel answers as if it should be obvious to even a simpleton.

"Her what?" Clark asks, his confusion at that answer clearly written on his face.

"_My what?" _Wanda asks at the same time in total surprise at that answer.

"They were dormant," Isobel explains. "Untapped. Unused but I could sense them within her. Only made sense that she become Madeleine's host," she says with a lazy shrug as if she isn't really bothered.

A frown comes to Madeleine's brow. She had sensed something when she entered this body but had been distracted by her annoying host's mind. She takes a moment to search deep within this vessel and there it is. Glowing and twirling and burning brightly. It was much more power than she expected. Damn this host. If Madeleine hadn't been so busy fighting Wanda she could have been working out how to tap into this.

Isobel waves her hand and an old fold-up chair screeches across the floor to her. She sits down and crosses her legs, making sure to kick one out to push her dress back and allow more of her legs to becomes visible. "Enough about what you fools can't see," she decrees. "I wish to finish my story. Now where was I? Oh yes. I had just taken control of this body and Jason was wishing for Lana to meet his mother so I went home to change and shower which also bought me more time to study Lana's memories..."

**Flashback...**

Isobel was under the shower, delighting in the marvel of having heated water flow over her. Such an improvement on the time she lived in. She had been rifling through Lana's memories so she could fool Jason tonight and as well as exploring the memories she was taking the time to explore her new body as well.

Her hands were roaming over it in a fashion she can see Lana had not allowed anyone to before. "Such a good little girl weren't we," Isobel mockingly laughs.

After her shower, she dries herself off and steps into the bedroom of the apartment Lana was living in. She stands in front of the full length mirror, stark naked and studies herself. It was truly remarkable how alike this body was to her own. She starts to turn when she spots the mark on the small of her back. The same one she had used to utter her curse and bind her spirit to this world. She hadn't expected that. Then again she had thought that up at the very last moment when the Duchess foolishly brought her book to within inches of her, allowing her to tap into just enough power to overcome the bind Gertrude had placed upon her, to speak her curse.

Her book.

She must retrieve her spell book.

Jason was most likely the key if he was a descendant of Gertrude's. Knowing her teacher as she did Isobel can assume the book is still kept by the family. To be sure she must ingratiate herself to Jason's mother tonight. She must earn their trust and learn what happened to her spell book.

Isobel's hand touch the symbol on the small of her back and memories of her host flash up of similar symbols in her home town of Smallville and of a handsome looking boy with blue eyes who seems to be around too often to be coincidence.

A clock chimes the hour. She must get dressed. She will explore Lana's memories further later.

Isobel searches through Lana's wardrobe making several faces as she goes. Honestly the girl has no fashion sense whatsoever. Luckily by Lana's memories Paris is considered a fashion capital of the world. Shopping must be done.

However for now she will make do and picks an outfit suitable for dinner. She has barely finished when the doorbell rings. She quickly brushes her hair back and moves to the door to open it. She flashes a smile as she pulls the door open. "Jason," she greets him merrily.

"Hi Lana," Jason responds with a smile of his own as his eyes gaze over her.

Isobel know that look all too well from men.

Jason then introduces his mother who is out of direct sight. "This is my mother Genevieve Teague."

She moves into sight and Isobel has to just take a moment as she fully absorbs the woman's appearance.

**The present...**

"It was remarkable," Isobel says. "Genevieve Teague was the exact spitting image of Gertrude. This only confirmed what I already suspected. This was my destiny to return in this time. Now all I had to do was lull her into a false sense of security and discover what happened to my spell book. I spent the next week or so doing this. Jason was easy enough to seduce through my whims to aid me in earning his mother's trust." Isobel then laughs. "But then men are so easy to seduce and in return Jason was kind enough to _break_ this body in," she says in sultry, suggestive tones.

Isobel then looks at Lex, waiting for a reaction. "Nothing to say Alexander?" she asks him. "No disappointment that you weren't the first man to have this vessel?"

Lex schools his features so as to not to reveal anything to her.

"Well what can I say? I had a 400 year old itch that needed scratched and you weren't around," Isobel says in terribly amused tones. "Then again surely you knew," Isobel suggests to Lex. "You had Lana watched so therefore it seems a prudent assumption that you knew. The question is why you did not act? I guess you allowed this because it served you in some way for Lana to get close to the Teague family. Chess pieces. That's how you see people around you Lex don't you. Pieces on a chess board to move about to get what you want. Lana was no different. Not really. Oh I'm sure you care for her but like any chess piece you would sacrifice her to win the game."

"Be quiet," Lex growls, his temper causing him to show her words are getting to him.

Isobel smirks slyly.

Clark just looks at Lex and wonders how much of what Isobel is saying is true about what Lex allowed to happen to Lana because Clark can't dismiss it out of hand. Not with what he knows Lex is doing with SHIELD and Lionel.

Isobel continues her story for no other reason than she likes to hear herself talk. "Eventually my ploy to win trust worked and I was invited to spend a weekend at the Teague residence in England. Of course this was no doubt because they still thought Lana was the key to getting what they wanted without realising Lana was no longer around. I won't bore you with the trifling details. It all came to ahead on the Sunday when I was in the library with Genevieve..."

**Flashback...**

Isobel fawns attention as Genevieve gives an excruciatingly boring history of the library. Her interest is more in looking for her spell book. She had almost sensed it the second she arrived but can't quite seem to focus in on the book and the power within and she needs her book. What she had discovered since her awakening is that the last spell Gertrude cast to bind her powers still held true. With her spell book, which had been used to bind her in the first place, Isobel could break the spell and then at long last she could finish her quest. Of course this would be after she wreaks her terrible revenge for what Gertrude had done all those centuries ago.

Isobel needs to try and gently divert Genevieve onto the subject of her ancestor Gertrude. "So when I first met Jason he was telling me how he was researching your ancestor, Gertrude. Is there anything here from her time?" she asks, sounding and looking as innocent and naïve as possible.

Genevieve looks at her almost suspiciously for a moment. Isobel just fakes a slightly dumb air as she twirls a lock of her hair around her finger.

Genevieve then moves to the book case and pulls a book back. There is a click sound and a whole section opens. A hidden door.

Isobel moves to behind Genevieve to see a safe was hidden behind the fake front. Genevieve opens it and Isobel's mouth almost drools with anticipation as she spots the battered leather book. Her spell book. She can smell the power it holds.

The safe must have hidden it from her. Perhaps an old spell of Gertrude's. The safe looks old. As in hundreds of years old. Must have cost a fortune. It is before it's time in some senses and Gertrude probably mixed in some magical protection spells when the metal was being poured. Or at least that is what Isobel can assume.

"This book and the safe is the only thing we have left of Gertrude's time," Genevieve says. "Gertrude believed this was the spell book of the Countess Thoreaux."

"Really?" Isobel inquires making herself sound like an over-excited idiot. "Is it?"

"Well if you believe in magic I suppose it is," Genevieve laughs.

Isobel laughs along with her while thinking, _'Idiot! Just give me my book!' _"Can I read it?" Isobel asks.

Genevieve moves to the centre of the room and lays the book down on a table and opens it up.

Isobel moves beside her and pretends to be innocently perusing the pages when in reality she is looking for the spell Gertrude cast that has bound her powers.

There.

Isobel reads it, her fingers running over the paper, the book's inherent mystical power already flowing into her She speaks the words in Latin and a great wind blows up the library. A surge of energy shoots out of the book into Isobel. The force knocks Genevieve to the ground.

Isobel cries out in ecstasy as her powers return and she needs several moments afterwards to draw breath. She laughs giddy with power before she takes her book and stands over the dazed Genevieve. "400 years I have waited for this day," she decrees.

Genevieve looks up and at the words something clicks. "Isobel?"

Isobel grins. "Ah. So you get it do you? It's been me from the day I met you."

Genevieve crawls backwards away.

"Oh now don't go!" Isobel shouts as she gestures with her hand and throws Genevieve against the bookshelves and pins her there with her magic. "Tell me descendant of Gertrude. What was your plan? To use my descendant, thinking that her bloodline would be enough, to find the stones? Surely you didn't truly want me to return. You were not so foolish to think I could be controlled by a mere mortal because that is what you are. Your bloodline has thinned so much you've lost the gift of magic. I can sense this to be true."

Genevieve struggles to move against the force holding her but can't.

Isobel slaps her across the face. "Speak!" she commands. "Or know my wrath!" she threatens.

Genevieve shakes her head. "My ancestors wanted you to return. I didn't."

"I'm correct about using my descendant aren't I? You found out that Lana Lang was one?"

Genevieve nods. "To find the stones," she explains what she believed she could use Lana for.

"Without magic you could not access the power within them," Isobel dismisses that plan. "What was your aim? And please don't lie to me or I will rip it out of you," Isobel threatens with deadly intent.

"To use them to find the Traveller."

"Traveller?" Isobel asks puzzled by what the woman means. "What are you prattling..." It suddenly occurs her to what Genevieve might mean. "Do you refer to the Gods in the stories? The Gods who left the stones here?"

Genevieve nods in response.

Isobel laughs mockingly. "Foolish woman. You realised you couldn't control me so you thought you could control a God?" she asks in incredulous disbelief.

"With the stones it can be done," Genevieve asserts.

Isobel snorts. "Those Gods left this world long ago," she dismisses Genevieve's plan. "The stones will be mine and the world will kneel before me," she promises. "Only you won't be around to see it."

"I told you what you wanted!" Genevieve pleads for her life.

"And for that I will grant you a mercifully quicker death than Gertrude gave me," Isobel describes what is Genevieve's reward for being cooperative.

Just then the door to the library opens.

"Jason!" Genevieve tries to shout out a warning to her son.

Isobel acts instantly and with a gesture of her hand flings a chair at Jason knocking him down before she yanks him to pin him next to his mother. Isobel swaggers up to Jason and kisses him, sucking on his lower lip as she does so. "Hmm. Thank you for the pleasurable times Jason," she murmurs in a low husky voice.

Jason blinks, totally confused about what is happening.

"It's Isobel," Genevieve explains.

Jason's head snaps round to his mother. "You said we weren't bringing her back," he hisses at her, revealing how he was in on it.

Isobel chortles. "She didn't. You did Jason dear. The moment you took Lana to my tomb. You thought the book was key didn't you? You thought only through it could I be brought back."

The silence that follows answers that question.

"The book was only one key. My tomb was a second," Isobel clarifies. "The mere touch of my blood descendant upon the symbol on my tomb was sufficient for my return. The mistake Jason, that has allowed me to return, was yours."

"Isobel," Jason speaks to her. "We can work this out. Help each other to get what we want," he makes the offer.

"You want to cut a deal Jason?" Isobel snorts hard with laughter at that concept. "Oh my dear foolish boy. Don't think I do not understand your part in this. You were to seduce Lana, prepare her for the truth of her heritage all so you could use her for your own selfish wants and desires. If Lana was still here...well from her memories I can see she is capable of quite colourful methods of retribution." Isobel smirks. "She really is my descendent."

"Isobel," Jason starts again, desperately trying to think of a way to appeal to her. "This world is new to you. We can be your guides. We have resources, money, centuries of research into the stones. We can help you."

Isobel kisses him again. "A tempting offer," she says in a whispery soft voice before her expression grows hard and cold. "However if you think I would sacrifice my revenge to share power with the blood descendants of my enemy you are more foolish than Gertrude ever was. Never!" she declares at a shout. "Never will I ally myself with her bloodline. In her stead you will know what I suffered at her hands!" she vows, her hatred and anger breaking through. "You will know what it feels like to burn alive!"

"You promised a quick death," Genevieve reminds Isobel.

A truly malevolent smile adorns Isobel's face. "I lied." She raises her hand. "Infernus!"

Hell!

Where Isobel is sending them. She doesn't need them after all. She has all she needs; herself.

Jason and his mother ignite. Isobel drops them and starts to walk away as the screams echo behind her of them burning with flames that cannot be extinguished until their work is done. Isobel stretches her hand out and the books on the wall ignite too.

Let it all burn until there is nothing left.

**The present...**

"Shortly after that I returned to Smallville, planning to make it the starting point for resuming my quest for the stones. I overheard Chloe and her boorish cousin speak of her birthday party and saw it as the way to get close to you, Clark Kent, without raising suspicion. I brought Alexander as my...oh what is the delightful saying in this century...oh yes. As my booty call," Isobel takes delight in demeaning Lex.

"Bringing me here is a lot of effort for a booty call," Lex points out.

Isobel admits, "I also discovered your quest for the stones and I can't allow that. To use the chess metaphor I am removing your piece from the board. Without you, your father and this Fury person, will have a harder time of it. After all, trust me, when I say I was in your company long enough to know what you are up to."

Isobel looks at Clark. "If only you knew the truth, Clark, of what Lex is scheming. Believe me when I say you would never call him your friend if you did. Then again you must already be questioning that. After all, to repeat it, Lex was watching Lana. Surely he didn't think the burning down of their home and the deaths of the Teagues was a coincidence. Yet he did nothing. Why? What was he trying to get out of it? I know the answer but I won't spoil it for you. Lets leave it as a puzzle for you to solve."

Clark briefly looks at Lex and wonders what game Lex is playing at...if he is to believe this. If he is to believe this Countess then she murdered two people and Clark thinks she'll murder a lot more to get what she wants if she isn't stopped.

"Was there a point to this little story?" Lex decides to ask, shifting the attention off of him and his plans.

"Yes," Isobel confirms. "To illustrate what would happen should Clark refuse to assist me." Isobel gets to her feet and walks over to Clark, swaying her hips. Her fingers reach up and brush over his lips. "This doesn't have to get unpleasant Clark," she says. "The Teagues were of no use to me. However you are. Help me find the stones and I can make sure we can both reach a _satisfactory _outcome," she makes the offer in sultry, husky tones.

Clark glares at her, his expression fixed to show she isn't affecting him.

Isobel smiles, her head cocks to the side as she studies his face. "A year ago I think I could have seduced the information from you but you no longer desire this body do you." Isobel points at Brianna. "You desire that one."

Isobel then spots Brianna's distant stare again. "Brianna!" she snaps.

Brianna almost jumps. "What?"

"What is the matter with you? Have you been listening to me?"

"Of course I have," Brianna says defensively. "It is just hard to hear above all the racket."

"Racket? What are you prattling on about now?" Isobel asks, her expression one as if she is contemplating that her fellow witch has lost her mind.

"Can't you hear them? Always talking, talking, talking," Brianna explains.

Clark looks at the person inhabiting his girlfriend's body closely. He might have an inkling what is going on he thinks and if he is right it could be very bad for Rogue.

Isobel's eyes narrow dangerously as if to say she has had enough. "It is time," she states. "Get the answers we want," she instructs.

Brianna seems to regain focus and starts to grin salaciously. She saunters over to Clark, swaying Rogue's curvy hips as she does so. Clark has to push down his body's instant reaction at how sexy she is making Rogue look.

On the way Brianna moves over to a table nearby and picks up a cloth. She proceeds to wipe the blood off the right side of Clark's chest from where Madeleine dug her nails in. Brianna's free hand trails over the defined torso of their prisoner. "Such a shame to mar such perfection," she almost purrs.

She looks up at Clark and smiles sultrily. "I know you want this body Clark. It wants you too. It physically aches for you. Not that I can blame it." She shivers. "Such pleasure you are capable of giving. I have access to some of this vessel's memories. I can remember the pleasures you have brought her and that she brought to you. Help us and I can guarantee more such pleasures," Brianna promises.

Clark's expression hardens. If that was suppose to weaken him it's failed. It has done the opposite. He's downright pissed at this ghost raping Rogue's memories of their time together.

Then another hand strokes across his exposed chest. "And it just doesn't have to be that body Clark," Madeleine says, as she appears on his left side. "This one desires you as well. She desires for you to be her first lover...her only lover for the remainder of her days."

"_What the fuck!" _Wanda exclaims inside her own head.

Madeleine ignores Wanda.

Clark looks at the ghost wearing Wanda's face with complete scepticism at that. "Wanda doesn't feel that for me."

"Doesn't she?" Madeleine asks back with a sexy, impish grin and Clark can't help but for a moment think Wanda looks pretty sexy right now. "What do you think the argument was about?" she asks him. "The one that has had these two forms we inhabit not speaking to each other."

"It was because your girlfriend found out about the feelings Wanda has for you," Brianna fills in the details.

"Rogue felt threatened," Madeleine continues. "What followed was inevitable. A fight for dominance. To establish who is the alpha. Who has the right to claim you."

"_That's not what happened at all you lying slut!" _Wanda spits furiously at her possessor. _"I swear I'm going to find a way to Hex your skanky ass all the way to Hell!"_

_'Claim me? What am I? A piece of meat?' _Clark thinks to himself. He then mentally slaps himself. He shouldn't be listening to them. They just want to know where the stone is. They'd probably say anything to try and make him talk. Although Rogue does have her insecurities...

"Help us Clark," Brianna purrs in his ear.

"Yes. Help us," Madeleine purrs in his other ear.

"We're not like these two."

"We don't have any animosity for each other."

"We would be more than willing to share you," Brianna says in seductive tones.

"Yes. Share you," Madeleine says in the same seductive tones.

Clark gulps as unbidden images enter his head of what them _sharing _him might mean. He feels kind of hot and bothered and really he shouldn't be finding this arousing at all. Nope. He needs to...think...he needs to try and escape...buy time for his friends to find him and Lex...

_'Oh God! That feels good!'_ he mentally moans inside his head but stops himself from making any audible sounds at what Brianna and Madeleine hands are doing to him.

What Clark isn't seeing is the flashes of reddish mystical energy from where Brianna's and Madeleine's hands are rubbing all over his skin.

Isobel had to admire Clark for resisting this long. She wonders just how long he can keep it up, though, when their magic is weakening his mental defences in a more subtle fashion than they used on the Brotherhood. If that approach was going to work he would have already spilled everything. After all they tried to do it when he was unconscious but he resisted. Not that he remembers it but he wouldn't answer the questions about the stones even in that state. That's why they are having to try this approach. Clark is too strong willed for the direct approach. Torture would only make him resist all the harder she believes. They need a more indirect way to break him.

Brianna and Madeleine move onto placing gentle kisses all over Clark's exposed skin and Clark can't bite back the low moan this time. With their magic amplifying every sensation it is only a matter of time until he cracks.

Isobel strides over to Lex and allows her hands to roam all over his exposed torso. After all why should she miss out on all the fun. "Jealous Alexander?" she inquires from him at the fact he isn't getting the sort of treatment Clark is, sounding highly amused with herself. "Don't be," she tells him. "You may not have been this body's first but I gave you the same pleasure Clark is getting. You were so co-operative after that," she says with a knowing grin.

Lex doesn't know whether that was a slip or deliberate but he just worked out how she got him to agree to come to Bayville in the first place. When they were in bed together...when he was beneath her completely vulnerable she must have cast a spell upon him...like they are doing right now to Clark. He and Clark obviously have some serious issues to discuss but first they have to survive this and that means he has to stop these 3 getting those stones. "Cla..." he starts to say but Isobel cuts him off by smothering his mouth with a kiss which he is powerless to stop her doing.

Clark feels he is in serious danger of exploding right now as he feels mouths, tongues and hands explore his flesh. He hasn't felt this good since...well every time with Rogue makes him feel this good. His lust darkened eyes drop to the object of his thought._ 'Oh Rogue. Oh god Rogue. I want you.'_

"Ah'm not stoppin' ya sugah," she says in that sexy southern drawl of hers and Clark realises he must have said it out loud.

Rogue moves her lips closer to his. She licks them to make them moist. Her expression is sexily impish. "Kiss meh Clark. Reveal tha truth inside ta meh."

That phrasing seems odd to Clark but his brain can't seem to think coherently enough to explain why. He dips his head slightly and his lips touch Rogue's. Her lips part and his tongue mingles with hers. He kisses her deeply and revels in how good she tastes. God he doesn't see how he would ever get tried of kissing her like this. '_Rogue. Oh Rogue. How I love you,' _he thinks to himself.

_'Brianna,'_ a voice penetrates through the fog soup that has become his mind and he suddenly remembers where he is and who he is kissing. For some reason he had forgotten for a moment. He pulls his head back.

To his bewilderment, a pink mist eddies from his mouth and surrounds the two girls rubbing up against him, and he hears his own voice whisper hoarsely, even though he hadn't said a damn thing, _**"**__**The cave**_**." **

Isobel pulls her lips away from Lex. "Thank you Clark," she says because she knows what cave he means from Lana's memories.

All 3 girls smile sweetly at him. Clark gapes slightly as he realises he just let them use him. He forgot for one moment who he was dealing with and let his defences down.

What she said to him about revealing the truth. She was casting a spell and he fell for it. He let her do it to him.

Damn it. He's stupid. He is. He is a total moron because he couldn't control his hormones and because of that he has just told 3 dangerous individuals where an object of great power is and worse than that he may have just made it impossible to get Rogue back.

Stupid.

There's no other word for it.

And because of his stupidity he may have just condemned the world to ruin.

* * *

_Author's Note: The first section is not really related to the witches arc but I wanted to show Fury starting to recruit the Avengers and who better to start with than Wasp and Ant-Man...and I even threw in a pre-Ms Marvel Carol Danvers appearance. On the show they only ever revealed the year the 3 witches were burned, not how old they were...or at least I couldn't find a mention so I just chose the nice round number of 30 for Isobel. Gee poor Clark being tortured by having beautiful girls kiss and lick him all over. Poor, poor guy. LOL. No of course more seriously they were using magic to get him to spill where the stone is. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the X-Men hunt for Clark and Lex while the 3 witches get nearer their goal...only mutiny is stirring in the ranks._


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

Magneto watches, with a detached calmness, as Sinister examines Mystique. Alicia watches with her arms around herself as if trying to give herself reassurance as her emotions threaten to spill over with worry for her mother. The only person she has ever really thought of as her mother. The only person who really cared for her...unlike her so-called parents. The odd tear had already trickled down her cheek. She wipes another away.

Sinister was slightly annoyed at having his research interrupted. He is not at Magneto's beck and call. This is an alliance only. One that will only persevere for as long as he deems it beneficial to him and since Magneto and his cause brings new mutants for him to study it remains so for the time being.

Saying that, Magneto, of course, brought Mystique to the most qualified person here to treat her...but even Sinister must admit so far he was puzzled. The coma had no physical cause he could discern.

It was a puzzle and Sinister was intrigued.

Sinister always did love puzzles. That's why he's a scientist after all and he so rarely gets a real challenge.

Sinister places Mystique inside a scanner. He needs to see what is going on inside the shapeshifter.

Sinister's brow furrows as he watches the readout from his scans. If it was anyone else their scanner would never had even picked it up but Sinister built this device himself and what he is seeing wasn't right at all.

"You have something," Magneto assumes from what he caught glimpse of of Sinister's expression.

"An unusual energy waveform within her neural pathways."

"What kind of energy?"

The kind Sinister isn't fond of being a scientist. "The mystical kind."

"Magic. You mean magic," Magneto discerns that to be.

"I do."

"She's under a spell," Magneto can deduce.

"If you want an educated guess I would say a sleeping spell."

"Can you wake her?" Magneto wants to know because he needs to know if Mystique knows who is behind this. A telepathic scan is impossible due to the nature and strength of Mystique's mental defences.

"Possibly. It might entail risks," Sinister cautions as to the side-effects of forcibly trying to break a magic spell.

"Do it," Magneto decides almost instantly.

"As you wish."

Alicia moves over to Mystique, lying on the exam table, and takes one of her mother's hands into her own. "W-Will she be alright?"Alicia asks, not quite sure what is going on with this talk about magic.

"Of course my dear," Sinister humours the girl. "Your mother is in the best hands," he boasts as he moves about his lab, gathering together the equipment and drugs he will need.

Magneto simply watches as he carefully considers all of this. Magic. It's been awhile since Magneto last encountered magic. He has a rudimentary knowledge of the field. Enough to know that there is a larger game at foot.

The Brotherhood. He knows from the news feeds an impression of what has been happening. The girls whom he had hoped to keep their mutant status secret have been revealed on television. That's another one of his plans perhaps fatally damaged. Because of this Magneto is contemplating it might be time to wrap up that whole operation in Bayville and start over with something new...some other way to keep an eye on Clark Kent.

Magneto decides he needs to round up the Brotherhood before the police do. "I must go and deal with the situation in Bayville," he declares. "Let me know if you learn anything from Mystique," he tells Sinister.

Sinister gives a cooperative nod.

Magneto leaves Haze with Mystique. She is too emotionally distraught to be of any use.

In any case Magneto has made his decision that he needs to go and deal with this personally. He needs to go to Bayville and confront this head on. Whoever is behind this will know the price for crossing him and magic or no magic they will not be able to stop him.

* * *

**Bayville...**

"Magic?" Kitty queries sceptically. "There's no such thing," her more scientifically inclined mind dismisses what Logan has been saying as they try and make sense of their current predicament.

They had, by now, regrouped back to the Velocity with Storm on board caring for Puzzler while they hung around outside waiting for the Professor. He was was currently trying to smooth things over with the police, leaving the X-Men standing around basically because they had no leads to go on. The Brotherhood, bar the obviously traumatised Puzzler, had managed to scamper away, as usual, while they had been chasing after Clark and Lex.

"Oh trust me half-pint. Magic's real," Logan states his point in his gruffest, most serious, sounding voice. "And magic is deadly dangerous."

Kitty looks at Logan as if he's nuts...which he is but this is a different sort of crazy. Magic. Nope. That's just going too far. She looks up at Spider-Man hanging upside down from a streetlamp. Since he isn't making his usual jokes she figures this must be his serious mode...or brooding mode or whatever. Hard to tell when you can't see his face behind that mask of his.

Jean is watching Scott pace about like a caged animal. She hates it when he gets like this. He always blames himself for when things go wrong.

The Professor manages to smooth things over with the police and get them to agree that the X-Men take Puzzler with them. She needs medical treatment both physically and mentally to deal with the trauma she has suffered. However, the looks he gets from the police tell him that this situation can't continue where essentially they're only letting it go because they don't have the facilities to hold mutants. Sooner or later this will come to ahead and the Professor realises he will need to be prepared for that day.

This incident is also going to generate bad publicity the Professor can tell, just when they had managed small bits of progress on that front. One bad incident and all their progress is undone.

The Professor returns to the helicopter after talking to the police. Domino is with him, having been acting as his bodyguard of a sort.

"Professor," Kitty complains upon seeing him. "Will you please tell Logan that magic isn't real?" she requests of him.

"I am afraid I can't do that Katherine."

"Say what?"

"Magic is real. I have seen it."

"But...I...it's not..." Kitty is struggling for an argument.

"I'm not seeing how this makes any sort of sense," Evan complains.

"In fact it explains everything," the Professor says back. "It explains how the 3 girls are being controlled. Our memory loss. How we were affected at all during the party. A spell was cast by someone of great magical power. Someone who bears a remarkable resemblance to Lana Lang."

"What's that?" Scott asks, stopping his pacing for one moment at the Professor's words.

The Professor explains his experience inside Puzzler's mind and fighting the influence that looked like an older version of Lana.

"What if Lana is the one casting the spells?" Jean puts forward. She may be new to this revelation of magic being real but she doesn't have to believe it completely. Being logical from what the Professor says it makes total sense if Lana is responsible...and they invited her in to their home putting her in the perfect position to do all of this.

"She may be a conduit. She may be indeed be the one responsible," the Professor supposes. "The truth is we can't be certain of either possibility."

"Countess," Domino suddenly speaks up.

"What was that Domino?" Charles asks her to repeat.

"Pietro. He said he was doing this for his Countess...that she would reward him or something along those lines. I thought it sounded weird when he said it but I never really gave it much thought. Might be related to this though."

"You know if we want answers we have someone who can give us them," Logan points out, looking up into the helicopter at Puzzler.

"I would rather not," Charles says reluctant to do that again. "Her mind is in a fragile state after her experience."

"We don't have any other leads Chuck," Logan says grimly.

Unfortunately Logan is correct. They don't.

Charles rolls himself up the ramp and into the Velocity where Storm is caring for the teenage girl. He takes a moment to prepare his mind.

"Is this necessary Charles?" Storm asks, clearly unhappy at what she overheard Logan suggest be done. The girl was in no fit state for this.

"We are at a dead-end otherwise Storm. When the 3 girls vanished, as the others described them to, Rogue and Wanda completely disappeared from Cerebro. They either teleported out of range or are shielding themselves from scans. You know I would not do this if there was any other options."

Storm frowns. She can't think of any other options either, otherwise she would suggest them.

Charles reaches out and places his hand on Puzzler's forehead and, as gently as he can, sifts through her memories. There are no real indications of any place where the 3 might have gone so he focusses in on when Puzzler first met Lana. Images flash up of a purplish light and then an unquestioning loyalty welling up within Puzzler to what appears to be Lana Lang. Charles hears how the 3 girls explained their plans to the Brotherhood and how 'Lana' introduces herself. "Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux," he repeats the name.

"What?" Storm asks.

Charles ignores her and goes straight to the communications in the helicopter. He raises Beast back at the mansion "Hank. I need you to do a search for me on one Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux. Anything you can find," he requests of his blue-furred friend.

"Give me a moment," is Hank's reply. Wonderful thing technology. Once this would have taken hours of searching in libraries. Now all you have to do is input the name in a search engine.

The rest of the X-Men board the helicopter as they decide they need to hear this.

"I have something," Hank reports back.

"Go ahead," the Professor tells him.

"Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux. Born in France in 1574. Died 1604."

"How did she die?" Charles wonders, playing a hunch.

There is a slight pause as Hank reads up the details. "She was burned at the stake as a witch."

"Are there any images of her?"

"There's only a couple," Hank can report.

"Transmit them to the helicopter will you," Charles requests.

Everyone gathers in behind the Professor, eager to see what line of enquiry it is he is following. An image appears on the screen.

"No vay," Kurt says in denial.

"That's like impossible right?" Kitty asks, not willing to believe what her eyes are beholding.

"Not with magic it ain't," Logan rebuts that.

The images, the drawings, show a woman, almost identical in appearance to Lana Lang.

Charles has another hunch. "Hank. Could you get Martha and Jonathan for me? I have a few questions I need to ask."

It is only a short few minutes later the Professor is conversing with Martha and Jonathan. "I am curious if you know anything of Lana's lineage," he says. "Do you know where her ancestors came from before emigrating to America?" he asks either of the Kents to be able to give an answer.

"No," Jonathan replies.

"I don't eith...wait. Didn't Clark say something about that when they did that school project?" Martha can be heard asking Jonathan.

A pause as Jonathan thinks. "Maybe. Somewhere in Europe I think."

"France. It was France," Martha suddenly recalls.

"Thank you," Charles says. "That's helpful." He turns to the others.

"The same place as this Countess hails from," Jean comments.

"Correct," Charles confirms.

"So?" Kitty asks, not seeing the connection. "What does it mean? That's she's what? This Countess reborn?"

"Could be," Logan considers.

"With magic almost anything is possible Kitty," Charles tells her from his personal experience. "What you consider the normal laws of physics don't apply."

"How do you know about it?" Scott asks the Professor.

Charles smiles lightly as memories comes to him of an earlier part of his life. "I wasn't always confined to this wheelchair Scott. Once I was a young man who set out to explore the world. On my travels I encountered many unusual things, including magic, and had what you could call adventures. That was how I first met Storm and her sister after all."

Storm smiles slightly to herself as she remembers that. Her life was hard back then but it is meeting the Professor she remembers fondly. After all he did free her and her sister from the servitude of the Shadow King.

Charles pulls a phone out of his pocket. "On my travels I met someone with much experience of magic and we have, on and off, maintained a long distance friendship. I shall see if I can contact him to help us," he informs them of what he is doing.

The phone rings and rings and rings until he gets the automated message. _**"The phone you are trying to reach is currently...not on this plane of existence."**_

_'Of course it's not,' _Charles mentally sighs to himself. He should have known his friend would be busy.

The recorded message asking to leave a message starts. _**"You have reached the answering service of Stephen Strange. I am unable to answer at the moment. No doubt I am battling the dark minions of the Dread Dormammu. Please leave a message after the beep and assuming I survive I shall get back to you."**_

_'Funny Stephen,' _Charles dryly remarks inside his head at what is suppose to pass for Stephen's sense of humour. He leaves a message saying it is him and asking Stephen to call him back as soon as possible.

"Busy?" Logan queries at the fact the Professor had to leave a message.

Charles nods.

"So what do we do now Doc?" Domino asks.

"The only thing we can do until we get a lead. Go home," the Professor has to sadly regret that that is their only course of action possible at the minute.

"May not be a completely bad idea. We could search the car they came in and see if Lana or whoever she is left anything behind," the idea suddenly occurs to Domino.

That was a possibility Charles could concede. "Kitty. Would you please fetch Spider-Man in for us?" he requests of her as the arachnid themed hero was still outside.

Kitty nods and runs out to fetch him. "You alright?" she asks at his weird silence as he hangs upside down.

"Just thinking," Peter replies. Thinking of yet another screw up he's been involved in. Yet another friend of his in danger.

"We're like going," Kitty tells him. "There's nothing more we can do here until we get a lead."

Peter couldn't argue with that as much as it annoyed him. He drops down and lands on his feet next to Kitty.

"So...uh thanks...for saving me earlier," Kitty says as they walk into the helicopter.

Peter shrugs. "That's what we heroes do. It's in the code to save pretty ladies."

"Code?"

Peter puffs his chest out. "The superhero code," he says in a deep, manly, heroic voice.

Kitty shakes her head and laughs. "You're like...the goofiest person I have ever met...and I know an alien from another galaxy."

"I resemble that remark!" Spider-Man quips as he sits down.

Kitty grins at him as she takes her seat.

Domino looks at this and shakes her head. She can see a romance brewing between those two. Yet she is still single. She must be doing something wrong.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

Clark's arms were really starting to hurt. It's been awhile since he last really felt pain. In the aftermath of the fight with Juggernaut is what springs to mind. This is reminding Clark how much he doesn't like it.

Clark was desperately trying to think of some way to get free and stop the 3 witches before they got their hands on the stone. He had 2 reasons. One; he doesn't really think they truly understand what the stones are and in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing they are potentially fatal to them. Two; on the slim chance they don't seriously harm themselves is the worry they might just pull it off and gain access to the knowledge within the stones which would condemn the world to their rule.

He knows this because he has overheard them talk about their plans for the stones. It wasn't hard to overhear them because they were having an argument right now that had been going for 10 minutes solid.

Ok Isobel and Madeleine were having the argument. Brianna was back with that vacant stare again. That was really troubling Clark because of what he feared it meant for the state of Rogue's mind.

"What do you mean I and Brianna must remain here?" Madeleine demands to know, her voice incredulous.

"You must remain to watch those two," Isobel argues back calmly, referring to Clark and Lex.

"Why?"

"Because Clark has only touched and revealed the location of one stone. We will need him to help us find the other two. He is obviously connected to them in some fashion and therefore someone must remain here to watch him and make sure he does not escape and does Brianna look like she is any state to do that?"

Madeleine frowns as she quickly gazes at Brianna. "We need to find her another vessel. Something is wrong with that one," she concludes.

"And we shall. It is just more important to gain possession of the stone first. Clark's mutant friends will be searching for him and despite our protection wards I can't be certain they won't locate us. Time is of the essence," Isobel implores her sister witch to see the situation as she does.

"Say I understand why we need Clark. Why must I watch Lex?"

"Oh him. Well he was brought here for my amusement mostly. He's proven...disappointing so he may not necessarily still have to be breathing upon my return so you may have some _fun _with him," Isobel grants her permission.

A malicious smile comes to Madeleine's face at that prospect.

Lex's expression is stoic at overhearing that.

"Now assist me with the teleport spell will you?" Isobel asks of her witch.

Madeleine begins to do that.

"_God you're stupid!" _Wanda insults Madeleine.

"_Excuse me? Did I say you could talk?"_

"_That was your first mistake...or was it your 3rd? Your first may have been hooking up with Isobel in the 1st place. After all how did that end?"_

It ended with Madeleine being burned at the stake.

"_You need to be quiet," _Madeleine commands Wanda. _"I have to concentrate."_

"_Bite me!"_

"_Perhaps I'll enchant Clark to do that later," _Madeleine retorts salaciously.

"_Ew! You're sick! I do not think of him like that!"_

"_Keep deceiving yourself if you wish but I dare you to tell me you didn't enjoy it when we were exploring his body earlier."_

"_There was no **we **sister. That was all you!"_

"_We'll see if you still think that after I have used Clark to 'break' this body in," _Madeleine mentally smirks.

Oh yeah. Wanda is so hexing this bitch to hell...somehow.

Madeleine and Isobel soon have the spell ready. They chant together to achieve a teleportation spell neither could achieve alone to cover the distance to Smallville. Isobel vanishes in a flash of purple light.

"_It's official. You're a dumbass!" _Wanda insults her possessor.

"_Am I?" _Madeleine queries with a sudden calm confidence.

"_You realise when she comes back she'll use the power of this stone to crush you like a bug. She won't need you any longer."_

"_You're assuming I sent her anywhere near the location of the stone."_

"_Say what?"_

"_You were right."_

"_Come again?"_

"_You were correct in comparing Isobel to your father. Once she has the stones she won't need me or Brianna so I'm going to get the stones first. I sent Isobel on a little diversion."_

* * *

Bayville to Smallville. Distance: Approximately 1000miles.

Make a smell tweak in direction due north and you find yourself in the empty tundra of Canada where the Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux currently finds herself.

"Madeleine!" she screeches in fury into the sky the moment she realises her sister witch has betrayed her.

* * *

Back in Bayville Madeleine smirks to herself. _"It'll take her awhile to teleport herself to Smallville," _she tells Wanda confidently. _"Her powers do have limits."_

Wanda is rather speechless. Mostly she had just been venting her rage at having her body hijacked. She never really expected Madeleine to listen to her.

"_Now then. We have much to do," _Madeleine says.

"_What's this **we** bit?" _Wanda asks. _"I'm not helping you."_

"_Oh yes you are," _Madeleine says darkly. _"Or at least your power is. I've had a chance to explore it more. One day you could have been an exceptionally powerful witch. Through me that day will be today."_

"_What are you planning?" _Wanda is almost afraid to ask.

"_You'll see my dear. You'll see," _Madeleine says in such a tone to give Wanda a metaphorical cold shiver up her spine.

* * *

For the next short while Clark and Lex watch on as Madeleine works. She draws a hexagram on the floor in white chalk along with archaic pagan symbols. She lights candles and places them on each point.

Clark assumes that the 3 witches must have prepared this place for them during the missing time period when they were improvising their plan to capture him to have all this stuff here. What she is doing neither Clark or Lex can even guess having no experience with magic.

During this time Brianna's deterioration seems to be accelerating as she starts to rock back and forth on the spot muttering to herself.

Madeleine pauses when she sees the state her sister witch is in. She then notices the deep concern on Clark's face. She wonders...

Madeleine stops her work and marches over to Clark. She digs her nails in to where she previously marked him. "You know what is wrong with her. Tell me," she orders.

Clark grimaces in pain as Madeleine digs her nails into his flesh deeper.

"Tell me!" Madeleine demands.

"Alright!" Clark relents and Madeleine pulls her nails out. Clark takes a moment. "Do-do you know what Rogue's mutant power is?"

While her vessel has hidden any information about Clark from her, Madeleine does have access to many other memories, including the nature of Rogue's power. "She absorbs life energy."

Clark nods. "Yes but more than that. She absorbs an echo of their minds that never leaves her. There's probably dozens of them. Rogue is strong enough not to be overwhelmed by them. My guess would be your friend is not and she is losing herself to them."

Madeleine looks at Brianna. "Once I have the stone I can help her," she says. She is not like Isobel. She won't abandon Brianna. She then looks at Clark. "And once I have that stone you will help me find the other two," she tells him.

"Out of what? The Goodness of my heart?" Clark quips in gallows humour.

Madeleine smiles. "Very amusing. I shall enjoy having you as my slave farmboy."

"I won't help you," Clark avows.

"You shall because no-one is coming to save you. In a few short moments no-one shall even remember you exist and then I shall have all the time needed to break your spirit. Something else I shall enjoy immensely," she says with much anticipation.

"What do you mean no-one will remember he exists?" Lex asks her.

Madeleine turns to him. "There is no reason not to tell you because you shall forget him as well. I bet that will be frustrating. To finally know his secrets and then to lose them. You see I shall cast a spell and everyone will forget that Clark Kent ever existed." She looks at Clark and explains her plans. "Then I shall have all the time I need to extract the information from you I require about the other 2 stones...and you can thank this vessel for this achievement for I could not do this without the power she possesses."

"_No," _Wanda says in denial. _"You can't do that!"_

"_But I can and I have you to thank. Without your incessant chatting I would never have realised what Isobel was planning. And more since it was Clark that saved you his erasure will also erase any memory that you ended up at the mansion. No-one will look for you either. Thank you Wanda. You've been very helpful to me."_

_'Oh good one Wanda!' _she berates herself. Why did she have to choose now to suddenly become chatty?

Madeleine moves to the centre of the hexagram.

"Madeleine!" Clark calls out. "You don't have to do this."

Madeleine pauses. "Certainly I do."

"Do you even realising what you are doing?"

"Gaining the power that is rightfully mine."

"And what about Wanda? You are stealing her life," he argues.

"My life was stolen farmboy! I was burned alive!" she shouts at him.

"And that was wrong," Clark sympathises. "However doing this will not make it right Madeleine. It is only repeating the mistake. You can be better than them. Free us. Help us stop Isobel."

"And then what about me? Do I just go back off to limbo willingly?" she asks in a mocking tone. "All you want is your friends back. You don't care about me!" she cries.

"I care about everyone...but I don't have the power over life and death Madeleine. Extending your life at the expense of someone else is wrong."

Madeleine snorts. "What life? This vessel may protect your secrets but I've seen her pathetic excuse for a life. Trust me she is better off with me making much better use of it."

"Wanda's life was not pathetic," Clark argues forcibly. "It was stolen, like yours, by her father. She is only just now starting on her journey and she needs to be allowed to complete it and fulfil the great potential she possesses."

"Your words are touching farmboy but a waste of both our time. I did not suffer what I did just to give up now. Ultimate power is within my reach and I shall have it and nothing you can say shall dissuade me," she dismisses coldly Clark's arguments.

Madeleine closes her eyes and resumes her work. She begins chanting her spell.

"You were wasting your breath Clark," Lex says in a dismissive tone, thinking Clark foolish that he believed, for even a second, that his argument would have any sway. "You can't reason with these...witches."

"It's never a waste of time to believe there is a better way and that people can choose to take it," Clark argues back.

Lex scoffs. "Funny how that never applied to me and your secret isn't it?"

Clark wondered when Lex would get onto that. "This isn't the time for that Lex. Can you get free?"

"I've been trying since I woke up. I have to reluctantly admit that they know what they're doing when it comes to restraints."

Madeleine's chanting grows in its volume as she reaches the crescendo of her spell. She reaches deep inside this vessel and taps into its powers which rises up within her. Wind blows and she rises off the ground, hovering, energy emanating from her as it builds up to the release that will cast the spell across the world touching everyone and erasing any knowledge of Clark Kent from existence.

Wanda fights and scratches against her mental prison. She has to do something. Madeleine is ignoring her, her concentration fully on what she is doing...

Her concentration.

Madeleine has to consciously control the spell Wanda can pick up from her possessor's mind. But the power she is using is Wanda's. If Wanda concentrates hard perhaps...well she might not be able to stop Madeleine but perhaps she can alter the intent of the spell...like make it so certain people don't forget Clark exists.

Wanda puts all her effort into that single idea.

Looking at Madeleine the energy swirling around her glows brighter and brighter as her chanting reaches the zenith of the spell. For a moment it almost appears she explodes as scarlet red energy expands out in a wave.

It hits Lex and Clark watches him knocked out by the force. It makes Clark's head ring but he manages to stay conscious.

* * *

Outward the wave spreads all across Bayville. It sweeps over the in hiding Brotherhood.

"What was that yo?" Toad asks.

"What was what?" Pietro asks back, as he leans against the wall in the back alley where they are regrouping after their latest defeat.

"I..." Toad suddenly trails off. "I don't know. I thought I felt something."

Pietro looks at Toad as if he is crazy and then looks to Avalanche who shrugs. He doesn't know what Toad is on about either.

Plastique is muttering something in French, that from her tone sounds like it isn't anything good. Pietro shares the sentiment about this day.

Neutron too is muttering angrily at how he was stuck into that road by Spider-Man...Spider-Man! Again! If it wasn't bad enough the first time the loudmouth webslinger caught him and threw him in jail Neutron now gets humiliation added on top of it courtesy of the wallcrawler and the Pryde girl. Neutron swears he'll make the two of them pay! If it wasn't for Blob coming back and rescuing him he would still probably be stuck there.

Speaking of Blob Pietro looks at him and sees he has somehow found something to eat. Pietro just rolls his eyes at it.

If it hasn't been a bad enough day already he can't believe where they have ended up, standing here amongst the garbage cans. So far today he has been mocked and defeated by that Super-Loser, as Pietro calls him, and the x-geeks. God Pietro would give anything to know who this 'Superman' is. That would make it so much easier to get back at the guy for all the humiliations he has suffered.

* * *

**The Institute...**

The X-Men are disembarking from the Velocity when the wave strikes.

"Vhoa. Headrush!" Kurt says as he suddenly feels dizzy. He ends up leaning against the side of the helicopter.

"You alright fuzzy?" Evan asks his friend.

Kurt nods. "Ja. Just felt light-headed for a minute there." He then grins. "I just need sugar," he jokes blaming his high-burning metabolism for the episode.

"Oh god that sounds good right about now!" Domino agrees as her stomach growls.

"Yes," Storm agrees. "I think recharging the batteries would be advisable while we can."

"Well I am a growing spider-boy," Peter quips.

Kitty giggles at how he adds the spider prefix to everything. What a great guy he is. She wonders if she can hold him to that date he asked her out on on the tape they saw.

At this moment Hank rushes in, looking extremely agitated.

"What's up furball?" Logan asks, noticing the state Beast is in.

"Cerebro just exploded."

"What!" they all exclaim.

"Ok that might have been an exaggeration," Beast modifies slightly. "It overloaded. There was some kind of strange energy wave it picked up on and when it hit my jury rigging sadly went the way of Ben Franklin's famous kite."

"Can the last data be retrieved?" Charles asks, hoping to analyse this energy wave.

"It should have been buffered. I would need to pull the hard drives and plug them manually to the main mansion computer."

"I can help," Kitty offers.

"I'll help as well," Peter offers his expertise.

"You can assist myself with that," Charles tells them. "Hank, we need you to take care of Miss Van Haaften," he asks of his friend in regards to Puzzler while he takes care of retrieving Cerebro's data. "I am uncertain as to what physical damage may have been done to her when she was forced to become that dragon."

As for the mental trauma...well that will take much more time to heal. For now Charles can simply let her sleep.

Hanks nods and heads into the helicopter to retrieve the young girl and administer care upon her. He had gotten a brief summary of what had happened as they returned.

Before leaving to see if they can retrieve the data Charles brings his hands together and rest his chin on them as he thinks over everything. That was strange. This sudden energy wave. Let them hope they can get to the bottom of it. Perhaps it is even related to what has been going on so far today. Although he can't help but think he is forgetting something important.

* * *

Onward the wave travels sweeping over the entire country, battering a silver sphere travelling over the landscape at high speed.

Inside Magneto takes a moment to redirect his transport back on course. That was unusually severe turbulence he has to say. It only takes a moment to use the earth's magnetic field to ascertain he is back on course. That is how he knows where he is going without having to see. He is completely in tune with the Earth's magnetic field.

Magneto returns to his thoughts. He must find the Brotherhood and deal with whoever dared to try and usurp his own disciples from him.

His thoughts then drift to the future once this business is concluded. As he was thinking before he left it might be time to wrap this whole operation up in Bayville and start over.

After all it wasn't like they had made any progress in ascertaining the identity of this 'Superman' and they had been at it for nearly a year now. Magneto had been hoping to learn this to gain leverage over the boy. Since the day he first encountered him in Smallville Magneto believed he could be the key to the victory of mutantkind over humanity but has been frustratingly lacking means to _persuade_ the boy to join him since he knew so little about him.

Magneto had his theories about what Superman was. Once this situation is resolved he will redouble his effort to find these stones. He knows Superman has one. However from Lionel Luthor's journal Magneto has recently learned that if you possess two, they will lead you to the 3rd. Therefore that is the priority and once he has all 3 he will have the means to bring Superman into line. That is the belief Magneto is working off.

Magneto concentrates and accelerates the sphere. The quicker he deals with this the better.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

Back in the warehouse Madeleine gently floats back to the ground and drops to her knees, tired after her exertions. It starts off quietly but Clark hears her laugh. It slowly builds as she laughs louder and louder. She looks...giddy...almost drunk.

"Such power!" Madeleine exclaims. "I never imagined," she babbles as she looks at her own hands. "So much power! I could almost do this without the stones." She looks up at Clark, the look of raw power and authority in her eyes extremely disconcerting. She giggles. "Oh what I will do to you and no-one is riding to the rescue farmboy for no-one remembers you any longer. You are mine and mine alone!"

Clark's head drops. He tried to reach her but he failed and now, just, when he thought this couldn't get worse...it has and he has no idea how to save himself, Wanda, Rogue, Lex or the world. He is at mercy of the ghost that has control over Wanda and he thinks that mercy is probably not in her vocabulary.

* * *

_Author's Note: Why I never wrote Rogue speaking to Brianna is given away in this in that she has become buried, become one voice amongst the multitudes of those she has absorbed, that are breaking loose inside her head. With Wanda's power at her disposal Madeleine was always the more likely to be the one who could be persuaded to rebel against Isobel so I needed Wanda to be able to talk to her. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Has Madeleine truly succeeded in erasing Clark or did Wanda succeed in messing it up? And the race is on. Who will get to the stone first?_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

_Author's Note: I realised I missed out a few lines about Neutron in my last chapter which I have now added. I would advise you to read it through again so later on makes sense. My bad. Sorry._

* * *

Madeleine is taking a moment to restrain Brianna. She's tying her to a chair. It will make certain her sister witch cannot harm herself until Madeleine returns. She won't be long. Now that she has awakened Wanda's powers it should be easy to transport herself directly to Smallville.

It was really quite amazing the power she could now feel coursing through her body...although it wasn't quite like any magic she knew. It seemed...chaotic in nature.

Madeleine pushes that concern away for now. She'll have plenty of time to explore it later. Just like she'll have plenty of time to explore Clark Kent. Such a pretty face and body and, as Isobel phrased it, she has a 400 year old itch that needs scratched.

"_Don't you dare!" _Wanda warns her off that thought of what she is planning to do with Clark.

"_Once the act is done you'll thank me," _Madeleine counters, supremely full of self-confidence.

"_Don't count on it,_" Wanda grouses. This was not the way she planned to lose her virginity. Her only hope is that somehow her attempts to alter Madeleine's spell worked because otherwise she is just stuck, imprisoned inside her own body without anyway to control it.

Madeleine finishes tying up Brianna. She places her hands on either cheek and gets Brianna to look at her. "If you can still hear me Brianna know that I shall help you. Once I have the stones I can transfer you to another vessel. Then we shall enslave this world and we'll do it without Isobel."

Clark looks on curiously. Madeleine is touching Rogue's bare skin without any effect. He wonders how she is doing it. Also something about what she said. "Without Isobel?" he queries, puzzled by that remark.

Madeleine turns and walks over to Clark, smiling with dark seduction. "This is the day of my rebellion. This is the day I take control of my own destiny. I sent Isobel far, far away," she finally reveals what she has done. She takes a moment to feel over Clark's solid arms. When she gets back she'll have much more fun with him. "Now then I must depart for Smallville and gain what is mine before Isobel manages to get herself back from where I sent her. Once I return we shall discuss what you know about the location of the other 2 stones."

"I think you'll find we won't," Clark promises her, with steely determination to resist.

Madeleine chuckles, amused by his resistance. "I like your fire farmboy. Think about this while I am away. Isobel was correct in one thing she said. This does not have to be unpleasant. Assist me and I shall allow you to serve me. My rewards can be most generous. My punishments can be most severe. Choose which you wish to experience. Either way I shall get what I want in the end."

Madeleine takes one moment to check Clark's chains. She doesn't want him escaping...not that he has anywhere to go. No-one remembers who he is. That done she takes a few steps back. "Think it over Clark. I shall return shortly," she says, giving him a flirtatious wink before she chants the words and vanishes.

Clark jerks at his chains hard. He has to escape especially now. Madeleine's rebellion might in fact make it easier to stop them. The whole divided they fall idea. They are obviously less powerful apart. Clark continues to pull at his chains. The wood creaks and he pauses. He wonders...he is stronger than a human even without his powers. The chains might not give way but what about the wood. Could he break it?

Clark looks up to the support. He has to be certain that he won't bring the whole roof down atop of him and Lex, who is still out and hanging limply by his arms, if he does manage to break it. Clark carefully works it out and concludes that if he can snap the support it should be ok.

Clark jerks at his chains again hard and the wood creaks louder and some dust flutters down from above.

Clark yanks hard again and again and again, each time the wood creaks but doesn't break.

"Come on. Come on," he mutters, pleading for it to give way.

He takes a momentary rest. His eyes fall upon Rogue and her blank expression. He wonders...he fears for her and selfishly for himself. If Madeleine managed to do what she said then Rogue would no longer remember him. No-one remembers him.

Clark isn't sure how he could live in a world where Rogue doesn't even know who he is.

Bad thoughts.

He has to think positive and that there is a solution to all this but first he has to get free.

Clark tugs at his chains again and the there is a definite cracking sound this time. It has to give way. It must. Clark grits his teeth and tries again.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

The X-Men are taking 10 minutes to recharge the fuel supplies as they chow down some high energy food in the kitchen.

Storm is taking the opportunity to reassure her friend. "Worry not Martha. We shall find Clark," she promises.

Martha puts a brave face on events and smiles lightly. "I know you will Ororo." Of course worry is eating at her gut. Somehow, despite how invulnerable to harm he is suppose to be, somehow Clark still manages to get himself into trouble.

"How is Jonathan taking it?" Ororo asks.

"He's out working the farm," Martha says in reference to the piece of land Jonathan works. "He likes to keep himself distracted," she explains how Jonathan copes with worry.

Ororo nods in understanding.

* * *

Down in the lower levels the Professor, with assistance from Kitty and Peter, was trying to retrieve the last reams of data that Cerebro recorded.

Peter was currently watching, greatly impressed, as Kitty writes an algorithm to piece together the data blocks that had been fragmented when Cerebro overloaded. It starts to work.

"You're a genius," Peter compliments her.

A rosy glow comes to Kitty's cheeks. "Thanks...but it's really kinda simple." She then proceeds to give him her 'simple' description of what she did.

"I was with you up to about word 5," Peter jokes although not by much. He's good at building stuff but computer languages, programming...he's barely passable and don't get him started on all the internet jargon...just don't get him started because he's clueless. Yeah a nerd who is clueless about that. Go figure.

Kitty chuckles as her algorithm does its work and what Cerebro recorded appears on screen.

The Professor leans forward and reads over the data. "Some kind of energy wave. Cerebro couldn't recognise it."

"It seems to have originated from a single point," Kitty points out from the circular shape of the wave.

Peter gently moves Kitty aside. "Excuse me. This is my forte," he says as he gets to work working out the origin as this is simple mathematics. "Ah ha! Got it! Take that Newton!" Peter crows triumphantly as he does the sums.

"Didn't he discover gravity?" Kitty asks, not seeing how Newton is relevant.

"Yes," the Professor confirms. "However in some ways he can also be considered a father of mathematics in that to define gravity mathematically he had to invent calculus."

"Oh so that's who I have to blame," Kitty jests at all that blasted calculus homework.

Peter finishes his work. "It seemed to originate in this warehouse district on the edge of town. Gotta love a cliché don't ya," he jokes about villains and warehouses.

The Professor sends out a mental summons to the X-Men. They had a lead.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

Clark was making progress. The wooden support was shifting. With one last monumental effort it breaks. The momentum has Clark falling forward to the floor and landing painfully in a heap.

He takes one moment to rest. His arms are really sore. Now that he's free from the support it isn't hard to get his hands out of the chain that had been used to hold him.

Clark gets to his feet and rushes over to where Rogue is tied to a chair. His hands gently cup her face. "Rogue? Can you hear me?" he asks her.

Nothing. Her stare...her mind is off into the distance. Clark kisses her on the temple. "I promise you'll be alright," he says to her.

Clark takes the opportunity to look around the warehouse they are in and spots his removed shirt and jacket. He moves over and grabs them. With some discomfort he manages to get them back on. While there he grabs Lex's shirt and jacket as well.

Clark walks over to Lex and puts his fingers to Lex's neck to make sure he's ok. He gets a pulse.

Clark takes a minute to look at Lex's chains. Now how to get Lex loose. That's a question. When they were restraining Lex they did a really good job and without his powers it isn't as simple as it normally is. Normally Clark could snap those chains with ease.

He reaches up and tugs at them slightly, examines them, trying to work out just how they were tied up like this.

Probably magic.

Clark shakes his head. That still sounds weird to him. He's sure there's another more logical explanation.

Clark's efforts stir Lex to consciousness. As Lex's eyes fixate upon him Clark waits for...whatever is about to come.

"Superman?" Lex queries with a puzzled frown.

Superman. Not Clark. Does that mean Madeleine's spell worked and now no-one remembers Clark Kent...although is that what she wanting to achieve? Or was she planning to erase every facet of his existence from people's memories?

There is no way for Clark to be certain at the moment. At the moment Clark chooses what he wants Lex to know. "Yes," he confirms in a simple reply.

"How did you get free? Didn't they take your powers?"

"I'm stronger than your average person even without them."

Lex looks to where Superman was strung up and can see the shattered support which seems to back up that claim. He then looks at the red and blue leather jacket clad hero. "So is this what you meant when you said you were going to save Lana?" he accuses.

Except Superman didn't say that. Clark Kent did. It just adds to the confusion Clark has over what has actually happened and what Lex actually remembers now. "We will save her Lex," he asserts. "It will only take a little more time and effort."

"Didn't know we were on first name terms _Superman_," Lex says in a tone touched by anger...and mistrust.

"I'm a friend to everyone," Clark replies, trying to cover his slip, as he continues to work on Lex's chains.

"Even the people you help lock up?" Lex queries sceptically.

"Yes. Even them. I would wish them to see there is a better way to live their lives within the law."

_'Wow. Is that naïve,'_ Lex thinks to himself. _'What planet does this so-called hero come from?'_

Clark finally figures out how to get the chains undone and Lex slithers his hands free. Clark hands him his shirt and jacket before going back for Rogue. He unties her and gently lifts her into his arms. He would like to be able to show her much more affection but can't because Rogue is Clark Kent's girlfriend not Superman's.

Once redressed Lex starts the next most obvious task; finding the way out. He has to get to Smallville and stop the witches. This is all Superman's fault...although Lex has many questions about this hero's link to the stones and Smallville.

Why did he leave the stone in Smallville would be a good opener. Was Superman the mysterious figure who always stopped the meteor freaks? If so why did he only choose recently to become visible and what is his connection to Clark?

Lex still knows Clark has something to do with all of this. Too many odd things happen around Clark to be coincidence.

Lex glances out of the corner of his eye at Superman. If they fail to save Lana Lex knows who to blame.

Lex spots a fire escape in this warehouse. That will do for an exit. He marches over and kicks it open.

As Lex emerges into the sunlight he blinks his eyes a few times to adjust to the brightness.

Clark follows on behind, his mind full of questions, about what exactly Madeleine has done to him and worry for Rogue. Then he hears the familiar whirring sound of the Velocity. He looks up as it swoops into view overhead.

Clark doesn't know how they found him but he never doubted they would but he has to wonder if like Lex seems to they now only know him as Superman. That would at least be better than Clark's worse fears when Madeleine was casting her spell. That is...fixable...maybe.

The Velocity lands in an open space nearby and Lex and Superman run over as the side door slides open.

"Superman!" Cyclops greets him before Scott's eyes spot Rogue in his arms. "What happened?"

"That's going to take awhile to explain," Clark replies pensively as he hands Rogue over to Scott so he can get on-board. "In the meantime you need to contact Beast and tell him to prep the x-jet. We need to get to Smallville."

"As quickly as possible," Lex adds as he leaps aboard.

"Smallville? Why?" Jean asks.

"They're after the stone," Clark informs them. "And they are way ahead of us."

"Who is they?" Kitty asks.

Clark sighs as he takes back Rogue and straps her securely in a chair. "That's a long story."

"Oh gee they didn't?" Spider-Man asks, his voice dreading the answer of what he thinks Superman's means when he says 'That's a long story'. "Don't tell me they gave you the dreaded..." dramatic pause, "villain monologue?" he asks in mock horror at that.

"Practically the whole life story," Clark tries to joke.

Spider-Man shakes his head. "You poor, poor man," he sympathises.

"Is anyone else lost?" Spyke queries.

"Should I ever get around to writing a guide for future heroes there will be a whole chapter about the dreaded villain monologue," Spider-Man jests with the same mock horror in his tone. "Villains in general have huge egos and love to hear themselves talk and in _excruciating_ detail and length justify their actions when a simple 'I'm nuts!' would cover 95% of it."

Spider-Man then goes and pats Superman on the right side of his chest. "Good to have you back."

Clark instantly winces in pain as that is where Madeleine dug her nails into him.

Kurt spots it. "Are you...hurt?" he asks in concern and disbelief because Superman can't be hurt.

Clark rubs the sore spot and sighs. "My powers are gone."

"How?" Logan asks.

"They took them through...this is probably going to sound crazy," Clark starts to qualify.

"Magic?" Storm offers what Superman was going to say next.

The surprise at how they knew that is clear on his face.

"We did some research...discovered a few things ourselves from Puzzler," Cyclops explains and mentions what they have discovered so far.

"It's more complicated than that," Clark says because they so far only had some guess work. He had a much fuller story and on the way back to the mansion he tells them what happened...most of what happened short of re-revealing his identity to Lex and a few other details he will only talk about when Lex is not present because if Isobel's words are to be believed then Lex is up to something and really cannot be trusted. That, combined with, the unfriendly glare Lex is giving him Clark has a sorry feeling that he and Lex may rapidly be reaching the end of their friendship.

* * *

**Smallville, Kansas...**

Madeleine had teleported herself to the edge of town and was now walking through the main street and as she does so she is realising she made one serious miscalculation about this. She doesn't actually know where the caves are and neither does Wanda who is, very smugly, right now, mocking her inside her own head for the oversight.

Once Madeleine finds the stones she determines the 1st thing she is doing is finding some way to get rid of this host's tiresome personality or at least some way to put her to sleep.

"_Keep dreaming!" _Wanda tells her.

"_I have no need to dream. No-one can stop me!"_ Madeleine declares in arrogant certainty of her victory.

"_I'll stop you," _Wanda vows. Some way, somehow she will stop this witch who has taken over her body.

"_Will you? Even when the power of the stones will give us the means to utterly destroy your father?"_

Madeleine can feel her host's mind pause and the temptation of that idea weaken her resolve to resist. Then to her surprise the resolve returns stronger than before.

"_No-one me gets to destroy him but me. Me and me alone,"_ Wanda speaks her vow to avenge herself upon her father. _"Check the time and count the minutes because your ass is going straight to hell. I will send you there along with **him**_."

Madeleine has to suddenly grab her head. She sways on her feet and ends up leaning against the wall of a shop she is passing by as Wanda's mind pushes with force she never imagined to try and break her control. _"No!" _Madeleine mentally screams her defiance. _"I did not suffer being burned alive to lose to some mutant amateur witch!"_

It takes several minutes but Madeleine's greater understanding and knowledge of how this possession works allows her to push Wanda back but she can feel her control over this body is much more tenuous than it was. She must find out the location of the cave and the 1st stone and she must do this quickly.

Madeleine straightens herself up and walks with much more purpose. She has a quest to complete. One that has lasted for 400 years and whose end is now finally within her reach.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Clark's immediate task upon returning to the mansion was to get away from Lex and seek out his parents. He finds them in their room. He hesitates with trepidation about entering.

What if Madeleine succeeded?

What if, even they, only know Superman and Clark Kent is a stranger?

Clark finds the courage and enters the room. The immediate way his parents' faces light up at seeing him blow away his worries.

"Clark!" Martha cries happily at seeing him as she almost runs over to give him a hug.

Jonathan places a hand on Clark's shoulder in a more stoic expression of happiness at seeing his son. "How are you son?"

"Sore...tired," Clark answers truthfully.

Martha pulls back and looks Clark over. "Sore?" she queries, with worry at Clark saying such an impossible thing for him.

"How much do you know about what has happened today?"

Martha and Jonathan share a look. "Well the others returned for a short period and we heard a summary," Martha says.

"Magic?" Clark queries after.

"We heard about that," Jonathan says a little reluctant to believe that is possible.

"Well it's real," Clark has found himself having to confirm. "And it can hurt me," he tells his parents. "My powers are gone. They...removed them."

Martha and Jonathan are flabbergasted at that as well as deeply worried for their son.

"They?" his mother asks.

"Wanda, Rogue and Lana have been possessed by three 17th century witches...and please don't ask me to explain that right now," he pleads because he doesn't have the time to explain that.

"How?" his father asks him. "How did they remove your powers?"

"I don't know," Clark admits the truth. "I don't know a lot of things about this magic. There's...there's a lot to go through but I really don't have time right now. We're only making a short stop to get the jet. They're after the stone in the cave. We have to get to Smallville urgently because they have a head start with being able to teleport."

"Doesn't that mean it's too late?" Martha asks.

Clark shakes his head. "No. I don't believe so. Wanda has never been to Smallville. She has no idea where the caves are and therefore neither does the witch possessing her. She also betrayed the witch possessing Lana and sent her far, far away is what she said and as for Rogue...we have her with us," he vaguely answers, again because he doesn't have the time to explain what he think is going on with Rogue. "Hopefully that'll buy us enough time to get there before it is too late," he expresses his hope.

"You'll save them Clark," Martha tries to reassure him.

Clark smiles lightly at his mother's encouragement. "I know you'll want more details but I really have to go," he says, pressing the urgency in his tone.

"We know," Jonathan says as he moves next to Martha and puts an arm around her shoulders. Both of them are so proud of him. There he is powerless yet he will not hesitate to go off and try and save his friends.

"Just be careful ok?" Martha asks of him.

A lopsided smile comes to Clark's lips. "You know me," he jests.

With that Clark departs, stopping in his room briefly to pick up the silver key for the lock in the cave, since he has a feeling he might need it, before jogging back down to the lower levels. There, in the hanger, he finds the Professor and Logan in a heated discussion with Lex.

"And what makes ya think we're letting ya come this time?" Wolverine asks Lex in a hostile tone.

"You broke your word Lex," the Professor reminds the bald tycoon about Lex leaving the Velocity which, by the way, made it possible for the 3 witches to abduct him.

"I did what was necessary," Lex defends himself.

Logan snorts, almost contemptuously, at that. "Yeah and if necessary I'll personally tie ya up to make sure ya stay this time bub!" he threatens.

"Logan. Please," the Professor requests of his friend not to lose his temper. Logan makes an effort not to just go and punch Lex's lights out right here and now.

Charles turns his attentions back to Lex. "The issue has not changed Lex. You proved that we cannot trust you."

"That goes both ways Professor," Lex accuses. "You asked me to trust you to save Lana. How's that going?"

Logan growls. Arrogant little...his thoughts become R rated.

"I told you Mr Luthor," Clark interjects, remembering this time that he's Superman and not Lex's personal friend and to address him properly. "That we will save her. It's only taking longer than expected."

Lex scowls at Superman. "Considering what I've seen so far today I will not be holding my breath," he pours scorn on the attempts so far at a rescue. "Further more, since we are going to Smallville, you shall need me and my security forces..."

At this moment Logan decides he's heard enough and before anyone can react he has punched Lex across the jaw with his adamantium laced bones, knocking the bald millionaire out with a single blow.

The Professor and Clark look at him.

"What?" Logan asks. "Do we really want his version of the MRD involved?"

Charles sighs and rubs his head. When Lex wakes up this will not aid in trying to have good relations with him in the least. "Can you move him to the side?" Charles asks of Logan. "I'll let Hank know he has another guest for the infirmary."

Logan drags Lex out of the way of the jet while Charles sends the mental summons to Beast.

Clark pauses for one minute. "Professor. I need a favour," he suddenly says.

That catches Charles' attention. "Such as?"

"I need you to scan Lex's mind and see if he knows who am I."

"I do not understand Clark," Charles says with notable confusion.

Clark looks at the Professor. He said his name. He remembers who Clark is too just like his parents. Clark explains the bit he couldn't in front of Lex on the Velocity about what Madeleine claimed to have done and how upon waking up Lex only called him Superman.

Logan, with his sensitive hearing, picks up the conversation too as he deposits Lex out of the way. "Could be he was faking just to throw you off," he expresses an opinion as he wanders back.

"I thought of that. That's why I'm asking," Clark responds. "I need to know...we need to know...or at least try to figure out what Madeleine did or didn't do."

"Well I remember ya Space Boy so I say she messed it up," Logan gives his view.

"Perhaps," Clark says, not so sure of that because otherwise what was that weird scarlet red energy wave she sent out?

Charles finds he agrees with Clark. Magic could be unpredictable...and what Madeleine was attempting...Charles has enough bare knowledge of magic to know that is a large and complicated spell that could have gone wrong in a thousand ways. He looks to Lex and probes the unconscious figure's mind for the single question about Clark. "There is no trace of any knowledge that he knows who you are. He has his suspicions that Superman, and not yourself, was responsible for the many odd rescues in Smallville over the years and that you, as Clark Kent, at least have a link to him...I...strange," Charles suddenly says.

"What is Chuck?" Logan asks.

"Lex's memory of Clark has him wearing thick glasses from practically the day the two met."

"I didn't wear glasses back then," Clark points out.

"No but Lex remembers you as doing so. Madeleine's spell has seemed to have altered the whole perception Lex has of you."

"But is that just limited to Lex?" Clark wonders.

Charles thinks. "It may be possible to find that out if I can get a hold of my friend," he says in relation to Stephen Strange. "However for now we must focus on stopping Madeleine and Isobel. We can resolve this after," he decides as time is of the essence.

Clark, Logan and the Professor board the jet. Logan slips into the pilot's chair next to Storm who is co-pilot. The silence between them is awkward considering where they found themselves this morning.

Logan starts the jet up and it takes off down the runway and into the air.

Once in the air Clark unstraps his seatbelt and moves to Rogue, who is strapped in securely to her own seat. He gently cups her face and it pains him to see how blank her expression is.

"Vas it vise bringing her?" Kurt asks in reference to Rogue.

"No," Clark says in quiet voice. "It is just necessary."

"What's happened to her?" Dom asks, the concern for her little sister, all too evident in her voice.

The Professor answers. "Clark's speculation, as he mentioned on the trip back to the mansion, is the correct one. The spirit possessing Rogue's body does not understand how to control the phantom personalities in her mind and she has lost control. They are all running loose with no particular one in charge."

"Can you reach Rogue?" Clark asks the Professor.

"I can try," the Professor says, with only a little confidence that he can.

"Why was it, like, necessary to bring her?" Kitty wonders, since surely Rogue would be better off in the infirmary.

"How do we stop them Kitty?" Clark asks. "The other 2? How do we exorcise all 3 of them? Which is probably the only way to help Rogue at this point."

"I...uh...don't know."

"No but I'm guessing Brianna does. She could access Rogue's memories and it got me to thinking that maybe Rogue can access hers," Clark speculates.

"And Rogue could find out how we stop them," Scott reaches the obvious conclusion and that is why Clark said Rogue had to come along so they could get the answers they seek without wasting time they don't have.

Clark gently brushes Rogue's hair off her face lovingly. "Believe me when I say I wish I could think of another way but, short of this friend the Professor mentioned showing up, we don't have any other way."

Charles closes his eyes and puts a hand to his head as he reaches out to Rogue's mind. He grunts in pain as he touches the chaotic mess that is currently her mind as he tries to reach her amongst the multitudes of personalities.

Jean watches on and suddenly remembers something. When she went through her power surge and was lost to the clatter of voices her mind could sense one voice got through to her. Scott's voice. Perhaps a similar thing might work here. "Clark. Speak to her," Jean says. "Give her something to focus on...a line to grab hold on and pull herself to the surface," she tries to explain.

"Rogue. It's me. Clark. I need you to focus on my voice and take control. I know you can do it. I know you're stronger than you think you are. Please. Talk to me," he pleads, hoping to reach her.

For awhile her stare is blank until suddenly she blinks and her eyes seem to gain focus. "Clark?" she queries.

Clark smiles. "Rogue?" he asks hopefully.

"S-she wanted ta know your secrets. Ah-ah nevah told her a thing."

Rogue must be referring to Brianna. "I know Rogue. I know you would not," he assures her. He glances out of the corner of his eye and can see the Professor is struggling. "Rogue we need your help."

Silence as Rogue's gaze starts to drift off.

"Rogue," Clark says anxiously as he gently cups her face and makes her look at him. "Rogue. I need you to stay with me."

"A-Ah can't. They're free. Ah can't stop them," she says, the struggle all too clear in her voice.

"Yes you can," Clark says with complete faith in her. "We need you to tell us how to help you. How to stop Isobel and free you. Can you look into Brianna's mind and find that?"

"Ah...ah'm not sure."

"Try. Please. For me?"

"Ah'll try," Rogue says and her face twitches as if Rogue is fighting herself. "B-Book...a-anchor...d-d-destory," she stutters the words out.

The Professor cries out and rocks back in his chair and Rogue's gaze becomes blank again. "I-I'm sorry," Charles apologises with a strained tone. "That's all I can do. Brianna's presence has disrupted all the mental blocks. Until she is gone I can't repair them."

"What did she mean by book and anchor?" Evan asks.

"She wants to go on a relaxing book reading cruise?" Spider-Man quips which earns him many a severe look. "Bad time for a joke huh?"

"Yes," Scott says sternly.

"Isobel's spell book?" Clark suggests.

"Her what?" Jean asks.

"The book Isobel carries is her spell book. Probably the one she used to cast the spell to allow Brianna and Madeleine to possess Rogue and Wanda and perhaps anchors their spirits in this world?"

"You're suggesting zhat if ve destroy zhe book ve break zhe spell and free Rogue and Vanda," Kurt surmises what Clark is getting at.

"I think that is what Rogue was getting at," Clark is pretty certain. He looks at Cyclops. "Scott?" he asks their leader to decide.

Scott muses on it for a minute. "If all we have to do is destroy that book it's certainly doable...but it sounds like it would leave Lana still possessed," he picks on the flaw.

"I know I know nothing of magic but from what I saw of Isobel she seemed to need to use her book for anything...big as if it is the source of a lot of her power," Clark tells the others.

Charles, who had taken a moment to regather himself, looks at Clark with interest. "If that is the case that it is, perhaps, the source of the bulk of her power, then destroying it could weaken her enough to allow us to contain her until I can get a hold of my friend. He would certainly know how to exorcise Isobel."

"Then all we need is a plan," Kitty points out.

Scott realises it would need to be a flexible plan. They don't know the situation they will face precisely. They could get there before or after the 2 witches...but in either scenario what might work best is a distraction that allows a clear shot at that book. Scott's eye fall on the best person to create a distraction.

Spider-Man finds his spider-sense oddly tingling and then discovers himself to be under Cyclops' gaze. "Uh...why are you looking at me like that?"

* * *

**Smallville...**

After getting some directions from a helpful local Madeleine had learned a very important lesson on her long, long walk to the Kawatche caves and that lesson is that high heels are not good walking shoes. Her feet were killing her.

"_I think you'll find those are my feet tramp," _Wanda argues in a petulant tone.

Madeleine frowns, almost in pain. Since that moment in the town, a headache had been growing as her host fights against her control. It had made this journey longer than it should have been as Madeleine had needed to stop several times to reassert her authority over this vessel. The quicker she finds the stone and finds the means to silence this host the better.

Madeleine strides with purpose into the cave, trying not to wince at the pain the blisters on her feet are causing. She stops in the darkened heart of the cave and absorbs the ambience. She looks around at the writings and drawings all over the cave. Isobel had been right that this place, and Clark Kent, must be important and linked to the stones. Madeleine will enjoy extracting the information from the farmboy when she gets back to him.

Madeleine closes her eyes and inhales through her nose deeply. The stone is here. She can smell its power. Her eyes snap open and fall to a particular part of the cave wall. The stone is behind there.

Madeleine walks over and runs her right hand over the stone surface. This wall is not what it appears. She takes a step back, raises her hands and summons up the power within. Her hands glow scarlet red, which seems to reflect the power she has tapped from within this vessel. "Open sesame," she quips before in Latin she says, "Murum aperta!"

Wall open!

The wall slides back revealing an opening. Madeleine smiles in triumph as she marches forward into the alcove where she finds the pedestal with the stone resting atop of it.

Madeleine draws up to the pedestal and rests her hands upon it. She must savour this moment of victory after 400 years.

Madeleine can practically taste the power. It will be hers!

Madeleine reaches forward for the stone only to find her hand stopping millimetres from it, shaking from effort as if meeting resistance.

"_Stop it!" _Madeleine furiously orders Wanda who is the one pulling at the hand.

"_Go suck on a lemon!" _Wanda retorts.

"Abitere!" a loud voice suddenly yells and Madeleine finds herself pushed into the rock wall with considerable force. When she gets to her feet, a little wobbly, she finds a seriously angry looking Isobel standing there.

"Madeleine!" Isobel screams in pure rage and fury. "You shall pay for betraying me!" she vows.

Madeleine thought it would take Isobel longer than this to get here..or has it taken her longer than she imagined to reach here? "I only beat you to it Isobel," she spits out. "You would have betrayed myself and Brianna sooner or later just as you did to Gertrude. Just as you did to your mother."

"My _mother_," Isobel says that with total revulsion of her mother, "deserved everything she got as shall you!" she promises darkly.

Madeleine laughs.

"What is funny?"

"You shall find that an impossible task. I've had a little time to explore this vessel's power. It dwarfs your own and now I am greater than you!" Madeleine declares arrogantly.

Isobel snorts derisively at that. "As usual your tongue speaks before you think," she dismisses, out of hand, Madeleine's claim to be the greater out of her own arrogance.

Madeleine fires a hex bolt at Isobel who drops her book at her feet and deflects the bolt off into the wall with her hands.

"You will have to do better than that," Isobel mocks.

"And I shall. Only one of us shall leave here with the stone. The other shall use this place as their tomb," Madeleine darkly lays down this is a fight to the death.

"That Madeleine is the last thing we shall ever agree on," Isobel says, accepting the terms of the challenge.

The two witches raise their hands. Isobel's book floats around and attaches itself to her back to free her hands up. Madeleine's hands glow with scarlet red energy. Isobel's glow with purple energy. Their eyes narrow as they glare at each other and with a clashing flash of scarlet red and purple magical energies the duel of the two witches begins.

* * *

_Author's Note: Eventually we'll discover exactly what Madeleine's spell has done to everyone's memory of Clark. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Showdown in Smallville as our players come face to face in the final battle for the stone._


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The x-jet is nearing the caves. Clark's foot is tapping the floor impatiently...and a little nervously. Truth be told whenever he loses his powers he turns out not to be the most useful person in the world. Ironic isn't it. For years all he wanted to be was normal and when he is he's terrible at it.

The main thing cutting the tension have been Domino's and Peter's jokes which Clark swears got more numerous the closer they got to Smallville. Cracking jokes seems to be, in particular, Peter's method of dealing with nerves Clark thinks. For Domino...it's harder to tell. For all her joky opinions on subjects she is good at hiding her real feelings. Of course Peter has reason to be nervous since he is going to be the distraction.

Logan lands the jet and cuts the engines, thanking God they're here, because if he has to listen to one more of the Webhead's jokes Logan would gut the kid. Genuinely he means that.

The X-Men along with Spider-Man disembark from the jet with only the Professor staying behind. The rough terrain made using his wheelchair difficult. Besides there was no reason for him to be there when, if there is anything he can do, he can do it from the jet. Also someone had to remain behind to watch over Rogue.

As the group near the entrance to the caves the sounds of a battle can be heard from within.

"They're here," Clark assumes that it is Isobel and Madeleine and Isobel probably isn't happy at being betrayed.

Logan sniffs the air. "Space boy's right," he can confirm from the scents he is detecting.

"We all know what we have to do," Cyclops said. They had discussed it on the flight here. "Just remember this is a confined space so be careful and choose your actions carefully," he cautions.

Everyone nods, the tension palpable, as they enter the caves.

* * *

Isobel and Madeleine circle around the central pedestal trading spells and counter spells in a dazzling display of colour, light and energy. It it wasn't the fact they were trying to kill each other the display would be considered beautiful in its way. Deep deadly purple flashes. Bright chaotic swirls of scarlet red.

Madeleine deflects a spell bolt into the wall with a satisfied grin. She tries a blue/black hex bolt at Isobel who blocks it only for the barrier she raises to shatter thanks to the chaotic nature of the power. Madeleine found it curious how Wanda's mutant power and her witch power were different colours as if they were two separate entities inside a single body. When this is over she will spend much time investigating further the exact nature of the power this body possesses. "You're losing Isobel," she says as she can see the sweat visibly building up on the dark haired girl's skin.

Isobel glares at Madeleine, determined to show Madeleine how wrong she is. "Your foolish arrogance shall be your undoing," she declares of Madeleine.

Madeleine scoffs and retaliates with, "And whose arrogance got us burned alive Isobel?"

"Oh get over it already!" Isobel says, using a phrase from Lana's memories, completely exasperated at hearing that complaint over and over.

"Like you have gotten over your mother?"

That does it. The anger and rage just swell up inside Isobel who, to put it mildly, had issues with her mother. Isobel rises off the ground, using her magic to levitate herself.

Madeleine does the same as the trade off of spells back and forth resumes. They spiral around and towards each other, the radiant energy around them building in intensity, until their outstretched hands are inches apart high above the centre pedestal.

Madeleine smirks. "You lose," she says.

Isobel, sweat peppering her brow, frowns. "Never!"

"Your mistake is that you're far too reliant on that book and now you're too far away from it," Madeleine delights in telling Isobel.

Isobel's face pales as she realises that Madeleine is correct. Her book is back down on the ground having been knocked away during the fight.

The scarlet red energy grows around Madeleine mixed in with splashes of blue and black. Fire, ice, wind, dirt...elemental forces seems to erupt around her freezing, burning, stinging Isobel. Then, with a cry of centuries of repressed anger, an overwhelming surge of energy slams into Isobel who screams out in pain and flies into the cave wall before she plummets to the hard ground.

Madeleine gracefully descends, her face in rapture, at the power she feels...the power she has unleashed from within. She looks down at the pitiful figure of Isobel without any pity at all. Isobel whose clothes are now burned and tattered. Whose face is frozen, burned and cut. Doesn't look much like a great and powerful witch now. "The stone is mine!" Madeleine proclaims.

Isobel looks up with hateful eyes. Her left hand stretches toward her book while she makes a twirling motion with her right hand and the dust at Madeleine's feet whips up suddenly and blinds her.

Isobel concentrates in this moment and her book slides across the ground to her. The instant surge of energy has her to her feet. Her book glows with purple energy, showing visibly what can't normally been seen about the magic that it holds. Isobel throws the book like a frisbee and it smashes into Madeleine's midsection and Isobel can hear a rib crack from the impact. The book propels Madeleine into the wall hard and with any luck Isobel can imagine gleefully that is a few more bones cracked.

The book twirls around the space before smashing Madeleine in the face once...twice...thrice...a fourth time for good measure. Madeleine collapses to the ground as Isobel's book returns to her. "Should have destroyed my book first and gloated second," Isobel says, with a painful cough, highlighting Madeleine's error. She then limps toward the pedestal. Her hand reaches for the stone...

"Stop!"

Isobel looks up as the X-Men arrive at the entrance to this opening. She smirks. "Too late!"

Isobel grabs the stone which starts to glow brightly. It burns...and Isobel screams in agony as she feels as if her spirit is trying to be forcibly ripped out of this body. She drops the stone which bounces off the floor once before flying up and away and into the outstretched hand of Clark Kent.

The stone glows as it did for her only this time there is a glowing golden energy that emerges from it and fills Clark's body. The small, partially healed cuts he received for their earlier battle in Bayville heal instantly and his eyes flash red.

"Your powers are restored. How?" Isobel asks, unable to understand why the stone healed Clark and hurt her.

"I'm...not from around here," Clark chooses his reply to be.

"I took your powers once. I can do it again," Isobel says with utmost confidence despite how she looks at the moment.

"Not while we're here lady," Logan promises her.

"It's over," Cyclops declares.

"It's not over mutant!" Isobel retorts. She then turns to her traitorous sister who is just getting back to her feet, holding her side. "Madeleine I propose a truce until we deal with these fools."

Madeleine glares at Isobel...but can see her point. "We shall settle this later," she says.

"Of that you can be assured," Isobel promises with her own hateful glare.

"Whoa. I smell a fight. Did you two break up? Always makes me cry to see a couple part ways." That little piece comes courtesy of Spider-Man, including a few exaggerated, upset sounding, 'sniff sniff' noises thrown in for good measure. He had managed to sneak around by sticking to the roof of the cave and gotten in behind the two witches.

Isobel and Madeleine share a look and decide what they shall do. Madeleine unleashes what is more like a Hex wave than a Hex bolt at the X-Men while Isobel tries to hit Spider-Man with a spell bolt...only it misses as his spider-sense allows him to dodge it.

The Hex wave not only sends all the X-Men spiralling back to land painfully on the ground, it makes the whole cave system shudder and cracks appear in the stonework.

"Zhat can't be good," Kurt mumbles as he spots one of the cracks.

Clark groans in pain...again but at least he managed to hang onto the stone. "I'm starting to really hate magic," he complains.

"Welcome to my world kid," Logan dead-pans as he stands up and pops a few bones back into place. He holds his hand out and helps Clark up.

Clark stuffs the stone in his pocket for safe keeping.

Madeleine strides out into the large space, her face full of dark fury as the X-Men get to their feet. "You all shall pay for interfering!" she vows, then for one moment her gaze stops on Clark. How is he here? Her spell must not have worked as she intended. She'll figure it out later once she has killed these irritating mutants and Clark is back in her possession.

"Unlikely!" Spyke retorts as he generates his spikes over his body.

"You're outnumbered sister," Dom points out as she brings her pistols to bear.

Madeleine chortles. "Oh how pathetic. You have so much to learn," she insults them before waving her hand and a strangle violet mist emanates from it, thicker than the thickest fog, filling the cave and making it impossible for the X-Men to see anything more than a foot in front of them. Even Clark's restored vision can't penetrate it.

The X-Men stumble around in the pea soup thick mist, bumping into the cave wall and tripping over the uneven floor.

A blue/black hex bolt flashes in the gloom and a yelp from Kitty can be heard.

Spyke cautiously steps through the mist as another hex bolt just misses his head. He can hear Kurt's cries of pain at that one. He readies his spikes. "Come on. Where are ya?" he mumbles to himself.

A shadow in the mist. Spyke fires off his spikes and there is a yelp of pain...only it doesn't sound like a female voice. The shadow looms into view to reveal it is Wolverine, peppered with spikes, his face not one of great happiness. "Porcupine," he growls, the anger in his voice quite audible, as he yanks out a bony spike.

Spyke gulps. "Sorry."

"Make sure you know who you're firing at," Logan tells him off as he continues to pull spikes out. " Next time it may not be someone who can heal."

Guilt suddenly flashes up within Evan. Logan is right. He could have just killed someone. That was a bad mistake...but his nerves are getting to him. It gets worse when another hex bolt flashes through the mist and there is another yelp of pain. "She's taking us out one by one isn't she?"

"Yep," Logan says, through gritted teeth as he pulls out the last spike.

"Can you smell her?"

"Nope. This soup is messing up my senses. This is why I hate magic."

Logan is struck by fiery bolts from behind which scorch his uniform and severely burn him. He topples down to the ground as a result.

Evan bends down and sees that Logan's injuries aren't healing as fast as they should.

"This is another reason why I hate magic," Logan groans, through the excruciating pain. Magic is one of the few thing capable of affecting his healing factor...probably one of the few things capable of killing him.

There is a creepy laughter that fills the cave. Spyke jumps to his feet, on edge, his eyes trying to peer through the mist. He is struck by a strange white energy bolt and he finds himself frozen to the spot, literally, in a block of ice. Out of the mist comes Wanda...Madeleine who looks at the two with amusement. "Soon there will be no-one left," she says, in a creepy low tone she says to the completely frozen Spyke regardless of the fact he probably can't hear anything.

"Don't count on it sister!"

Madeleine glances out of the corner of her eye at Domino who has her weapons pointed at Madeleine's head at near point blank range. "Of course. The woman who is lucky...except when it comes to love. Oh dear. You really liked him before his untimely demise didn't you?"

Even on Domino's bluish-white skin she can be seen to visibly pale. "What?"

Madeleine's lips curl up into a knowing smile. "You'd be amazed what magic allows you to perceive Neena. How do you live with it? Knowing you are to blame for his death?"

Domino's hands shake.

Madeleine smiles only twists into a cruel delight at what she is saying and the effect she is having on Domino. It gives her the momentary advantage she needs. "Ignire!" she chants and Domino's guns catch fire and melt. She is forced to drop them. A lighting-like spell bolt slams into her chest and she crashes to the ground. Luckily her uniform is designed to absorb energy meaning the blow, while hurting a lot, isn't fatal. A fact reinforced as she groans loudly on the floor of the cave, her uniform scorched as is the skin underneath.

Elsewhere in the mist Clark bumps into Storm. "You as tired of this as I am?" he asks her.

Storm nods. "On 3," she commands. She counts. "1...2..."

Clark inhales deeply while Storm summons up her powers.

"3!"

Clark unleashes his superbreath while Storm unleashes a powerful wind and together they blow the thick mist away revealing a few unconscious X-Men and a very surprised looking Madeleine. Before she can react a crimson red beam, courtesy of Cyclops, slams into her sending her flying.

Clark takes the opportunity to melt Spyke free who falls to the ground, his teeth chattering and his body shivering with cold.

Before Madeleine slams into the wall she slows herself enough to simply push herself off and levitate back above them. "You will pay for that!" she hisses. She unleashes a series of fire-bolts at all of them. Jean raises a TK shield around herself and Scott.

Clark unleashes his ice-breath and manages to freeze the fiery balls before they get near him and Storm as they peter out of existence.

Madeleine releases a harpy-like shriek. "Insolent farmboy! I offered you greatness and a chance to reflect!"

"I offered you a chance to do what was right!" Clark retorts.

Madeleine summons up the energy around her, swirling scarlet red energy between her hands. Frigid icy spell bolts, identical to what hit Spyke, come flying at them. Scott shoots them down with his optic blasts while Clark does the same with his heat vision. As the shards fall to the ground they coat everything in ice, including those still standing, freeing their feet solid.

"Ok. Now I'm definitely tried of this," Clark grumbles. Clark slaps his hands together and creates a sonic wave from them aimed at Madeleine whose eyes widen but she can't react before the wave strikes her sending her into the wall...hard.

Clark's eyes widen as he watches what is Wanda's head crack off the wall. He zips forward, easily breaking free of the ice and catches her as she falls. "Dammit," he curses himself as he sees the deep gash on her head. "I'm sorry Wanda," he apologises. "I didn't mean..."

Clark mentally curses himself a few more times. This is why he can't afford to lose his temper because he does foolish sloppy things like this. He places Wanda gently on the ground. A flash of purple and a cry of pain catches his attention. Peter.

* * *

Isobel has, perhaps, never been more irate in her life. Seriously this costumed fool never shut up and no matter how hard she tries to hit him it is like he senses it coming as he bounces around the small chamber.

"So let me get this straight. You cheat death by possessing your own descendant and the first thing you do is buy the most hideous dress imaginable? I mean seriously lady would it kill you to add a little colour. I mean look at me. I don't like to boast but I am one of the most stylish superheroes in all of Queens. I'm the only superhero in all of Queens but that's beside the point," Spider-Man rambles on.

"Annoying insect!" Isobel shrieks as another of her attacks miss.

"Look 'Bel...can I call you 'Bel? I could call you Iso I suppose but I think that's some trademarked internet term...you know I'm not really good at that kind of thing. Anyway Bel, I'm an arachnid not an insect. If you want to insult me at least do it right," he says as he dodges another spell bolt and then lowers himself upside down right in her face. "You know you're kind of cute for a deranged 17th century spirit who can't tell the difference between an insect and an arachnid?"

Isobel tries so hard not to lose it completely. If he can sense her attacks then...maybe she need to try a different approach. The same tactic as she used to defeat Madeleine. She tosses her book at a right angle away and it spins round the room to behind Spider-Man.

Like before he seems to know when it comes and swings out of the way onto the wall. Perfect!

Isobel chants, "Manus surgere et tenere!"

Hands rise and hold.

Stone hands rise out of the cave wall and grab hold of Spider-Man and pin him to it. Hands strong enough he can't break free. Isobel strides over to him and strikes him with her hand across his face. "Where's your smart remarks now?" she asks him mockingly before striking him again. "What was that?" she asks as she hits him again. "I didn't hear you!" she mocks as she hits him again. Her hands takes on purple glow and she slams her palm into his chest causing immense pain.

Spider-Man cries out.

At hearing that Clark zips forward to help, only to impact on some kind of energy shield. He bounces backwards, painfully so.

"Whoops," Isobel mocks with a sadistic smirk at seeing what happened to Clark. "Want to save your friend farmboy?" she asks. "You know what I want."

Clark pulls the stone from his pocket.

Isobel smiles. "That's right. His life for the stone," she makes the offer.

"Don't!" Spider-Man shouts. "Don't give her it!"

"Silence!" Isobel commands...and casts a spell so in fact for once Peter can't speak.

Clark looks down at it. Isobel has him over a barrel...or does she. An idea forms in his head. "I need a minute to think," he asks.

"1 minute farmboy," Isobel agrees.

Clark turns round and unleashes a wide-range low-intensity blast of his heat vision, de-icing everything and everyone. He walks over and the X-Men who are still standing and him converse in low voices about how to react.

"You're not thinking of giving it to her are you?" Jean asks Clark.

"No. Just let her think I am so she lowers that field. Scott can you free Spider-Man from here?"

Scott glances at the shot. Luckily Spider-Man was in a good spot for a clear shot. "I think so." He looks at Clark. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well I need Peter's help. Jean can you telepathically talk to him or is Isobel blocking like before?"

Jean closes her eyes and reaches out to Spider-Man's mind. "I can sense him. Her powers seem to be weakening."

"She does look tried," Storm assesses Isobel's condition as the reason she is unable to block Jean as before. Not to mention she also looks quite beat up.

"What's the plan?" Jean asks.

"It's Peter's web-shooting arm we need free so he can web her book and pull it into the air. Once it is, then all Scott and I have to do it get a shot off and destroy it. Jean you tell Peter what we're planning so he knows what to do when the time comes."

Jean nods and closes her eyes. _"Peter," _she telepathically reaches out to him.

"_Jean. That you?" _comes Peter's confused sounding reply.

"_Yes."_

"_You're in my head?" _he asks incredulously.

"_No. I'm only speaking to you telepathically."_

"_Ok...but you know still creepy," _he complains.

Jean mentally rolls her eyes. _"Look," _she says in an annoyed fashion. _"We have a plan. This is what we need you to do." _Jean then relays the plan. She opens her eyes.

"Well?" Scott asks.

"He understands...although do you know he talks more in his head than he does through his mouth?" Jean says in total disbelief at the unending chatter she picked up on inside Peter's head.

"Time's up!" Isobel shouts at them.

They all look at her.

"What's the verdict?" Isobel asks.

"We agree," Clark tells her. "You get the stone. We all walk away yes?"

Isobel smiles. "Of course."

Clark takes a step forward.

"Ut uh!" Isobel stops him. "Not you!" she decrees. "I know how fast you move. That close I couldn't react in time."

"You don't trust me?" Clark asks her.

"Should I?"

"I never lie. You get the stone. We all walk out of here. You have my word."

"No," Isobel says simply. She points at Cyclops. "Visor-boy. He gives me the stone. His power requires him to use that visor and his hands at all times will be where I can see him...and oh whatever happened to me before...whatever ward protects the stone you will remove it first Clark. Since you can handle it fine you must know what it is."

Except Clark doesn't know what happened there. What he can do is make it safe for Scott to handle. That knowledge Jor-El gave him during his 3 moth imprisonment. He brings the stone up to eye-level and narrows his eyes slightly. "Done," he says although he can't be certain what happened before to Isobel won't happen again but he doesn't need to let her know that.

"That simple?" Isobel questions sceptically.

"It's a mental link. I simply tell it to turn itself off," Clark tells a half-truth because there is a sort of mental link. That's why the stone came to his hand because he willed it to.

Isobel has little choice but to believe that. "If you're lying your friend will die," she promises in relation to Spider-Man.

Clark hands the stone over to Scott who takes it with no ill effect.

"Proof enough?" Scott asks as he holds the stone in the palm of his hand for her to see.

Isobel nods. "Walk over to me...slowly!" she orders. "And Clark and the rest of you out of sight please. Don't think I don't know what you are capable of."

"That wasn't the agreement!" Jean protests.

"I'm changing it and you'll agree like good little heroes or the bug gets squished!"

Having no choice they back up out of sight while Scott walks very slowly towards Isobel to give them a little time to think.

"Anyone got any ideas?" Clark asks.

"No," Jean says. "I..."

"Jean?" Storm queries at the way Jean stopped there.

"Domino. She's awake...just. She overheard us. She wants to help."

"Her pistols were destroyed," Clark had noticed.

"She has another hidden on her," Jean relays what Domino is telling her.

"Where?" Clark asks because he hadn't seen it and Dom's costume is skin tight.

"Uh...best you don't know," Jean gives the answer, while making a small face at where Domino is telling her the gun is hidden. Jean didn't know that was physically possible.

Storm rolls her eyes and looks skyward. She and Dom really need to have a talk about this love of guns the monochrome coloured mutant has. However from Dom's position on the floor of the cave Storm would say she does have a shot and if she has a shot Domino can hit anything.

"Still leaves us short of how to destroy the book. I doubt Domino's weapon has the power to damage such a powerful mystical object," Storm judges.

"My claws can do it," Logan says as he staggers into view from the shadows of the cave. When he had the time to vanish into them in the first place no-one is quite sure. Slow it may be but he has healed sufficiently to help.

"How?" Clark asks.

Logan grins a little. "Ever heard of the fastball special kid?"

Clark looks at him with a confused expression that says no.

Scott reaches the energy field and hears Jean in his head say they have a new plan and to proceed to let Isobel think she is getting the stone. He holds it up for her to see clearly. "Just as we agreed," he says to her.

Isobel has to restrain herself from just grabbing it too rashly. She must remain in control. She lowers her field...

Domino shoots up to a sitting position, gun in hand and unleashes a barrage of shots shattering the stone hands holding Spider-Man. He shoots off a webline and yanks Isobel's book from her hand into the air.

Back at the far end of the cave Logan is curled up into a ball sitting on Clark's right hand, being held at shoulder height as his left hand holds Logan steady. "Just to be clear we don't talk about this ever again right?" he asks at the position of his hand as it sits under Logan's bottom is just embarrassing frankly.

"Rule number one of the fastball special; we don't talk about the fastball special. Now let her rip kid!" Logan orders.

Clark throws Logan with his unnatural accuracy like a pitcher throws a fastball. Logan soars through the air and pops his claws. The book is at the perfect height as he slashes it into pieces.

"No!" Isobel screams as a bright flash of light erupts from where the book is that encompasses everyone in the cave.

* * *

In the x-jet the Professor has been waiting nervously for news. His telepathy has trouble penetrating the cave he has found so essentially he has been stuck here hoping and waiting.

"P-Professor?"

Charles turns his head to find Rogue looking rather puzzled at her surroundings. "Rogue?"

"What is...what tha hell am ah wearing?" she suddenly demands to know as she spots the dress she is in.

"Rogue?" Charles asks again.

Rogue looks at him. "Professor. What are we doing in tha x-jet?" she asks quite lost at how she is here.

The mental impression Charles is now sensing does seem to be the Goth girl's again and somehow her mind is back to its normal state. No loose personalities running around. All back in order...or as ordered as Rogue's mind ever gets. It's very odd. "What's the last thing you remember?" the Professor asks her.

Rogue tries to recall her last memory before waking up here. "Uh...tha party. It had been going for an hour...ah think."

That's the last thing anyone remembers. It is almost as if her mind has been reset to that moment. "Rogue I don't know how to tell you this but it's mid Sunday afternoon," the Professor tries to gently break it to her.

"What! How in tha...aw Gawd. Someone's got it in for us again don't they," she comes to figure out as she raises a hand to her temple.

"In a way. It's a long story," Charles tells her.

"They always are," Rogue says with her usual sarcastic flare followed by a sad sigh at how messed up her life is.

Charles has to concede that Rogue is correct. They're always long stories.

* * *

Back in the caves there are many painful groans as people start to come round. Clark jerks up to a sitting position and looks around and spots Isobel knocked out on the floor. First priority has to be to restrain her.

He zips over and slowly rolls her off her side onto her back. Her eyes flutter open and look at him with deep confusion inside them as she tries to work out who she is looking at. It's the eyes that settle it for her. "Clark?" she queries softly.

Clark looks closely. The gaze in her eyes is more familiar to him. "Lana? Is that you?"

"I...what? Yes it's me. What is going in? Where are we?" Lana asks the most obvious questions since the last thing she remembers is being in Paris.

Hope rises up in Clark that, finally, he has caught a break and that destroying the book has seemed to get rid of Isobel as well. Clark helps Lana to her feet. "Easy," he says with concern. "I'll explain...everything," he says because what choice does he have to explain the missing time period to her. Not to mention she called him Clark while he is wearing his costume. Whatever Madeleine did obviously skipped over Lana.

Lana looks at Clark with complete shock. He genuinely means that when he says he'll tell her everything. She never thought she would hear those words pass through his lips.

"Clark!"

Clark's head snaps round and his whole face lights up at seeing who has entered the cave. "Rogue!" he shouts back with overwhelming happiness at seeing her.

"It's always the Goth isn't it farmboy."

Clark's head snaps back to Lana whose eyes are glowing with purple energy through her irises.

"Surprise!" she says before she slams a purple spell bolt into his chest sending him flying across the cave where he smashes into the wall, cratering it with his body. He lets out a painful cry before hitting the floor.

"Clark!" Rogue calls out again, only this time in worry for him.

Isobel tries to focus. Her hold on this vessel has become tenuous at best and the strain of remaining in control is clear on her face. She looks around and spots the stone still in Cyclops' hand as he lies on the floor nearby. She rushes toward it. Just as she reaches down it is stuck with a webline that yanks it away.

"Interception!" Spider-Man cheers his success.

Isobel lets out a cry of frustration. "I shall peel the flesh from your bones bug!"

"Heard that one before," Spider-Man counters dryly. "You know you shouldn't steal other people's lines. That's my job...and at least I turn them into jokes."

Isobel makes one step toward him when a crimson red beam hits her in the back and she falls to the ground. Isobel pushes herself up to find various X-Men back to their feet and closing in on her.

"It's over Isobel," Cyclops states clearly...and hopes this time she really sees that it is over and surrenders peacefully.

"This is anything but over!" she spits out as she backs up into the corner. "You all shall pay for this!" she promises. She then starts chanting under her breath.

It is a chant Clark recognises from before. "Stop her!" he shouts as he gets to his feet and zips at her. He makes a grab for her only to grab nothing but a purple mist as Isobel teleports herself away. That was the chant he recognised. A teleportation spell.

"We shall meet again another day!" Isobel's ghostly voice echoes her final promise as she makes her retreat, knowing she couldn't continue this fight in her current condition.

"God damn it!" Clark yells in frustration as he slams his fist into the cave wall, cracking it, making the entire place shake.

A feeling of failure washes over Clark at the fact they have just lost Lana.

A hand touches his shoulder. "Whoa. Easy big guy," the voice tries calm him down. "It'll be alright."

Clark smiles a little at the attempt to cheer him up and turns his head to see Spider-Man. "Thanks...but no. It won't be alright."

"Yeah," Spider-Man says kind of sheepishly as he rubs his head in the same manner. "I know," he says sincerely. It is just the thing to say that it will be alright.

"Where did she go?" Jean asks.

Clark closes his eyes and takes a minute to compose himself. "Nowhere within range of my senses so I don't know," he says, a little tetchy sounding and annoyed at himself.

"Clark?"

Rogue. Clark's whole posture softens and the tension leaves his body as he zips over to her, puts his arms around her and spins her round, her feet off the ground as he holds her close. His lips are then on hers is a long passionate kiss as he reaffirms to himself that she's here.

Rogue isn't caught up at all on what is going on but when the Professor told her where they were and that he was having trouble reaching the others telepathically she moved, as fast as one can in high-heeled boots, into the caves and right now Clark is seemingly kissing her like a man who needs to do so like he needs to breathe and frankly Rogue isn't complaining. She can sense he needs this.

There is some loud coughing that finally gets the two to break apart, both a little breathless but smiling and exchanging tiny kisses.

"Ya know I really don't need to see that," Logan complains.

"Aw Logan. Feeling all protective are we," Jean teases.

Logan snorts. "Keep dreamin Red."

"Why would he feel the need to be protective?" Spider-Man asks in relation to Wolverine.

Rogue sighs. "Because, unfortunately, he's mah fathah," she admits, although not sounding all that happy about it.

Silence for a long time until Peter says, "I did not see **that** coming."

"Yeah, well, ah don't lahke ta advertise it," Rogue says with a smirk just to annoy Logan.

"I can see why," Peter replies which gets him a growl and a scowl from the feral mutant.

Logan then walks over to where Storm is examining Wanda. "How's Hex girl doing?" he asks.

"I think she might have a concussion," Storm worries.

Clark hears that and steps over to her. "I can fix that," he says and since he is responsible for Wanda's injury in the first place it is the least he can do.

Storm and Logan look at him with the same puzzled expression. Clark holds his hand out and the stone, that is in Peter's hand, flies over to him. He bends down, holds the stone above Wanda and closes his eyes as he concentrates. The stone glows and a golden light emerges from it onto the deep gash on Wanda's head.

The gash begins to close until there is nothing but smooth skin. Through the stone Clark can sense an injury to her rib and other bruises and he allows the stone to do its work on those injuries as well.

Clark takes a moment to rest. "There. She'll be fine now," he announces.

"What did you just do?" Storm asks him.

"That which burns away the dead and allows life anew to start over," Clark quotes the cryptic clue that had been linked to this stone. "Or that which sweeps away injury and regenerates life."

"The stone has the power to heal," Storm understands. "Remarkable," she says in a hushed whisper.

"That's how ya got your powers back," Logan figures out. "It healed you."

"It did...although I don't know precisely how it works and I wouldn't think of using it often. This is extremely dangerous in the wrong hands and can do just the opposite and kill if you don't know what you're doing," Clark cautions. He knows what he is doing because the basic knowledge on how to handle the stones is in his head after Jor-El had brainwashed him into hunting for them but as he said the exact science behind how it works he doesn't know. "I'll heal the others," he says and one by one uses the stone to help those Madeleine managed to hurt.

Clark finds, mostly, the others aren't too badly hurt. Spyke was just cold. Only Domino was more seriously hurt as he fixes her up.

Domino had been musing on what Madeleine said. She can't for the life of her think how Madeleine knew that bit of her past. She never talks about it ever. She tries not to even think about it too much because it hurts. She looks down at her chest as the golden light spreads out and she can feel the pain recede away to nothing. "Thanks," she says appreciatively as Clark finishes healing her. "I would hate to have my best _assets _ruined," she quips and laughs as Clark blushes beetroot red as what she is meaning.

Clark helps Domino to her feet.

"Handy toy," she remarks pointing at the stone.

"Not a toy," he contradicts that sounding serious, "and it's going away somewhere safe...as soon as I think of a place for it."

"What do you like mean by that?" Kitty asks, having overheard Clark's words. Being struck by a Hex bolt had knocked her out but she was, otherwise, unharmed.

"I mean Kitty that it can't stay here. Isobel knows of this place now so until we find her it has to be hidden somewhere else. It can't go back to the mansion either because we all know Fury is keeping an eye on us. Therefore I need to find somewhere else for it."

Rogue is still a...lot lost but she does have a question. "Is this place shielded?"

Everyone looks at her.

"Tha Professor is having a hard tahme sensing anything in here. That's why he sent meh," she explains.

Clark nods. "It is shielded to hide the technology. I guess a side-effect might be to block telepathic waves."

"Technology?" Scott queries.

"In the walls. The entire cave is essentially a single Kryptonian structure made to resemble native rock. It's so no-one thinks of it as anything but natural," he explains one of the many things he learned during the 3 months Jor-El held him imprisoned in these caves.

"It's not?" Evan questions as he taps on a wall. Looks and feels like rock to him.

"Nope. Completely fake. Built by my people. It's like a...an outpost. Disguised so no-one notices it. As I said my people have visited earth a lot."

Wanda starts to stir and her eyes open. "How are you feeling?" Kurt asks her as he was checking up on her out of worry for her. Like Clark he had tried to reach out to her to make her feel part of the group.

"Lousy," Wanda complains as her hand goes to her head. Not from any physical injury but from being possessed and imprisoned inside her own head.

"What do you remember?" Storm asks her.

Wanda's face screws up in thought. It's mostly still there with a few gaps. "That I was possessed by a 17th century slut...and if anyone of you makes one comment about what I am wearing prepare to die!" she warns them, knowing what kind of comments they would make.

"But it's a good look for you Vanda," Kurt teases.

Wanda glares at him and he just grins back. She rolls her eyes at him. Kurt's just lucky she thinks of him as one of her best friends.

"17th century what?" Rogue asks Clark.

Clark looks at her. "You don't remember?" he queries, puzzled.

"Just tha start of tha party."

"Oh boy," Clark mumbles, as he rubs his face. Where does he begin?

* * *

_Author's Note: I have plans for Isobel so I decided they would not capture her here. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; With the destruction of her book Isobel's spells begin to unravel as the X-Men begin to deal with the fallout._


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

**Magneto's Base...**

So far Sinister had not had much success in waking Mystique up. It seemed more extreme, and therefore more risky to Mystique's health, measures were going to be required. This is why he dislikes magic. It is so unpredictable.

Sinister fills a syringe from a bottle. This drug was experimental. Designed to pull coma patients out of their condition. On Mystique's unique physiology and with magic present he must admit at not being sure what will happen. It will be fascinating to find out though.

He moves to inject the solution in her neck, directly into the artery, so it gets delivered straight into the brain. He is millimetres from her blue skin when her hand jerks up and grabs his wrist.

Mystique's cold yellow eyes fixate upon Sinister. "Make one movement and I swear you shall never use that hand again," she says venomously.

"Mother!" Alicia's happy cry can be heard at seeing Mystique awake.

Next thing Mystique knows is being encased in Alicia's arms being hugged nearly to death. Mystique can feel Alicia shaking and can hear her cry and muffled 'I was so worried' and 'I was afraid I'd lose you'. "Shh," she soothes Alicia as she strokes her back. "It's ok my daughter," she says although Mystique has no idea what is going on. She only knows her daughter is deeply upset.

Mystique turns her frosty glare on Sinister. "You better explain to me why my daughter is so upset and it better be really good or even your regenerative healing factor won't save you," she threatens him.

Sinister grins at that, highly amused by her threats. "As fun as that sounds her overly emotional distress comes out of worry for you. It seems you were under some sort of spell."

"Spell?" Mystique inquires. "As in magical spell?"

"Yes."

Mystique looks to the heavens. Magic. Why did it have to be magic? She has a feeling she won't like it when she finds out what happened.

* * *

**Bayville...**

"Uh...what are we doing here?" Fred asks, scratching his head in confusion, as he finds himself and the other members of the Brotherhood hiding out in some back alley, with no memory of how they came to be here.

"What is going on yo?" Toad asks, as confused, if not more so, than Fred.

"Is this a sick game of your old man?" Avalanche asks Pietro, more angry sounding than confused.

"Why would you blame him?" Pietro asks Lance.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because he's the one willing to use telepaths on people!" Avalanche yells.

Neutron, who for some reason he can't figure he seems to be covered in pieces of road tarmac dust, finds himself agreeing with Lance. "This ain't what I signed up for either."

"It wasn't him," Pietro insists, for the sole reason his father would not do that to him. Them maybe but not Pietro himself.

Plastique mutters a few things in French in the same angry tone as Avalanche and Neutron.

"Right there with ya," Neutron agrees without knowing what she actually said.

"Where's Val?" Fred asks at the missing Puzzler.

"A very good question Blob," that familiar dark, cold voice says.

They all jump out of their skins as Magneto descends into the narrow alley they currently inhabit. It hadn't been hard for him to work out where they would go.

"Father," Pietro says in a suddenly squeaky tone.

"Pietro," Magneto says menacingly. "Care to explain what you have been up to?"

"Uh...well you see the thing there is..."

"We can't remember a thing," Plastique says in a sudden, surprising, burst of good English which she doesn't often speak.

"Is that so?" Magneto queries.

"Yeah. That's so!" Neutron says in an aggressive tone. "You know something about it?"

"I have my suspicions."

"Care to share what those are?" Lance asks.

"No."

"It wasn't you right?" Pietro says in a fearful tone, afraid how his father will react to that question.

"Of course not!" Magneto snaps at the foolishness of his son. Oh what a disappointment Pietro is. How he wishes for for one child who could follow him. "There was someone else behind this. I haven't discovered their identity yet but I shall and rest assured my mutants they will know my mind on this matter."

"So...uh what do we do now yo?" Toad wonders.

Magneto takes a moment. "Return to the Boarding House unseen by the authorities and pack."

"Pack?" Fred questions that.

"I am wrapping this operation up. I may in fact have another task for you," he informs them. It occurred to him as he was thinking things over on the way here.

"You don't want our help?" Pietro asks.

Magneto sighs. "You are missing your memory so I shall overlook that. You wrecked most of the main shopping street and the police are after you. It would be best if I work alone and you remain out of sight. Am I clear on this?"

Pietro looks at his father unable to believe what he is hearing. They've done what? Not that it doesn't sound like fun. It does but Pietro remembers nothing. Last thing he remembers is going to bed last night.

"Am I clear on this?" Magneto repeats his question.

"Yeah...yes," Pietro finally says in reply.

"Then make your way home and collect your belongings as I ask. I'll return to pick you up," Magneto instructs them before he takes off into the air. That's most of the Brotherhood dealt with. Only one thing remains before he hunts down the one responsible for this. His next task: find Puzzler.

* * *

**Smallville...**

Rogue had sat, mostly in stunned silence, as Clark relayed the day's events to her as they both sat on a small ledge inside the Kawatche caves. Witches, ghostly possessions, magical powers?

Seriously?

"You alright?" Clark asks, his voice full of soft, warm concern.

Rogue nods. "Yeah. It is just...our lives just can't beh normal can they?" she asks, with that disbelief in her eye that stuff this weird happens to them.

Clark smiles goofily. "Sorry. Normal went out the picture awhile ago."

"So...uh...what was ah lahke when as was possessed?"

Clark tries to choose his words carefully. "Brianna was...aggressive. Sexually."

"Oh great. Possessed by a 400 year old slut," Rogue remarks sarcastically. She drops her face into her hands. "Ah'm nevah living this down," she mutters to herself.

"Yeah well you weren't the only one possessed you know," Wanda points out in a sour tone, unhappy that Rogue seems to think she was the only one who suffered. Hell in Wanda's opinion she suffered less because she doesn't remember any of it unlike Wanda who remembers most of it.

Rogue looks up at glares at the raven haired mutant. It bugs the hell out of her that Wanda seems to need to gain some attention for herself. Wanda generally bugs her in such a fashion.

Storm intervenes before this breaks into another Rogue/Wanda spat. "If everyone is well then perhaps it is time to leave," she announces.

"Not yet," Clark contradicts that. "I have something I need to do," he says as he pulls out the silver hexagonal key.

Rogue looks at the object in Clark's hand and both reviles it, after somehow it spent a whole summer influencing her, and itches to hold it again. She feels like Gollum from Lord of the Rings...and yes that joke has been made at her by Bobby 'lame sense of humour' Drake after her whole summer of hanging onto it.

Clark stands up and helps Rogue back to her feet. "It's all best you leave," he advises out of worry for their safety.

"So Jor-El can brainwash ya again?" Rogue questions that. "Forget that!" she says with utter determination. "Ah ain't losin' ya again," she vows.

"You never lost me Rogue," Clark says gently. "But I'm here and I need to do this...if for no other reason than this cave is no longer safe until we find Isobel and Jor-El needs to know."

"Then we'll all tell him," Logan says.

"Absolutely," Jean says in agreement.

There are many other voices saying the same thing.

Clark appreciates his friends' loyalty. "This could be dangerous," he points out to them.

"Bah! We laugh in the face of danger!" Spider-Man says in a over the top macho tone followed by a loud fake manly laugh, "Ahahahahahaha!"

Wanda rolls her eyes. She has never met Spider-Man before and now she is kind of wishing that was still the case. How can anyone talk so much is beyond her.

"Alright. Follow me," Clark says as he leads everyone back into the alcove with the pedestal. They all gather around it. "Please be very careful about what you say," he asks of them, especially Domino and Peter. "Jor-El can hold me against my will and you all are aware of how powerful I am," he cautions them about invoking Jor-El's wrath.

"We understand Clark," Scott assures him.

Rogue takes Clark by the hand as he holds the key over a thin slot in the top of the stone pedestal.

Clark drops it in. The entire room goes dark and seems to vanish before they all find themselves surrounded by a column of light.

Kitty looks around, her expression one of awed wonder. She ends up reaching for a hand just for some reassurance as they stand here in this nothingness and finds Spider-Man's.

Jean and Scott are holding hands in the same manner too.

"Kal-El!" Jor-El's voice booms and echoes.

"Jor-El," Clark says back in a controlled tone.

"You are restored to your previous incarnation."

"If you mean I broke free of your brainwashing you are correct," Clark says, anger lacing his voice at what Jor-El did to him.

"How could ya do that?" Rogue demands to know, unable to hold in her question. "In fact why we're on tha subject what tha hell did ya do ta meh through that key?" she wants to know.

"Kal-El why did you bring these people here? This is not their concern," Jor-El dismisses the presence of the others.

"They are my friends and friends are there for one another and Rogue's questions are valid and I would like some answers," Clark demands of Jor-El.

"I did nothing to your mate Kal-El," Jor-El pleads innocence for what happened to Rogue.

"Someone did," Rogue insists.

"Yes," Jor-El says simply.

"Who?"

"All answers come in time and the time for that one has not yet come," Jor-El says.

"Excuse me?" Rogue says, more than a little peeved at being fobbed off. "It was mah mind that was getting messed with!" she says with rising ire.

"Impatience is one of humanity's biggest flaws," Jor-El criticises.

"Oh ah am so goin..."

Rogue's rant is cut off by Clark placing a hand on her shoulder. She looks up and can see him pleading for her not to lose her temper although he sympathises about Jor-El's continual way of never giving straight answers. It angers him too.

Clark takes a moment. He spent enough time in his father's company this summer past to know when Jor-El will not give an answer no matter what you say and he is not going to answer that question about Rogue. Although it strangely does tie in with Clark's thinking that it made no sense for Jor-El to use the key to save Rogue and the others but if it wasn't Jor-El then who was it? And why doesn't Jor-El seem too concerned about someone else being able to influence someone through the key? The only thing Clark can think of is that Jor-El allowed it to happen because he just didn't care one way or the other if his friends lived or died. That in the end it didn't make a difference...at least to Jor-El.

Seeing no point in dragging out a question Jor-El has decided he won't answer Clark moves onto the other one Rogue asked. "Why did you recondition me?"

"It was necessary," Jor-El replies.

"Jackass," Wanda mutters angrily. It is something like her father would say and do. In fact it is exactly like something her father would say and do.

Clark holds a hand up to Wanda to ask her to leave this to him because he knows emotional outbursts don't get you anywhere. "I know why you think it was necessary. I remember everything you said to me. That doesn't answer the question of why you did it when, if you had simply explained what you needed me to do, I would have done it."

"Would you?" Jor-El questions that sceptically. "On what basis would I have made that conclusion considering your continual defiance of me?"

"Oh now you make a good point," Clark mumbles, seeing Jor-El's argument as at least vaguely valid.

"You could and should have asked," Storm steps in. "Assumptions are dangerous when it is clear you do not understand how your son thinks."

"I understand my son perfectly," Jor-El responds to that. "Kal-El's thoughts are transparent to me. He has inherited humanity's flaw. It had and will have to be purged."

"I dare ya ta try it bub!" Logan challenges.

"Kal-El this...barbarian is the company you keep?" Jor-El asks, sounding deeply disapproval of Clark's choice of companionship.

Logan growls at that.

"Yes," Clark says with what sounds like pride in his voice. "And this flaw, as you call it, it is not unique to humanity. You blame it for Krypton's destruction," he recalls.

"Which is why it must be removed or Earth will share Krypton's fate."

"Maybe it will. Maybe it won't. The problem is the only way your removed it in me was to essentially remove my free will. That's great if you want a world of mindless slaves but if you do that you will remove what is great in people."

"That is not what I desire."

"Isn't it?"

"No. I want you to lead them away from their path of self-destruction."

Clark sighs. "They don't need me for that. They can manage that themselves."

"On what do you base that on?" Jor-El asks of his son.

"The people here with me who fight against that very thing and fight for a world of peace. I can help them...I can inspire them with my actions but in the end what you want cannot be imposed. Humanity must want it for themselves."

"That Kal-El is the problem. Humans always want to create a better world. Instead they keep rebuilding the same flawed one over and over. They need a strong leader to light their way out of the darkness. For as long as you hold onto human emotions all you will do is help build that flawed world again."

"And here we go round and round," Clark complains about the endless argument he and Jor-El have. "That flaw you refer to is what allows me to understand them. When you turned me into Kal-El I lost that ability. I can't lead people I can't understand!" he almost shouts in exasperation. That thing about no emotional outbursts...forget that. Clark is at the end of his rope with frustration about this stupid argument he cannot seem to win.

"Human anger," Jor-El says in a clearly disapproving, condescending tone.

"Arrogant prick," Clark mutters.

Rogue's eyebrows rise. Clark never curses...except in the bedroom when they're...he never curses otherwise.

"That is no way to address your father," Jor-El chides him.

"You're not my father! Jonathan Kent is! You're nothing but wires and circuits or whatever the Kryptonian equivalent is!" Clark snaps off, as he can actually feel a vein throb in his forehead, due to his anger.

Clark then feels his hand squeezed by Rogue and he takes a minute to calm down. He looks to his friends. "See the crux of the problem?" he asks them about the issue he has with Jor-El.

Storm nods. She can see the dividing line over which neither Clark nor Jor-El seem willing to shift. She could make a light joke about how similar they are but that would probably not be wise.

Clark takes another moment to calm himself. "I did not come to settle a dispute we obviously will never agree on," he says to Jor-El. "You can read my mind. You know why I am here."

"The witch Thoreaux and her hunt for the stones."

"Yes."

"She must not find them. You know the consequences if a human gains possession of them."

"I do. That being the case care to tell me where they are?"

"A good attempt Kal-El," Jor-El says in a wry sounding tone, "but if you wish to remain as you are I shall give you this opportunity to prove your humanity isn't a weakness like you claim and to find the stones."

"It was worth a try," Clark says with a shrug. "How do we stop her returning and gaining access to this place?" he asks.

"I had not considered before the possibility of someone of Thoreaux's power finding this place so I had not prepared the appropriate defence."

"Was that an admission of a mistake?" Clark asks, in total...nay absolute shock that Jor-El would admit such a thing.

"I think it was," Evan says.

"An oversight," Jor-El corrects. "Once you leave here a protective field shall be placed around this chamber. Not even one who wields magic shall be able to penetrate it."

"How do you know that unless...you know about magic," Clark realises.

"I encountered it in my youth...although magic is hardly the correct term," Jor-El says as if saying the word magic leaves a foul taste in his metaphorical mouth. "It is merely the ability to harness fundamental energies and channel them to achieve a desired outcome. Any advanced civilisation can achieve the same results through technology."

"Clarke's 3rd Law," Peter whispers to Kitty.

Kitty nods. Peter refers to the author Arthur C. Clarke who made the assertion that any sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic.

"I think it wise, for now, that I find a new secure place for the Crystal of Fire until I have all three," Clark informs Jor-El of what he feels is correct.

"A wise precaution Kal-El. When you have all 3 return here, unite them and you shall take the next step to your destiny."

"Was that a compliment?" Clark asks, unable to believe Jor-El would ever give him one.

"I zhink it vas," Kurt says.

Jor-El says nothing more as the light vanishes and the group find themselves back in the cave. Clark pulls the key out of the slot.

"So that's your father huh?" Domino queries.

"Yep. Such an inspiring role model isn't he?" Clark says, tongue firmly in cheek.

"Oh yeah. I'm just thinking how I should follow his example," Dom drawls sarcastically.

"Can we go home now?" Evan asks wearily.

"That's the best idea I've heard today," Logan says.

The group exit through the opening and as the last of them leave there is a strange 'humming' sound and a static like field pops up behind them. Domino, the last one, stops and reaches her hand out before jerking it back when she hits something that gives her an electric-like shock. She looks to Clark with an expectant expression.

"Forcefield," he says with a shrug.

"I'm going to geek out," Spider-Man says.

"Oh I'm like right there with you," Kitty says, her eyes wide in true wonder.

"Think you could phase through it?"

"I wouldn't advise that," Clark warns Kitty off from trying. Not that he knows for certain that she can't but he has a feeling it probably wouldn't be safe for her to try. He moves over to the slot in the wall for the key and places the key inside it. Symbols light up around it and move and rotate. Clark presses them in the correct order and the wall slides shut and seals as if there was never a gap there to begin with.

That should be sufficient to keep Lex from discovering the chamber because now Lex knows that Superman hid the stone here he'll come and look regardless of what Clark says to him. A conversation Clark is not looking forward to. Lex is the type of person who can't leave things alone even when he should.

That done Clark takes the key and slips it back in his pocket, along with the stone. That'll just have to stay with him until he figures out a new secure hiding spot. He'll have to do that quick so there's no chance of SHIELD realising the stone is at the mansion.

The group them head out of the cave to the x-jet so they can go home. Clark sighs at how much he has failed...and he still has to tell Lex about Lana yet. Oh that is going to be _so _much fun.

A hand slips into his as Rogue kind of senses Clark is already beating himself up. It's what he always does.

That sense of failure diffuses amongst all of them. While they protected the stone and got Rogue and Wanda back, Lana is still out there, still possessed. That is a failure on their part.

On the way back Kurt notices Wanda limping a little. "You alright Vanda?" he queries with slight concern.

"Take my advice, high-heeled boots and long walks don't mix," Wanda grouses and then mentally gripes at the fact Clark may have healed her head and ribs but he didn't do anything for her blisters. Damn witch and big dumb alien!

"Ok," Kurt says, a little perplexed. "How about vith, you know, zhe whole being possessed bit?"

Wanda growls under her breath. "Can we not talk about it," she snaps, rather waspishly, not really desiring to 'share' at the minute.

"Ok...but if you do feel like talking about it you have friends who are villing to listen," he reminds her.

Wanda glances at Kurt. Suddenly she feels bad about snapping at him. He doesn't deserve that when he's just trying to be nice. It is just...she needs time to process everything. She looks down at her hands...her hands that can perform magic. How does she process that?

They soon all get on-board the x-jet and are soon on their way back home. Rogue sits on Clark's lap as he holds her close. He's brooding. Rogue can tell. She gently rubs his arm.

They give the Professor the low-down on what transpired inside the cave. He joins in with that sense of failure over Lana. With Isobel's ability to teleport she could be anywhere. He's not giving up hope of finding her but now it will almost certainly need Stephen's help to have any realistic chance of doing so in the short term. Charles can only hope his friend gets that message soon.

"Clark, I'm killing your friend Lois when we get back by the way," Domino suddenly says.

"She's not my friend!" Clark insists quite vehemently about that annoying woman. Only Live Wire beats Lois in the annoyance stakes.

"Why are you killing her?" Scott asks Domino.

"Because she was the one who talked me into that damn tub of beans."

Evan laughs. "I remember that. She bet you...and how do I remember that?" he suddenly asks in confusion.

Rogue's eyes suddenly widen as her own memory of the party returns. Particularly one specific memory. "Clark did we tell everyone we were...ya know?" she asks him in a horrified whisper.

"Yep," he says, in a grave tone, as his eyes flicker as he processes the memories that are flooding back into his mind.

"Oh gawd," Rogue groans as she shuts her eyes and places her hands over her face. How is she ever going to live that down?

The Professor's eyes shift back and forth as his own forgotten memories start to return. "Is everyone else starting to remember the missing time?"

"Yes," Jean says, her voice squeaky and her cheeks ruby red with embarrassment as she remembers just what she did. Scott's cheeks match hers.

In the cockpit Logan and Storm share a look as they start to remember everything they did together. Storm's cheeks feels very warm all of a sudden. Logan's eyes return to staring out the window. Dealing with things emotionally has never been his strong suit. When he gets home he is definitely having many, many drinks.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

"Is it always like this?" Amanda asks Amara as she has stayed all day, hanging around with the New Mutants, as the two girls wander through the mansion.

"Like what?" Amara asks back.

"You know that sliver of constant tension and worry while they are out there fighting," Amanda clarifies and god is she worried about Kurt.

"You get use to it," Amara says with that air of royal aloofness that permeates from her from time to time.

Amanda can't see how you could. "Where's Tabby gotten to by the way?" she asks having not seen the mouthy blond for awhile.

Amara sighs. "Trying to avoid Sam over the whole wanting to be his boyfriend bit."

"Tabby? Avoiding something?" Amanda queries that in bemusement.

"Miracles never cease," Amara quips.

Amanda laughs. "I don't know why considering the lip-lock she ended up giving him and..." Amanda trails off and her eyes open wide as the missing memories resurface...especially what she and Kurt got up to.

Amara screeches to a stop. "Oh my gods," she whispers.

"What?" Amanda asks.

"Lets just say Sam wasn't the only one Tabby gave a lip-lock too," Amara relays what she has suddenly remembered about how she ended up in bed next to Tabby and Sam this morning.

Amanda looks at Amara, her face a mixture of conflicting thoughts and feelings at that. "Why can we suddenly remember all that?" she asks the pertinent question.

"I do not know. Nor do I know why Tabby tasted like mint," Amara's mind wanders off on a tangent. She ends up licking her lips at the memory.

"Right," Amanda says a little off put by that revelation. "Do you think the others remember all of it as well?" she wonders.

"OH MY GOD!" is the shout...several shouts from several different parts of the mansion.

"I believe that answers your question," Amara says.

Amanda guesses so.

* * *

_Author's Note: I decided that with the destruction of Isobel's book the block on everyone's memory would break down. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The return to the mansion means dealing with the fallout of the witches' actions._


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

**At the Institute...**

Later, after the X-Men return, the first thing that happens is that Rogue and Wanda are frogmarched down to the infirmary so Beast can examine them and see how much worse for wear they are after their ghostly possession. Neither of them is happy about it as it means being stuck in those awful dresses for longer than either of them wish to be.

The first thing Clark found himself doing upon his return was standing with the Professor, as Superman, in the Professor's office having to tell Lex(who had come round while they were away in Smallville) about Lana. Believe Clark when he says he isn't enjoying this at all. In fact he is as far away from enjoyment as it is possible to be.

Lex's eyes are filled with anger. "You failed," he states the simple truth of the matter. It doesn't help his anger that he was knocked out by that uncouth barbarian of a man.

"We tried our best Lex," Charles says apologetically.

"Which wasn't good enough," Lex states coldly. "I told you I could help and instead your thug attacked me." Lex doesn't raise his voice. He was never a man to lose his cool but his anger is clear.

"I have already apologised for Logan's actions," Charles reminds Lex. That was the first thing he said to the bald man. "We will not stop looking for Lana," Charles promises. It is true. They shall not but at the moment they have no leads to follow as to even guess where she might have gone.

"I will not hold my breath," Lex says with close to contempt. He then fixes his glare upon Superman. "I guess we found out today what your promises are worth," he says venomously.

Clark's face is filled with sorrow. He cared for Lana, deeply, once. "I am sorry Mr Luthor."

"Spare me," Lex says, his face twisted in disgust at what he sees as fawned expressions of sympathy, acted out only for his benefit. "Where is the stone?" he demands to know.

"Somewhere safe."

"I want it."

Clark's gaze, which was filled with sorrow, hardens at Lex's almost petulant demand. "No. It is not meant for you. As I told Colonel Fury it is too dangerous for anyone but me to possess them."

"And do you think that really worked? Do you think he has stopped?"

"I know he has not. It does not alter the truth."

"The truth?" Lex scoffs. "The truth is you claim ownership of objects that have been on Earth for centuries before you were even born. Why is that?"

"I can't answer that."

"Of course not," Lex says with a sardonic smile. "The other truth is you go around playing hero but when it really matters you fail to live up to your word and save Lana. You cause nothing but destruction. I saw it with my own eyes in the desert."

"Lex," Charles tries to intervene. What happened in the desert was not Clark's fault.

"Spare me a defence of him Professor. Spare me a defence of what has transpired here today. The truth is you failed. You said to Congress you would work for peace yet all I saw today was conflict and destruction. I saw that in Smallville until I brought order there. The truth I have learned today is not to rely on anyone but myself. I hold you...all of you responsible for what has happened to Lana and what might happen to her in the future. I'll find her and I will do it without the help of superpowered so-called heroes." he finishes off, giving Superman a look of disdain as he does.

Lex then stomps towards the door. "Don't bother yourselves. I shall see myself out," he says before he exits slamming the door behind him.

Charles sighs. That could have gone better. He looks up and can see the pained expression on Clark's face. Before he can say anything Clark is gone from the room. He lets out another sigh.

Clark goes to a window and sees Lex storm off up the mansion driveway. He can hear him ordering a cab on his phone from here.

"I take it Lex didn't take the news well."

Clark turns his head to see Chloe standing there. By now the story of what had happened had gotten around and she knew about Lana. He says nothing and resumes looking out. Chloe comes up to stand next to him. "You did your best Clark," she tries to reassure him.

"Wasn't enough. I gave my word and I broke it Chloe. For once in my life I broke a promise. He's right to hate me."

Chloe knows this bit. This is where Clark takes all the responsibility upon his own shoulders. "Clark," she starts to say but Clark cuts her off.

"He didn't even say goodbye you know. Not to you or Lois or Clark. He just left," Clark says sadly at what this must mean for the state of their friendship.

"It is not your fault Clark," Chloe tries to make him listen to her. "Hell if anything it's mine."

Clark looks down at the diminutive blonde with puzzlement. "What?"

"I was in Lana's company for days Clark and I never spotted one thing was off. What kind of reporter am I?" she berates herself for that failure.

"Lex did."

"What?"

"He noticed something was off."

"And as per usual instead of doing something he stood back and let it play out. He's as bad as his father playing these manipulation games!" Chloe snaps, now totally pissed at Lex. She takes a breath. "It's still not your fault Clark. You can't be blamed for what some witch did 400 years ago."

"The stones..."

"Were not left here by you," she argues. "If you never came here they would still be here. Only difference is you wouldn't be around to make sure no-one else finds them and misuses them."

"How did you know what I was going to say?"

"What? You blaming yourself? Saying how things would be better if you weren't here?"

"Yeah."

"Clark you always say that. Really you've got to stop beating yourself up for things that are beyond your control. Besides things wouldn't be better they would be worst. How many people have you saved that would have died otherwise?"

"I don't keep score Chlo."

"No but I'm guessing it's a lot. Including me by the way. So really stop beating yourself up or I'll sic Lois on ya."

"You wouldn't," Clark says with terror at that idea.

"Try me," Chloe dares him with a resolute expression.

"But Lana," he protests.

"I didn't say don't feel bad or worry for her. I said don't blame the whole thing on yourself. There's a difference. There's a lot of blame to go around Clark for not spotting what was amiss with Lana. I take my share but unlike you I won't dissolve into a whole, formerly barn spent, mope-a-thon."

"Now you're just making words up," he complains.

"I call them as I sees them."

"I don't know how you're a reporter."

"My mad hacking skills which I'm hoping to improve with a few tips from Kitty before I leave."

Clark rolls his eyes.

"Besides," she says more seriously. "If Lana or Isobel or whoever she is at the minute is after the stones, sooner or later, she'll be back to get the one she knows you have. You'll get another shot at rescuing her Clark."

Clark's brow draws closer together. He sort of knew that but hadn't phrased it the way Chloe had. He can get another shot at this. "Thank you Chloe," he says truly grateful she is his friend.

"That's what friends are for."

"So Lex?" he asks after as in what do they do.

Chloe sighs. "I'm not sure there really is anything more to do Clark. He obviously doesn't want to talk to us and we can't make him," she describes the situation as she sees it.

"Isobel claimed if I knew what he was really up to I would never call him my friend. I can't decide whether that was just her trying to stir it up or if it is true but we do know he's working with SHIELD. Do you know anything?"

"Lex always has his secret little projects Clark. You know that as well as I do despite claiming they were all his father's doing but as for anything specific I don't have any leads at the minute. I'll look into it when I get home but Lex is good...perhaps even better than Lionel at covering his tracks. I'll do what I can."

"As long as you're careful," Clark warns her off getting in over her head.

"Yes mom," Chloe snarks with a smirk.

Clark rolls his eyes. "By the way how did you end up in Bobby's bed this morning?" he suddenly asks her.

Chloe looks at him aghast. She hadn't mentioned that to anyone. Not even Lois. "How did you know that?"

"X-ray vision. I scanned the mansion this morning when I was looking for the missing girls and saw you."

"Oh. I...you know just found him funny and he was showing me tricks with his powers in his room and then I got really really tried all of a sudden and fell asleep there," Chloe tells him what she can remember now.

Clark cocks his head with a curious expression on his face. "That's what happened to me as well. I wonder if it was part of the spell."

"The falling asleep bit?"

"Yeah."

"Possibly. I'll ask around and see if it was the same for the others."

"Always the reporter," Clark comments.

Chloe grins unapologetically for what she is. "Takes one to know one farmboy," she retorts.

Clark smiles at that. "Where is Lois?" he asks because she wasn't here.

"Oh she got bored and decided to go find a bar," Chloe explains where Lois got to. Sitting around do nothing while they were all away had not sat easily with Lois nor had it really sat easily with Chloe. Oh she gets why she wasn't invited along and believe her she had tried to but was politely refused to be allowed to do so. Doesn't mean she has to like it and she didn't. She's a journalist. Her instinct always drives her to be at the heart of a story. Not to mention it involved her friend Lana being in trouble but Professor Xavier said no...very politely.

"Right. Do you want me to check up on her?" Clark asks in relation to Lois. Not for Lois' sake but he knows Chloe might be concerned about her cousin.

"Nah. She'll be fine but thanks for the offer. Truthfully it's the bar owner I feel sorry for. You've never seen Lois drunk."

"Kinda have actually."

"Oh yeah," Chloe realises as she remembers Lois' intoxicated state thanks to Isobel's spell. "So care to explain how you and Lois ended up in bed together?"

"Nothing happened," Clark instantly says.

"Never asked that,"

"Your cousin has a big mouth," Clark complains because he was planning to keep that secret but obviously Lois told Chloe.

"Yeah but what can I do. She's family," Chloe just has to accept what Lois is like. "And you're avoiding the question," she accuses Clark.

"I've not avoiding it. I'm refusing to answer it. There's a difference."

"Yeah you going to refuse to answer it when your girlfriend asks it."

"No. I...just need the correct way to break it to her."

"Good luck with that."

"I'm dead aren't I?"

"I'll say something nice at your funeral."

"Thanks Chlo. You're such a good friend," he mutters sarcastically when she could be giving him help in thinking of how to explain it to Rogue.

"I know," she says with a little smirking grin.

"I should just phone Pete," Clark suggests as someone to ask for advice. Pete hadn't come to Chloe's party since he is living in Wichita with his mother now after his parent's divorce.

Chloe scoffs at that idea. "Puh-lease Clark. Pete? The man who can't get past a 3rd date. You can't be that desperate?"

"You've never seen Rogue angry," Clark says in his defence.

"You're invulnerable."

"You've never seen Rogue angry," Clark repeats.

"You said nothing happened."

"Nothing did happen but you know me Chlo. I'll mess up the explanation. I know I will."

"Ok you've got a point there," Chloe agrees. "I'll help you," she offers.

"Thanks," Clark says with a sigh of relief because he really doesn't know how to explain it to Rogue.

* * *

"Is this normal for you guys?" Taryn asks Jean. She and Paul had stayed until their friends returned and now Taryn wanted to know whether days like this were normal for them just before they head home.

"Well the witches, ghostly possessions and magic are new features but more or less yeah," Jean had to sadly admit about the state of their lives.

"Well I have to say you guys really know how to throw a party," Paul says a grin.

Scott has to reluctantly laugh. There was little else to do in the face of what he knows is coming in regards to everything everyone now remembers about the party.

"See you at school tomorrow?" Taryn inquires after Jean.

"Assuming there aren't any more 17th century witches planning to enchant us yes."

Taryn leans in and whispers to Jean. "By the way we will be having a chat about you know what," she says, shifting her gaze to Scott and smiling in a certain way to refer to the fact Jean is sleeping with Scott and Taryn wants details!

Jean deflates slightly. She should have known that was coming.

Scott and Jean say their farewells as Paul and Taryn leave. Scott suddenly notices them holding hands and points it out to Jean.

Jean smiles. "When they were under the spell they acted on their feelings. They have been crushing on each other for awhile," she explains. In other words they kissed.

Scott scratches his head. "I don't remember that."

"I caught it out of the corner of my eye when we were leaving to...you know, _snuggle."_

"Oh. Still I didn't know they had feelings for each other."

"I've been at Taryn for months to just go for it. Paul's...well he's good at hiding it but I am a telepath."

"You've been encouraging Taryn?"

Jean shrugs. "I wanted her to be happy and Paul's a nice guy."

"Yeah he is," Scott agrees. "And you Ms Grey are a good friend," he compliments her.

Jean smiles lightly. "Thank you Mr Summers," she says back in kind and kisses him gently as he slips his arm around her waist.

"Ugh! Get a room already! Oh wait you already did that!"

Jean and Scott scowl. "Tabby!" they both complain together at the smirking blond.

Tabby laughs as she continues walking by.

Jean closes her eyes. "We are doomed. You know that right," she says to her boyfriend.

"Just one more year and we're going to college. We can move out. Go live on campus," Scott suggests as the way to escape the teasing that is coming.

Jean looks up at him with another brilliant smile. "Ah there's that brilliant mind I love so much."

"Is that all you love about me?" Scott asks with a mock pout.

Jean grins a little wickedly and winks. "Ask me that later when we're alone."

* * *

After getting changed Clark's 1st task was to go check on Rogue before they had the debrief. His acute hearing and focus on her heartbeat told him she was up in her room. He knocks on her door and finds her changed into her favourite green top, black skirt with leggings and combat boots. She is just giving herself a once over in the mirror and smiling a little at what she sees.

"Happy to be out of that dress huh," Clark remarks.

Rogue's smile grows larger at seeing her boyfriend. "Definitely," she confirms.

Clark steps in to the room up to her and starts rubbing her arms a little. "What did Mr McCoy say?"

"He couldn't find anything wrong with meh," she can happily report the result of her medical examination.

"How's the memory?" he wonders.

Rogue's face tightens in concentration. "Ah can remember up ta being possessed but ah can't seem ta remember anything past that until ah 'woke up' in tha jet."

Which was odd because from what Wanda was saying to Kurt on the flight back she seemed to remember almost all of it, Clark can recall.

"Maybeh it's for tha best," Rogue decides because those are memories she could probably do without.

"Maybe," Clark says in partial agreement with her.

"Ah still can't believe magic is real," she says with a shake of her head, having a hard time letting that sink in.

"Trust me it is. I have the several hours of being powerless and strung up like meat on a hook to prove it," he says in a rather acerbic tone.

Rogue looks up at him with concern. She wonders what that witch who took her over did to him precisely. She stands on her toes and kisses him on the lips.

Clark smiles thinly. "Still have no idea what Madeleine has done to the memory of me," he mentions. So far all he knows is that Lex's memory of him was altered. Chloe could remember just fine as did anyone else he has managed to talk to since he got back.

"We'll figure it out," Rogue says.

"I'm sorry," he says.

"Sorry? For what?"

"You only got possessed because Isobel wanted to get information from me and thought you would be an easy mark."

"Well she was obviously an idiot," Rogue ascribes her opinion to Isobel. "Ya said ah managed ta keep mah memories hidden."

"You did and I never questioned for a minute that you would. Still feel like I should apologise though."

Rogue decides to accept his apology just to avoid an argument. Clark spends far too much time blaming himself for things that aren't his fault and she's really too tired to rehash a debate they've had before. She spots him rubbing the back of his neck nervously. She puts her hands on her hips. "Alright Clark. Spill it."

"Spill what?"

"Ya want ta tell meh something. Ah know that gesture," she says pointing at his hand behind his head.

Clark does want to tell her but, despite Chloe's help, he is still worried how Rogue will take it. "It's about what happened when I was intoxicated," he nervously says.

Rogue arches an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Ah...you see the thing is...I sorta...wokeupinbedwithLois," he rushes out and then instantly knows that was exactly how not he was suppose to tell her.

Rogue's eye twitches. "Run that by meh again," she says in a tense voice.

"It's not how it sounds!" he protests.

"Oh really?"

"I can explain!"

"Ya have 5 seconds."

"It was...remember after you and I...you know."

"Had sex," Rogue states it bluntly.

"Yeah. Lana...Isobel, I'm guessing it was now, showed up just after we were finished and took you away saying she needed you for something."

"That's when ah ended up possessed. She got meh ta drink something lahke a potion ah'm guessin and that's mah last memory."

"Well yes exactly. Anyway after you left me all alone I was just wandering along the corridor passing Kitty's room when I heard crying from inside."

Rogue's brows draw closer together. Her temper is simmering but she is holding it at bay. "Go on."

"Well it was Lois."

"Lois was crying?" Rogue says with some surprise because from what she knew of the brunette she didn't seem like the crying type.

"Yeah. Turns out she's a weepy drunk...even if it we weren't drunk exactly. Anyway I couldn't just leave her like that. She was sitting there all alone in the dark...and I can't stand to see women cry. Even Lois," he justifies himself.

"So ya went ta _comfort_ her?"

"Not like that!" he protests at her insinuation.

"Clark mah patience is running low," Rogue warns him.

Clark almost cracks the joke 'What patience?' but stops himself. He continues his explanation of how he ended up in bed with Lois. "I comforted her, yes, in that I let her cry on my shoulder. Turns out she has a lot of issues to lament in her life but that's it. That's all I did and then suddenly I just felt really tried and so did Lois and we fell asleep right there on Kitty's bed...fully clothed. I think it was part of the spell."

"What was?"

"The falling asleep thing. Chloe says the same happened to her and she and I asked around and everyone says the same thing happened to them too. Must have been Isobel's way of making sure we were out of the way."

"That everything that happened?"

Clark looks Rogue square in the eye. "Yes. I swear. Anna I promise you that is all," he says using her name to let her see he means it.

Rogue takes a moment. Clark wouldn't lie to her. Doesn't mean she's happy that he woke up with another woman but she believes him that nothing happened and at least he came to her and didn't try to lie about it. He gets bonus marks for that. "Ok," she decides.

"Really?"

"Ah'm not thrilled at tha image Clark but ah know ya wouldn't cheat on meh," she accepts his explanation although it can be heard in her voice how not thrilled she is.

Clark tentatively reaches out and takes Rogue's hand. She doesn't resist. He rubs the back of it with his thumb. "Anna. I love you. I would never hurt you."

Rogue smiles. "Ah know. Ah love ya too sugah." Her smile then slips. "Howevah ah will beh killin' Lois."

"You're joking right?" Clark asks unable to tell.

Rogue grins evilly. "Ah'm famished. Ah'm goin ta get something ta eat," she says before she turns smartly and walks off.

"She's joking," Clark tells himself and then an unsure expression comes to his face as he adds, "I think."

* * *

Amanda knocks on the door to Kurt's room and steps inside when he beckons her. She pushes a few locks of hair back behind her ear in a nervous gesture. "So...how was the mission?"

"It could have gone better. Ve failed to save Lana," Kurt says. He'll remember to say a prayer for her tonight.

"Oh sorry," Amanda says.

Kurt takes a moment to sit on his bed. Amanda sits next to him. "You're here to talk about us...about vhat happened aren't you?" he says in an intuitive moment.

"Yeah. D-do you remember it all?" she asks, her cheeks heating up at the memory of the two of them down to their underwear making out.

Kurt's cheeks flush under his fur. "Ja," he says in a quiet voice.

"We...we didn't do it then," she says in reference to having sex. They never went that far.

Kurt is relieved about that in the sense that when they do decide they are ready for sex he wants them to be in full control of their faculties.

"We will have to tell my parents Kurt," Amanda repeats the assertions she made this morning. "You'll have to meet them and...show them the real you," she says with a momentary hesitation knowing how hard that is for Kurt.

Kurt is extremely unsure of that. What if Mr and Mrs Sefton see him and decide the demon looking boy is not for their daughter.

Amanda sensing Kurt's worry takes hold of his hand. "Kurt," she says softly. "What's your answer?"

"It's up to you Mandi."

"Kurt it doesn't matter what they say. I care for you...a lot. I...just don't like lying to them when they ask about you."

Honour thy father and they mother. The 5th Commandment slips into Kurt's head. Amanda shouldn't be lying to her parents for him. "I'll meet zhem. For you," he says.

Amanda smiles and gives him a kiss. "It won't be tomorrow or anything Kurt. I'll need a few days at least to arrange something but thank you for doing this."

"I'd do anyzhing for you Mandi," Kurt says earnestly.

Amanda's heart swells so much it feels like it will burst out of her chest. Kurt is best thing that has ever happened to her and her parents have to see that. If they don't...well then they're just being dense!

* * *

After the mission debrief there is still a short wait until dinner so mostly everyone is still milling around trying to process it all in relation to what happened and their restored memories. Peter's way of coping is to talk Clark's ear off. Peter was staying for dinner and then Clark would run him home to New York.

"There was dancing. I, Peter Parker, danced. Have you seen me dance? I'm just terrible at it. I have all the co-ordination of a drunken jock," Peter babbles on about what he now remembers doing.

Clark rolls his eyes. He enjoys bantering with Peter but he really wasn't in the mood after the day he has had losing Lana. His usual reaction to events like this was to brood. Peter's is to babble apparently.

Peter continues with his long story of how bad his dancing is as the two enter the room down in the lower levels where Clark, along with his friends, have been using to store all the clues they have found so far in the hunt for the locations of the stones.

"Whoa. Obsessive much," Peter remarks at how the walls are covered in pinned up pieces of paper.

"Not obsessive," Clark objects to that. "This is our research in the hunt for the stones. You were asking about them on the way back after all weren't you."

"Well yeah," Peter concedes. He did ask so he could understand what it was that was so important about them. He got the summary from Clark about his race leaving the stones on earth and their purpose as some sort of repository of his people's history.

"Well then here we are," Clark says gesturing at all the research they have done.

Peter takes a moment to look over everything he sees. His eyes get drawn to a map with pins stuck in it. "What's that about?" he asks.

"Every pin represents roughly where a story about the stone comes from. My thinking on it was that there would be more of them the closer to the location of the stones you got," Clark explains.

And from what Peter can see it's not bad thinking at all. There is a big cluster of pins in Asia. "China?" he asks pointing at the biggest cluster.

"That seems to be where one is located but where do you start looking? China's not a small country and the clue Jor-El gave me makes no sense," Clark complains. "Buried at the root of the branch of the river that is not a river," he quotes part of the clue to the stone. " Can anyone please explain to me what that means?"

"I'm stumped," Peter admits.

"So am I. Does it mean a dried up river? A river that has moved course as they tend to do over centuries. The time-scale is over thousands of years."

"Do you have anything to go on?"

Clark moves over and pulls a bit of paper off the wall and hands it to Peter. "Just this one reference to when the stone was buried by a chronicler who served the Chinese Emperor of the time. This is what I translated it to be."

Peter reads out loud what it says. "And so the God descended from the heavens and commanded that the stone, that held power over the elemental air, be hidden beneath the earth, for all time, from those whose greed would corrupt its purity until the God himself returned to reclaim what is his. Only one record of this location was made for, the sole possession of, the great Emperor. One map drawn on and then hidden by the magic parchment of the God. None who witnessed it spoke of this moment again out of fear of angering the God, whose wrath none would dare risk for he would burn his foes with fire from his eyes."

Peter looks up at Clark. "You're a God?" he asks with a quirk of his eyebrow since the description could apply to Clark.

"No," Clark says with a frown. "It was one of my race certainly and I guess it can be easy to understand why people in ancient times would see one of them as a God but no I am not a God," he rejects any attempt to label him as such.

"You translated this?" Peter asks Clark to confirm.

"I learnt some Mandarin," Clark says with a shrug. "Now I may not know every nuance of the language but that's basically the gist of it."

"So if I'm reading this right there's a map?"

"Apparently and if it was written on some document made by the Kryptonian in the story there is no reason why it can't have survived but again where do you start looking for one document from hundreds of years ago? It could be in some museum's collection or in the hands of a private collector or buried in some tomb for all I know. I'm starting to think it's hopeless."

"What about the other stone?" Peter asks.

"Oh don't even ask," Clark pleads pathetically.

"Why not?"

"Look at the other cluster of pins," Clark instructs Peter to do.

Peter does. "Rome," he says where that cluster is.

"There are stories of the stone being in the city, in a temple, as an object of worship right up to the Fall of Rome."

"Ah," Peter says in sudden understanding.

"Ah, indeed. Who knows where it ended up in the chaos that followed the end of the Western Empire," Clark says in hopeless exasperation at the impossibility of the task Jor-El has given him.

"What is the clue you have for that one?" Peter asks.

"In the shadow of a lost empire lies that which transfers the spirit of life from the sky to the ocean. Surrounded by the depths and buried in fire you shall find a truth long hidden."

"We can assume the lost empire is Rome," Peter says.

"Yes but what does 'In the shadow' mean? I'm working off the assumption the rest of it refers to an island but there were lots of islands that were part of the Roman empire. Needle in haystack," Clark describes the task as.

"You'll figure it out," Peter says trying to be reassuring.

Clark hopes so but at the moment that isn't looking likely.

* * *

After dinner Amanda says her goodbyes to everyone before Kurt teleports her home. Peter also says his goodbyes to everyone. He steps outside to wait for Clark to take him home. Clark was helping his mother wash up the dishes first. It was his turn.

"You're leaving then."

Peter turns round at that soft voice as Kitty phases out of the front door of the mansion. "Yeah. Spoke to my aunt and told her I'd be a little late. She worries about me."

"She must be a nice lady."

"She is. The best," Peter says with a fond smile as he thinks on Aunt May.

Kitty plays with her bangs a little and bites her lower lip nervously. "So...uh...we never like talked about what happened yesterday."

Peter was sort of hoping to avoid that talk. "Yeah...about that."

"Did you mean it?" Kitty suddenly asks.

"Mean?"

"About wanting to date me?" she asks hopefully.

Peter can see the hope in her eyes along with a nervous shy smile. Lovely smile it is too. Peter scratches his head. "Um..." he struggles to find an answer. In the end he decides to be honest. "Yeah. I did. You're...a great person Kitty."

Kitty's smile grows. "So how about it then."

"Huh?"

"Date."

"Well..."

"We don't have to call it that," Kitty suddenly says, realising that perhaps she is being way too forward. "We could, you know, just say we're going to go and have fun together."

Fun. Peter's life has certainly not been that lately. He looks at Kitty still looking nervous as hell but expectant. He doesn't want to disappoint her. After all he has enjoyed her company this last two days. What harm would it be just to spend a night out having fun. Is that too much to ask for his life. "Yeah."

"Yeah?" Kitty asks uncertain what he means.

"Yeah, yeah," Peter says.

Kitty's starts to beam. "Really?"

"Yeah," Peter says with a warm smile.

"Ok great!" Kitty says cheerfully before her face becomes serious. "Uh...this won't cause a problem with anyone...like a girlfriend or anything will it?"

"I guess Clark didn't mention my perpetual single status."

"Clark's good at keeping secrets," Kitty has to compliment him when it comes to personal things.

"I have no girlfriend. We broke up months ago," Peter says and you can still hear the lingering sadness about that.

"Ok. I'm sorry to ask...it's just...my last boyfriend wasn't exactly Mr reliable or honest."

"You mentioned that."

"Oh yeah," Kitty laughs nervously.

"So when?"

"When?"

"When would we do this?"

"Oh right!" Kitty cottons on to what Peter is asking. "Uh...can I call you about that. There's like a million things we still have to clear up around here after this weekend. Ugh I swear it's always something," she complains.

"It really is," Peter shares the same complaint because the same is true about Spider-Man's life.

"So I'll call you," Kitty determines.

"Sure," Peter agrees to that. "Uh...do you have my number?"

"Clark does."

"Right. Of course he does. I'm being totally stupid."

"You're not," Kitty assures him in a warm tone. She moves closer to him and pats him on his arm. "You're never stupid."

Peter smiles at her and their eyes lock. They're quite close together now. Unconsciously their heads drift towards each other, their lips drawing closer and closer...

"Sorry I'm late!" Clark announces his arrival with his usual gust of wind.

Kitty and Peter jump back away from each other.

Clark carries on, oblivious to what he just interrupted. "So ready to go?" he asks Peter.

Kitty's cheeks are flushed red as she turns round and runs through the door, shouting as she does so, "Bye!"

Peter waves at the door. "Yeah. Bye," he says to the flat piece of wood. "You know that wood doesn't look all that old for a house like that," Peter remarks trying to avoid bringing Clark's attention to whatever was just about to happen there with Kitty. Was he about to kiss her?

"It isn't. Mansion blew up remember," Clark explains the newness of the door.

"Right. I read about that."

"And really we replace that door like once a month because someone wrecks it."

Peter looks at Clark with an arched eyebrow.

"I have never wrecked that door," Clark insists, denying what Peter's look is implying.

"Sure you haven't Clark. Only demolished half a forest," Peter says with a large amused grin.

"I'm killing Kitty," Clark swears because that remark is referring to first flying attempt and the only person Peter spent that much time around to learn that is Kitty. "So shall we go?" he asks, changing subjects.

"Sure. Home Jeeves!" Peter orders Clark around like he's a butler.

"You know I can throw you all the way there instead," Clark jokily threatens as he picks Peter up.

"Yeah but then what would you do without your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man for company?"

"I'd manage. Dom would fill in the lame joke quota."

"Ooh, ooh you wound me," Peter says faking pain as he holds his hand over his heart.

Clark rolls his eyes. Maybe that throwing idea isn't such a bad one he ponders as he zips off towards New York.

* * *

_Author's Note: So many loose ends to tie up. This is going to take awhile but at least Kitty's getting a date out of it. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Rogue and Jean finally come face to face with their nightmare and an unexpected **strange**r shows up at the door._


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

**Bayville...**

In a bar in Bayville Lance Alvers downs a long cool drink. The first question someone might ask is that isn't he under-age?

The answer is yes, he is, but Pietro knows a guy who does great fake IDs and that is enough for Lance to get past any scrutiny.

Lance had decided this was his way to stay out of sight. The issue was...well he has a lot of issues doesn't he.

They're leaving and Lance can't believe he is thinking this but he isn't sure he wants to. What is he leaving for? What is any of it for? What is the point of his life?

His life seems to be in a sort of limbo at the moment. After they were expelled from school they were essentially grounded by Magneto and therefore Lance has been doing next to nothing these last few weeks.

Maybe in that case it is better they leave. Magneto did mention something about some kind of task for them to do but if he chooses to leave then...that's it. For Kitty and him. That would be the end.

Who is he kidding. There was never really anything there to start with. Kitty was very pretty and with her powers useful to him but that was it in all honesty.

Lance takes another long drink. He has 3 options by his reckoning. Stay with the Brotherhood, go to Xavier's or just head off on his own.

Xavier's is just...no. Humans and mutants living together in peace...what a joke. What world do those geeks live in. There are stories all the time on the news of mutants being attacked or persecuted or something. Besides the only reason he ever considered going to that place before was Kitty and he already ruled that out.

Lance takes another sip of his drink. That leaves 2 options. If he was to strike out where would he go?

He has no family to speak of...or not one he has any interest in seeing.

Months ago Mystique had given them a choice to commit or leave and he committed. Perhaps it was time, for once in his life, that Lance actually lived up to one of his commitments. At least Magneto has a vision...a plan and not some foolish pipe dream.

"You come here often?"

Lance frowns. Was that a pick-up line? He turns his head to the right and next to him, as he sits at the bar, has appeared this rather attractive, busty brunette who is smirking in amusement. She bursts into a chortle. "Sorry," she says through her laughter. "I just had to see the look on your face," she explains why she asked that question. She continues to laugh as she orders a beer and then plants herself down in the seat next to Lance who looks at her in bemusement. No-one has ever tried one of those lines on him. It's usually the other way round.

While he may not be Pietro, who Lance swears goes through girls like Fred goes through chicken wings, he has his own record of hitting on girls he meets but the point is no girl has ever tried hitting on him as odd as that may sound.

"So do you?" the woman asks.

"Do I what?" Lance asks back.

"Come here often."

"Not really."

The woman looks around at the few other patrons of this establishment. "Is this a gay bar?"

Lance spits out his drink. "What!" he exclaims because that sorta implies that he is...

"There's no women," she points out about the other people here. "I swear the last time I went into one they were a lot more fun than this. Gay men know how to have a good time...except for sharing a bedroom setting with me if you know what I mean," she says with a rather salacious smile.

"Uh...err...no. I'm not...I mean this is not..." Lance stumbles over his words completely thrown off. He swears this woman was worse than Tabby for doing this to him.

The woman smirks wider at him and then seems to give him the once over. She takes a sip from her bottle of beer. "So you feel like helping me have a _good_ time?" she asks him flirtatiously.

Lance blinks. "Uh...sure," he squeaks out still completely put out.

The woman holds her hand out. "Name's Lois. Lois Lane."

Lance takes the hand. "Lance Alvers."

Lois smiles at him. When she left to find a bar she had done it because there was no way in hell she was spending time with Smallville after she remembered what she shared with him. God she actually cried on his shoulder. She's never living that down. Anyway she thought best to avoid him and drink her memories of that away. Only she never expected to bump into someone ruggedly handsome as this. If she is not mistaken there are some Greek features in his face. Maybe before she and Chlo leave in the morning she can have some fun.

* * *

**New York...**

There was no-one around so Clark could come to a stop directly outside Peter's house. He places him down while Peter takes a moment to let his stomach catch up. He doesn't think he'll ever get use to how fast Clark moves.

"Sorry," Clark says. "This wasn't exactly the weekend I envisioned," he explains why he is apologising. This weekend was partially suppose to be about cheering Peter up.

Peter won't hold that against him. "It happens...especially in this line of work. You going to be ok?" he asks before clarifying, "You know with your friend Lana."

"I haven't given up," Clark says and he has no intention of doing so until he has found and saved Lana. "The Professor is going to keep trying to contact that friend of his who knows about magic. Maybe he can give us something to go on...a lead of some kind. In the meantime I have to continue to look for the stones. Chloe pointed out that sooner or later Isobel would return for the one I have and she's probably right about that. So looking for the stones in essence is looking for Lana in a roundabout way."

"Makes senses," Peter agrees. "And it wasn't a bad weekend. I've had worse. Believe me."

"Is this because you got a date out of Kitty?" Clark asks because yes, he heard that. Sometimes his superhearing is a blessing. Sometimes it's a curse.

Peter nervously scratches the back of his head. "Kind of...yeah. I mean she's...nice."

"Well someone had to think that sometime I suppose," Clark says reluctantly sounding. "But I'll stick with she's like totally pure evil," he says in that joke impression of her he does.

Peter chuckles a little. He doesn't really get why Clark and Kitty banter away at each other like they do but whatever works. Peter then eyes Clark up. "So you and Rogue huh?" he asks with the suggestive overtone to say what he is hinting at.

Clark folds his arms across his chest and stands to his full intimidating height. "Not the first girl in black leather I've made a dishonest woman out of?" he quotes what Peter said to Kitty on the tape.

"Good comeback," Peter congratulates Clark on mentioning something Peter doesn't want to think on too much.

"Thanks."

Peter looks anywhere but at Clark. "So this is awkward," he jests.

"I've gotta know. This girl in black leather wouldn't happen to be a certain cat burglar we both know would it?" Clark asks and he asks because he can remember her flirting the pants off with Peter as well as trying it on him and she's the only girl he knows that wears something like that often.

"Evil symbiote," Peter justifies what happened and by the way doesn't try and deny Clark's guess is right...because Clark is right.

"Ah," Clark says in sudden understanding and notes Peter didn't say he was wrong about who it was. "Look Pete, as I said, I know what you went through so if you ever need to talk I'm here," he seriously makes the offer to listen.

"Thanks...but really not today," Peter turns him down, not ready to talk about that.

"Ok," Clark accepts, "but whenever you're ready just call me."

"Thanks," Peter says again, truly touched that Clark is willing to be there.

"So can I ask this; where is she? I haven't seen or read about her at all lately."

"Me neither. Once I was back to my 'good boy routine'," Peter air-quotes what she said, "she lost interest and left town. Haven't seen her since," Peter says with a shrug trying to hide what really stung him. Apparently the real him wasn't interesting enough for her and she only liked the amoral version of him. He doesn't know what that says about Felicia and perhaps he doesn't want to know. He tries not to think too much about the whole thing to be honest although that can be difficult because she was his first, she's indescribably gorgeous(women like that don't exactly beat a path to his door), and despite the fact it was the influence of the symbiote that pushed him into it he can only call the experience amazing.

Clark can see from Peter's sour expression that he really needs to leave this topic. "Well I'll be going. I'll keep in touch this time," he promises not to repeat that mistake.

"My life is complete!" Peter jokes.

"Funny," Clark says sarcastically.

"I try."

"Uh huh. Well see ya," Clark says as he turns to leave only to stop and turn back to face Peter. "Oh one more thing. Kitty may be like the annoying little sister I never wanted," he says using the joky description he has for her. "But that still makes her my pseudo-sister therefore you hurt her and I break you in half," Clark vows with an out of place smile and overly the top cheerful tone of voice. He then pats Peter on the shoulder. "Night Pete!"

Clark then vanishes with his accompanying gust of wind leaving Peter standing there alone. "And people say my sense of humour is lame," he remarks with a roll of his eyes and shake of his head.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Rogue is heading off to her room to change for bed when she bumps into Jean travelling the same way.

"So have they ambushed ya yet?" Rogue asks.

"Who?" Jean asks, puzzled by what Rogue is meaning.

"Everyone ta ask us about...ya know...having sex," Rogue clarifies.

"No."

"No. Meh neither."

"They're planning something."

"No doubt but you're tha telepath," Rogue reminds Jean so she should be able to tell what they are up to.

"Rogue. I don't eavesdrop on people's thoughts like that!" Jean cries out.

Rogue rolls her eyes. Jean is far too goody goody some days. She covers her eyes for a moment. "Ah can't believe everything we did," she says still in shock about it all.

"I know," Jean says horribly embarrassed by her actions. "But at least I didn't announce to everyone I was about to go off and do it."

Rogue shoots Jean a withering glare for that one.

"Sorry," Jean says contritely but she is completely flustered by all this. "It is just..." she face palms herself. "I never wanted them to find out like this."

"Ah know...but still don't regret it."

"Neither do I," Jean says, agreeing with Rogue. All the teasing in the world is worth being with Scott and Jean assumes Rogue feels the same about Clark.

"Ya know we nevah actually made it to a room after we left," Rogue idly mentions.

"Huh? Then where did you...?"

"Tha linen closet."

"The linen closet! I was in there earlier!" Jean cries horrified at the images her brain is producing.

Rogue shrugs.

"You did it in the closet?" Jean asks unable to believe that. She and Scott haven't done anything like that.

"Yep," Rogue says with a satisfied look.

"Twice!" Jean cries as she picks up a loose thought from Rogue's head.

"Shh! Keep your dang voice down!" Rogue tells Jean off. She is willing to share a little with Jean but she doesn't want the whole mansion knowing.

Jean lowers her voice. "Sorry...but twice?"

"What can ah say? Clark just finds meh irresistible," Rogue says sassily and despite how it happened Rogue's can't stop how heat flushes her body at the memory of it. Dang it was good.

Oh Jean so doesn't need these images in her head.

The two girls pass by Tabby's room when suddenly Kitty's head appears through the door. "There you two are!"

Kitty then grabs the two by the hand and yanks them inside through the door where Jean and Rogue find themselves facing what appears to be an inquisition of all the other girls in the mansion except Wanda who, when Tabby was trying to rope her into this, had given Tabby the glare of death she only normally reserves for her father in response.

"Some telepath ya are," Rogue criticises Jean for not sensing this ambush. She then turns her critical eye on someone else. "Some sister ya are," she accuses Domino. Rogue can't believe Domino is involved as well...on second thoughts maybe she can.

Dom smirks and shrugs. "What can I say? You really think I'd miss out on this? Besides I kept my word. I never told them a thing. You did that on your own and hey I should get some credit. Do you know how hard it is for me to stay silent on any subject?"

"Ah was under the influence!" Rogue protests. She would never have said a word otherwise that would have tipped these guys off. She has to restrain the impulse to go crazy on them all for doing this to her.

"Chloe?" Jean queries at the fact Clark's blond haired friend is here.

Chloe shrugs with a timid, almost apologetic, grin. "When they told me what they were up to my reporter's curiosity got the best of me. What can I say? I was weak," she explains.

Tabby pats Chloe on the back. "It's alright. It's perfectly natural," she reassures her fellow blond.

"What is this about?" Jean asks, sounding stern, trying to convey that authority role she has as 2nd in command of the X-Men.

"What do you think?"

That rhetorical question comes from the phone on loudspeaker.

"Jubilee?" Jean queries at that familiar sounding voice. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me!" Jubilee confirms it is her. "You think I'd miss out on gossip this juicy just because I'm on the other side of the country. I just knew something was up. My gossip-sense has been tingling all day and then Tabby called me up and explained what was going on," she explains.

"Tabby huh?" Jean inquires whole giving the blond a hard look. "Did Tabby also mention she has been volunteering herself to be Sam's girlfriend?"

"She's what!" Jubilee exclaims. "Tabby you never told me that!" she scolds her friend.

Tabby has enough good grace enough to look self-conscious about it. "Uh...it was on my list," she lamely comes up with, trying to imply she was going to tell Jubilee later.

"We'll get to that," Kitty says, desperate to get the topic back on Jean and Rogue and their exploits. She had been going crazy with curiosity and only waited so long until the girls could arrange this little ambush.

Rogue places her hands on her hips and glares at Kitty. "Will we also get ta tha part where ya asked Spider-Man out?" she deliberately says loud enough for Jubilee to hear. Kitty had told her about that as if Kitty was capable of not telling her that. She was literally jumping up and down with excitement and babbling at a hundred miles an hour as she gushed all about how cute Peter and hot and funny and etc etc. Rogue tuned Kitty out right about there and simply nodded politely.

"Eeeeeeeee!" Jubilee squeals loudly in excitement making everyone wince.

"Gods," Amara complains as her head rings

"That is awesome sauce!" Jubilee proclaims. "By the way Kitty I hate you now," she adds not meaning it.

"Why?" Kitty asks.

"Because I wanted to date him!" Jubilee declares.

"You're in San Francisco Jubes," Kitty reminds her much missed shopping buddy.

"And I thought you were crushing on Bobby?" Amara queries and she doesn't notice how the mention of Bobby's names makes Chloe squirm a little.

"Well I was...sort of but this isn't about me," Jubilee says, desperately trying to get the topic off herself.

"Convenient that," Rogue mutters to Jean who nods in agreement.

"Can we get back on topic?" Tabby asks.

"Which one?" Rogue asks her back.

"You two obviously!" Kitty says. "Now I know it was in the woods after the dam rescue so the obvious question is why. Why then and there?"

"You all want to know this?" Jean asks incredulously.

"Hell yeah Red and don't spare us the details!" Tabby insists upon.

"Ah'm amazed ya didn't phone Rahne while ya were at it," Rogue mutters.

"It's like 2 in the morning or something on Muir Island," Kitty points out the time difference about why Rahne wasn't on the phone as well.

"We sent her an email," Tabby fills in, beaming with pride at herself.

"Can we kill them?" Rogue asks Jean.

"Oh stop procrastinating Rogue!" Kitty says, getting annoyed at her friend avoiding answering the question.

"Ah don't know what ya want from meh Kitty," Rogue insists.

"Why?" Kitty asks earnestly.

Rogue is never good at this. Explaining her feelings. Since she can see she isn't escaping this she tries her best. "Ah had just been held against my will for days and learned ah was some sicko's science project but tha thing ah wanted tha most was ta beh with Clark. After we were rescued and considering everything we were going through, not knowing what tha future held, whether we would live or die, ah just didn't see tha point in not having one moment especially when ah had been thinking about it anyway."

"Pft! Who doesn't think about that with Clark. I do at least once a day!" Tabby announces.

Rogue's brown eyebrows draw closer as her eyes narrow and turns her glare at Tabby. She finds she doesn't like the idea of Tabby fantasising about what only she gets to experience.

Chloe doesn't say it but she's had the odd naughty fantasy about Clark over the years.

"When was it?" Amara asks. "I remember you vanishing after dinner at some point."

Rogue nods. "Yeah it was after that. Ya remember Clark's scar?"

"Yeah."

"It was causing him pain and ah saw him disappear inta tha woods because he didn't want anyone ta know. Sometahmes even Clark does that foolish macho thing of not admitting he needs help. Anyway ah followed him and he told meh how Jor-El was taking his powers and ah told him about what ah learned abut how ah was created."

Kitty sympathises about that. She knows it must have been difficult for Rogue to cope with to know that that Stryker guy created her even if Rogue didn't talk about it much which Kitty totally gets.

Rogue takes a moment. This is very personal but if she says it once hopefully this will be the end of it. "In response Clark said it didn't matter ta him how ah was created because he loved meh."

"Oh," Kitty and Jubilee coo dreamily at how romantic that is.

"After that ah just...ah just needed ta beh with him."

"Oh!" Kitty and Jubilee coo louder.

"What about you Red?" Tabby asks Jean.

"It's not so different to what Rogue said. The reasons about not knowing whether we would live or die and seizing the moment."

"Yeah but you're like never impulsive," Kitty argues.

"I am so!"

Tabby snorts. "Please," she pours scorn on Jean's assertion. "You and Scooter plan your dates 2 weeks in advance."

"There's nothing wrong with that!" Jean argues. "We lead busy lives," she gives the reason they do that.

"So you just randomly picked that time to be impulsive? That right?" Chloe asks, her journalistic instinct kicking in making her ask the question.

"Well...yeah," Jean says, giving the only explanation she can.

Amara shakes her head. "I saw you leave as well. I just thought you were going for a walk," she says now realising what it was Scott and Jean were leaving to go do.

"That was kinda the idea," Jean points out.

"I can't believe I like missed it!" Kitty cries, berating herself for her failure to spot how anything was off.

"You didn't really," Domino says, deciding to step into this inquisition.

"Huh?"

"Remember the morning after you commented about how Rogue was glowing and 'chipper'?"

It dawns on Kitty's face what that meant.

"You just didn't realise what it meant," Domino explains.

Kitty then cocks her head to the side and looks at Rogue. "You've been chipper and glowing virtually every morning since Clark got back. How often do you two do it?"

Rogue looks at Kitty crossly at how dirty she just made it sound. "Ok ah am drawing tha line here. There is no way ah am telling ya what, when or how often Clark and ah do anything. It's none of your dang business!" Rogue throws her hands up into the air. "Gawd ya make meh sound lahke a sex addict or something."

"Ok I'm like sorry Rogue," Kitty says contritely seeing she might have gone too far.

Tabby turns her gaze to Jean.

"If Rogue isn't saying what makes you think I will," Jean says, looking as cross as Rogue.

Tabby grins. "Lois caught you and Scott sneaking out a room this morning."

Jean turns red. "Uh...under the influence of a magic spell Tabby. We all were remember."

"Yep. That's one time definitely though right."

"I refuse to answer that."

"Ok I've got to know one thing," Jubilee says. "Rogue, Logan's your father...and I still can't believe that one by the way!" she says still in shock from when she got told about it.

"Ya and meh both," Rogue mumbles to herself.

"Anyway how is Clark not cut into pieces yet? There's no way you can have avoided that nose of his," Jubilee thinks.

"We didn't," Rogue confesses.

"He sniffed us out that very morning," Jean adds with a grimace at the memory.

Kitty's face lights up as she remembers something. "You two, Scott and Clark were called to the jet."

Rogue and Jean both grimace now.

"Logan told tha adults and we were called in for a 'talk'," Rogue explains.

Tabby bursts into a fit of laughter and everyone joins in.

"It's not funny!" Jean complains.

"Well it was when ya and Scott got told off for not being properly prepared," Rogue can't help herself but say.

"Rogue!" Jean protests at her friend mentioning that.

"What do you mean?" Chloe asks.

"Scott forgot protection," Rogue gives it away with a smirk.

Tabby laughs even harder than before.

"I'm on the pill!" Jean points out. "And we both had to attend a sex education class!" she reminds Rogue.

Rogue grimaces once more at that memory.

Tabby is rolling about with laughter now. Her stomach will ache tomorrow but it is so worth it.

"Tabitha!" Rogue and Jean shout together in protest. It wasn't that funny.

Tabby finally gets herself back under control. "So the adults just let you do this?" she asks, looking at Domino.

Dom shrugs. This whole thing had been very amusing though. "They're of legal age. As long as they use protection and are careful to remember they live in a house with under-age minors and are responsible about it we'll treat them like adults and leave them alone."

"That still doesn't explain how Logan hasn't killed Clark yet," Jubilee interjects.

"Well Hairy may have been a little grumpy about it but he agreed to what I just said...and besides he wouldn't cross Martha. That woman is scary when angry. Trust me."

"I miss Mrs Kent," Jubilee says a little sadly. Sure she loved her parents but both Kents were so great in her opinion. She missed everyone at the mansion and had not been happy about going home. Her parents had heard her opinion on it forcefully several times but they refused to change their minds and let her go back.

"Well I say good on ya you two!" Tabby congratulates Rogue and Jean, honestly happy for both of them. Tabby had noticed how this had seemed to explain what had taken the edge off of Rogue's temper as of late and well with any luck Jean and Scott will learn to relax now they're knocking booties. "That just leaves one question," Tabby raises.

"Which is?" Jean asks with a feeling of trepidation.

"How big are they and do they know how to use it?"

Jean cannot believe even Tabby would be that blunt.

Tabby looks at Rogue directly. "Ok I've just got to know," she says, her curiosity killing her. "He's an alien. What's different? Is there anything extra?"

Rogue looks to Jean. "Ok so killing is out but how about mind wipes?" she wonders as in could they just erase everything.

"I don't think that is morally acceptable Rogue," Jean replies.

"Morals are stupid!" Rogue huffs.

Jean is so tempted just to erase their minds. Rogue's right. Stupid morals!

* * *

Clark slips out of superspeed just as he nears the mansion front door and spots Scott standing there looking out at the night sky.

"You were awhile," Scott comments about how long Clark took.

"I jogged back," Clark explains. Ok not jogged exactly but he took it easy. "And I was checking out something," he adds.

"What?"

"You know that cave a few miles down the coast? The one that can only be reached at low tide?"

Scott nods. They used it occasionally for training purposes in practising rescues. "What about it?"

"I was thinking about hiding the stone there. That would mean it's not at the mansion but it isn't too far away in case I need to get it and it's not easy for anyone to get there."

At the moment the stone was in the Professor's safe but it could not stay there very long and this was what drove Clark to think about where it needed to go and the cave was a sudden inspiration he had.

Scott muses on that idea. The cave was big and went into the cliff face quite far. If the stone was in the deepest part of the cave it would take a caving pro to get to it. "We could put in some security measures and alarms," he suggests for added protection.

"Low key so SHIELD doesn't notice," Clark proposes.

Scott can't argue with that. They were always on the lookout for anything that may resemble them being spied on.

"So any particular reason you're hiding out here?" Clark asks.

Scott takes offence. "I was not hiding," he insists.

"Uh huh," Clark says in a fashion that shows he isn't buying that. "Scott, for someone with my hearing you can't really lie to them. I can hear your heart accelerate."

Scott sighs. Long day. "Clark do you know what will happen if we go in there?"

"The same thing Jean and Rogue are enduring I would guess."

"Huh?"

Clark points up and along at one of the bedroom windows. "They're being interrogated," his superhearing had picked up.

"Oh god," Scott groans because that is just going to put Jean in a foul mood. It's never a good idea to put a telepath and telekinetic in a bad mood. It's always a bad idea to get Rogue even slightly irritated.

"Tell me about it," Clark says just as gravely.

"That's exactly my point though Clark. We go in there and...ugh I hate to think about it," Scott says closing his eyes and shaking his head trying not to imagine the horror.

Clark shoves his hands in his pocket. "Believe me Scott this is not what I wanted either but we're stuck unless I fly real fast against the rotation of the Earth, spinning it backwards and reversing time to before all this happened."

Scott looks at Clark like he's lost it. "Ok I'm pretty certain that's impossible."

"Yeah I know. Even if you were to survive all the devastating earthquakes that would cause all you would do is make the sun move from west to east instead of east to west. Still might be fun to try one day."

"As soon as you figure out how to actually fly," Scott reminds Clark of his inability to do so, teasing his friend a little.

"I'm working on it," Clark says although he has to honestly admit he doesn't seem to be making huge progress beyond getting himself to glide a little.

"We still haven't come up with a solution to our problem," Scott points out depressingly.

"There really isn't one Scott. We both knew sooner or later they would find out."

"I was going for later. Like a lot later. When Jean and I are at college later."

"Well we can always kill them. I can vaporise the bodies. No traces," Clark proposes.

"Good idea."

Scott and Clark share a chuckle.

"It's a nice wish anyhow," Scott offers.

"Yeah. It is."

"And I never had a chance to say it earlier but we'll find and save Lana, Clark. You have my word."

"Thank you Scott," Clark says a bit sorrowful and still feeling guilty over it.

"Good plan by the way that you same up with back there," Scott congratulates Clark. He can see some real leadership potential in Clark.

"Thanks. Our original wasn't going so well."

"First lesson you will learn Clark if you ever lead a team is that no battle plan ever survives the first contact with the enemy. You always have to be prepared to alter and adapt your strategy on site."

"I have no wish to lead anyone Scott. I'm just here to help."

That is Clark's major issue. It is not just a reluctance to lead, heck Scott has his doubts some days, it is almost any lack of belief Clark has in himself to fill the role that holds him back. Scott does not know yet how to get Clark to just have more belief in himself but he'll concoct something eventually. "So about that stone? How much can it heal exactly?" Scott wonders, asking a question that had been plaguing him all night.

"Your brain injury?" Clark assumes Scott is referring to the damage that prevents Scott controlling his powers.

Scott nods.

"I would like to Scott but I don't really know how the stone works. What I did in the cave was superficial mostly. To repair your brain I'm guessing would be more complex since in a sense it must have already healed in a way to adapt to the damage. I'm not certain the stone would even recognise it any more as an injury and even if it did you're asking me to mess around with something I have no expertise in. The stone requires conscious control and lets face facts even the greatest brain expert in the world doesn't fully understand how the human brain works let alone a mutant one and I have even less understanding. I'm sorry Scott but that's a risk I won't take. I could easily make things worse for you instead of better," he has to regrettably turn Scott down. "Perhaps one day in the future," he tries to give Scott some hope.

"Yeah perhaps," Scott says sadly.

"I am sorry Scott. Truly if I thought I could do it safely I would."

"I believe you. I had to ask," he says with a sad smile. He should have known not to get his hopes up.

Clark feels guilty now but it's too big a risk when he wouldn't know what he is doing assuming he could get the stone to work at all on Scott.

Scott takes a breath. "Lets just get this over with with the others," he decides as he turns to head back inside and confront what he knows is coming.

Clark follows Scott in and they shut the door behind them. They walk two steps when there is a knock at the door. Both boys freeze.

"There was no-one there 5 seconds ago," Scott says.

"Nope," Clark concurs.

Clark and Scott turn. The only way someone could be at the door is if they teleported in just as they shut it.

"What can you see?" Scott asks Clark.

Clark narrows his eyes and activates his x-ray vision. "A fuzzy blob," he reports with a frown.

Scott pinches his nose. Like they need this today. Still it could possibly be a mutant seeking refuge although that would a huge coincidence and a unique power to hide from Clark. That being at least a possibility they have to answer the door. "Be ready," he advises Clark who nods in response.

Scott walks to the door and opens it. There he finds a tall, lean man, in his early forties, with short black hair streaked with grey on the sides, and a trim black beard around his face, with sharp green eyes. He is wearing black pants over which is a long, mostly black coat with red patterns on the upper half. The man is wearing a pleasant smile. "Greetings," he says. "I am here to see Professor Xavier."

"May I ask who is calling?" Scott requests.

"Strange. Dr Stephen Strange."

* * *

_Author's Note: I got myself into way too many loose ends to tie up but I'll deal with them one by one. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The Doctor is in...and just when the Professor thinks he can get some much needed sleep another surprise guest shows up._


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Charles is in his office tending to a last few items of paperwork. It was his way of winding down after a mission. Besides the paperwork was vital to keep the school open. Since the reveal of mutants it seemed the local authorities had become much more insistent on every t being crossed and every i dotted.

Charles takes a moment to reflect on the day's events. He felt partial failure in not saving Ms Lang but it seemed obvious to him there would be another opportunity. Isobel had bent the laws of life and death in her quest for the stones. No-one who endured that would very likely give up. They would have to be vigilant for her inevitable return.

Then there was Valerie Van Haaften still down in the infirmary. Beast had reported she was physically exhausted and would most likely sleep for a day or more. There was no urgent need to wake her so Charles could leave it for now. There were still many questions though as it pertained to the teenager. Beast had done a background check while they were in Smallville and found Valerie had 'mysteriously' vanished from a youth detention centre.

Can only have been Magneto that was responsible considering where she ended up and the fact she called him Uncle Erik.

Uncle.

Charles shakes his head at that. What is Magneto's link to the girl?

He had been reluctant, at best, to probe her mind again after everything she had gone through already today. Trust was important and when she woke up he hoped to earn it. After all, he had to help her with the trauma she has suffered. That takes trust above all else and when she trusts him she'll tell him what he wants to know.

It is not the only mystery surrounding her. Beast had had time to do a basic analysis of her DNA. She was a meteor mutant only that made no sense. Her background showed she had never been anywhere near Smallville so how did she become altered in that way?

Charles bet Magneto knew the answer only he doubted his old friend would just show up out of the blue and tell him what it was.

Charles rubs his eyes. Maybe it was time to turn in. It had been a long day. A day that would have ramifications for a long time to come.

Just then there is a knock on his door. Charles reaches out with his mind and senses Scott, Clark and another familiar presence he hadn't been in the company of for some time. "You may show him in Scott!" Charles shouts through the door.

Scott opens the door, that ever present frown of being creeped out when the Professor did that. "Right," he says, as she steps aside and Stephen Strange walks in.

Charles' face lights up in happiness and offers up his hand. "Stephen. It is good to see you."

"And you Charles," Stephen says back with a similar happy expression as he reaches over the desk and takes the offered hand and shakes it vigorously. "I got your message. Sorry it took me so long," he apologises for his tardiness in responding to it.

"Apologies are unnecessary," Charles assures him. "I know whatever you were doing must have been important...although this phone is not on this plane of existence?" he inquires in a wry tone at that.

Stephen chuckles lightly.

"I can take it from here Scott. Thank you," Charles says, dismissing Scott who closes the door, curious but obedient. When the Professor has something to tell them he will.

"Have a seat," Charles offers.

"Thank you," Stephen says as she sits himself down.

"You require any refreshment?"

"Thank you but it is far too late to put someone out for that," Stephen refuses the offer.

"How have you been?" Charles asks.

"As well as can be expected."

"Clea?" Charles asks after Stephen's wife.

"Still not talking to me," Stephen says sadly and the hurt in his eyes can be clearly seen at how estranged that relationship currently is.

"I am sorry," Charles expresses his sadness at the deterioration of his friend's marriage.

Stephen chooses not to dwell on his problems. "And yourself Charles? How are you?"

"Fine."

"Still not married?"

"Only to my work," Charles quips.

"Yes. I follow the news. You've been busy."

"Extremely so."

"So what do you require my help over?" Stephen asks.

"It's a bit of a story. I will summarise it as briefly as I can for the moment."

Stephen listens as Charles describes the day's events. A deep frown comes to his brow and his eyes narrow a little in anger at hearing about the possessions of the 3 girls. Such a violation of the basic rules does fall under his jurisdiction as Earth's Sorcerer Supreme.

"Are the girls alright?" Stephen asks with concern.

"Two of them are. The Countess Thoreaux escaped before we could capture her and rescue her host. I don't know if you can track her or if it is too late for that."

"Perhaps I can but I will need to investigate into her first. It takes much power to do as she has done to defy her fate."

"I believe we have weakened her with the destruction of her spell book."

"I have no doubt you have. Your description does seem to indicate she used it to reinforce her power."

"There are also other issues. It seems one of the girls, Wanda, has real magical powers and that Madeleine attempted to use them to cast a spell that as far as we can tell didn't work as she intended."

"What was the intent?"

"She wished to erase the memory of the existence of a student here."

Stephen frowns. "I felt a...disturbance earlier. As if something fundamental had been restructured. I was too far away at the time and engaged with other tasks."

"You believe it was this spell?"

"Possibly but it didn't work?"

"Not the way she was intending. No-one close to him here has forgotten him but at least one other has and this person's memory of him wasn't erased precisely. Certain aspects of it were forgotten and others altered. I do not know how far this has spread."

Stephen reaches into his pocket and pulls out a circular stone. An amulet with the image of a closed eye upon it. "Eye of Agamotto show me the girl called Wanda," he commands and the eye opens and glows with mystical energy.

Inside the eye the image of Wanda appears, as she sleeps, crashed out on a couch in the mansion. Through the eye Stephen can see her in ways well beyond visible sight. "By the Vishanti," he says in a hushed, shocked, whisper with wide eyes.

"Stephen?" Charles inquires.

Stephen pulls himself back to the here and now. "Forgive me."

"What did you see Stephen?"

"I cannot be certain."

"Stephen," Charles warns sternly. "This is one of my students," he points out so Stephen does try and avoid answering him.

"I will answer if you answer something for me first," Stephen lays down a condition.

"Go on."

"Who are her parents?"

"Magneto is her father."

"Oh dear," Stephen reflects sadly, knowing what kind of man Magneto is. "And her mother?"

"I did not know her well. Magneto and I were not on the best terms even then. Her name was Magda Maximoff."

"Maximoff," Stephen murmurs as he tries to think of the origin of that name. "Do you know her heritage at all?"

"She was a Romany Gypsy."

"Was?"

"She died many years ago."

"I see...and since Wanda is here I assume she has a mutant power."

"She can alter the laws of probability and generate what we refer to as Hex bolts that effect anything they interact with in unpredictable ways. When she loses her temper she can disrupt everything around her with little control over it."

"She has a temper?"

"She has issues with Magneto. I would rather not break her confidence on that further."

"I understand."

"What did you see Stephen?" Charles asks him to answer now.

Stephen stands up and walks over to the window and looks out. "As you know the eye allows me to perceive a person on many levels. On a mystical being I can see the flow of magic around them. Only around Wanda it isn't flowing it is focussing and twisting around her. She is a focal point for mystical energy. She is that very rare entity; a nexus. Potentially that makes her one of the most powerful beings on this planet if not the entire universe."

"There is a difference between potential and realisation."

Stephen smiles a little. "Indeed. In fact if this witch had not possessed her I could have easily never noticed her. Magic exists because you know it does. If Wanda never realised she had magical power it would have remained dormant inside her for, possibly, the remainder of her life."

"But she is aware," Charles points out.

"And that is the problem," Stephen says warily.

"What problem?"

"To some extent all magical beings bend the laws of physics but we do not in reality break them. A nexus being can take those laws and rewrite them to their will. Reshape the universe to their will. Wanda can be all but a living God if she fulfils her full potential."

Charles frowns, moves out from behind his desk and rolls next to Stephen. "What else aren't you saying?" he asks.

"It is the type of magic I saw around her. I believe it is her x-gene that allows her to tap into it."

"Tap into what?"

"Chaos."

"I remember you saying even sorcerers had myths and one of them were stories about chaos magic and Gods of Chaos," Charles recalls a conversation from many years ago.

"When I said it I believed it but I was a young apprentice back then. My teacher, the Ancient One, taught me different. It's a lie. Like all Gods, the Gods of Chaos, must be worshipped. What is a God if no-one believes they exist? If no-one worships them? They stop being Gods. They are hundreds whose names no-one remembers any longer and because no-one remembers them they fade from this plane of existence, never able to return. As for the Gods of Chaos by saying it is a lie we keep those Gods forgotten and banished from this world. If they found a way back...well there is a reason they are the Gods of Chaos for that is what they bring forth."

"Why not just purge all memory of them completely and ensure they could not return?" Charles asks.

"The last worshippers of the Elder Chaos God Chthon had a prophecy. Of the birth of an avatar of his power that would bring about his return. Now prophecies are tricky and often cryptic but this one was quite clear. Therefore the prophecy was told down the line of the Sorcerers Supreme so we would be ready to find this avatar and prevent Chthon's return. You can't do that if there is no memory of him."

"You think Wanda is this avatar?"

"From what I saw she could be. That being so I must do what was the decreed policy and prevent her ever using her power to bring Chthon back to this world."

"Prevent it how?"

"Best I do not say," Stephen says in a grave tone.

"Stephen. You can't possibly mean...?" Charles says outraged at what he suspects Stephen is hinting at.

Silence.

"Stephen if you think I will allow you..." Charles starts to warn him but is cut off.

"It was never my policy Charles but I cannot let this lie either. Wanda is dangerous. More so than you can imagine."

"So am I. So are you. In theory. Just because one has power does not make them dangerous. It is the use to which this power is put to. The choices that we make. Can the same not be true for Wanda? Can she not use this power to do good if she so desires?"

Stephen looks at Charles as he considers this...as if he had never considered this before. "Possibly. No normal sorcerer can wield this power for the outcome of its use is random as is the nature of chaos. However Wanda, as a nexus, may be the only mortal person who can bend this magic to achieve what she desires...with the proper training."

"Can she be trained?"

"The source of the power may be different from what I use but the basics of control are the same. Still it would be hard and the outcome is not certain."

"The outcome in life is never certain," Charles says softly, underlined with memories of his own life whose outcome is full of painful things that he never saw the outcome of.

"Too true," Stephen agrees with his friend.

"Will you train her?" Charles asks in relation to Wanda.

Stephen brings his hand to his chin and strokes his beard as he thinks. "It would be a fascinating challenge," that part of any person that relishes a challenge says. "It would also not be without risk."

"Again such is life."

"I will meditate upon this and make a decision," Stephen decides.

"Thank you. Now about this possibly failed spell?" Charles asks returning to that issue since they never cleared it up.

"Can Wanda remember what transpired?" Stephen wonders.

"Most of it from what she says. Why?"

"The simple answer may be to, for you and I, to enter her memories and see what this Madeleine did."

"We'll need to ask her permission and discuss that with her in as a gentle manner as possible," Charles immediately points out because he knows Wanda is sensitive about anyone entering her mind after what Magneto tried to do in altering her memories.

"I suspect there will be a lot both of us shall need to discuss with her if I agree to train her," Stephen points out.

"Indeed but not tonight. Forgive me if this seems rude but we have had a long day and we require sleep."

"I understand. I shall return tomorrow if that is suitable."

"It is," Charles confirms. "Wanda does not attend school like the others. Hank, Storm and I home school her here so if you can come during school hours it will in fact be quieter and easier...assuming Wanda agrees."

"That is fine," Stephen agrees.

"Then I shall see you tomorrow and perhaps afterwards we can catch up?"

Stephen smiles lightly. "I would like that." He turns and shakes Charles' hand. "As always Charles a delight to see you again."

"As it is to see you. Take care."

The two men share a friendly nod before Stephen makes his departure. As soon as he is outside he lifts gently into the air. Cloak of levitation until he decided to alter its appearance to the coat he is wearing so it blended in more when he was out amongst the populace. He felt like flying rather than teleporting in the same way he arrived to give him time to think and clear his head a little. A night of revelations he had not expected.

He quickly flies towards New York until he reaches a 3 storey red brick manor style building sitting at a junction of several roads. It is the Sanctum Sanctorum, built at a focal point for supernatural energies and at a juncture of many realities and dimensions. As Sorcerer Supreme it is Stephen's job to make sure nothing untoward enters this world from any other. He and the other sorcerers are its guardians.

Stephen lands outside, hidden from mortal sight by a simple cloaking spell, and heads inside. Upon entering the lobby he finds waiting for him a fairly tall, athletic-looking Asian man, in his late twenties, with a shaved-bald head, and dark eyes, clad in simple white pants and a green silk shirt.

"Wong," Stephen greets his apprentice and friend.

Wong smiles slightly. "Dr Strange. A productive evening I assume," he jests at the intense look on his friend's face.

Stephen takes the humour for what it is. "Much to meditate on my friend," is all he will say at the moment. He will discuss Wanda with Wong in time after he has thought on it. He turns his attention to another matter briefly. "Our students?" he inquires after his current crop of apprentices.

"Asleep," Wong informs him of their current state.

"Good. Good. That'll give me time to meditate in peace. While I am I require you to do a task for me," Stephen requests of his friend.

"Of course," Wong agrees without any hesitation. He is sworn to serve and assist the Doctor in anyway he can.

"Our archives stretch back centuries yes?"

"Many, many centuries Doctor," Wong confirms.

"Can you see if there is any reference to a Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux? She would have been born in France around 1574," he relays the details Charles gave him. He is hoping if there is a record it will give him more details on the Countess' magic and therefore a basis on which he can begin to search for her.

"I shall look."

"Thank you Wong."

Wong bows slightly before departing for the the archives.

Stephen then makes his way to his study to meditate on the issues at hand. The walk there, as always, is a rather unique one in a house that is larger on the inside than it appears and whose perception constantly shifts and changes. It was designed to be a useful lesson for all those learning magic. It took weeks before Stephen himself stopped getting lost when he first started learning the mystic arts.

He enters his study and moves to a portrait of his teacher, the Ancient One. "The day you warned me about has come," he says in reference to Wanda and what she potentially is. "Now I must choose whether to obey or defy you," he says, his voice strained at such a difficult decision. He either follows the policy laid down and ends Wanda's existence as it is or does not and trains her with all the risks that brings. That is what he must meditate on...and not just that.

Stephen had not asked Charles about it but there is the boy. Not the one in the red glasses who opened the door for him. The tall one with curly dark hair that stood behind him. The power Stephen had sensed radiating off him in waves was like nothing he had ever sensed before.

A nexus and an unknown being of great power both under the same roof. Only Charles could manage that feat Stephen has to wryly think to himself.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Long day. That is the tired thought going through Charles' mind as he rolls his wheelchair next to his bed as he prepares to end this night. Tomorrow will most likely be a long day as well so he needs to get some rest.

He is just preparing to go through the effort of getting out of his wheelchair and into bed when the chair suddenly slides across the floor so violently Charles has to hold on or risk falling out. He stops by the window.

Charles takes a moment to regather himself when he spots the flash out of the corner of his eye of a purple cape flapping in the breeze. Charles pushes his window open. "Hello Erik," he greets his old friend, a little surprised to see him but not completely, as the Master of Magnetism floats outside his window.

"Charles," Magneto says back in acknowledgement.

"Miss Van Haaften?" Charles assumes what brings Magneto here.

"Yes," Magneto confirms what took him awhile to discover that the police had allowed Charles to take Puzzler.

"She is down in the infirmary."

Magneto's body tenses slightly in worry. "Is she hurt?"

"Physically she will be fine. She's just exhausted."

"What has transpired here today Charles? I know magic was involved in some way."

Charles' eyebrows rise slightly in surprise at how Magneto knows that.

Magneto folds his arms across his chest. "I have my sources," is all he says.

"Let us be honest for one minute Erik. If you are genuinely concerned for the girl I will not stop you taking her if that is what she wants. You know I will not hold anyone here against their will."

"Very well," Magneto concedes for 1 minute and he informs Charles about Mystique.

Charles ponders. "I wonder. Mystique's mind is formidable. It is possible rather than go through the effort of trying to control her they just put her to sleep."

"Who is they?" Magneto wishes to know. He agrees with Charles' postulation about placing Mystique to sleep.

For the 2nd time tonight Charles summarises the story as briefly as he feels he can get away with and omitting any detail he does not want Magneto to know. For example that Isobel escaped because Charles knows Magneto would not hesitate to hunt her down despite the innocent person whose body she has taken over. Charles will not allow Lana to be harmed when there is still the possibility of saving her.

Under his helmet Magneto's face darkens. "My daughter was possessed?" he almost accuses and blames Charles.

"She is fine now. We defeated the witches and freed her. She is sleeping at the moment."

"How is Wanda doing?" Magneto asks, in a slightly softer, more fatherly concerned, sounding tone.

Charles sees no reason not to inform Magneto of his daughter's well-being. "Better. Her control over her powers has improved. Her temper is not quite as severe and she has made friends. I believe she is happy here."

"Good," Magneto says, genuinely meaning it. He has no desire to see Wanda unhappy. Really the opposite. He returns to the issue of Puzzler. "I wish to see Valerie."

"Very well," Charles consents.

* * *

Luckily being very late it is not too difficult to get Magneto down to the lower levels without being seen. Charles is thanking the heavens that Wanda is asleep. Her temper is not as severe, true, but her rage over her father has not lessened that much. If she saw him they will have to rebuild the mansion once more. Wanda's temper and rages are still something Charles is working on but it is taking time as she has a lot of hurt to work through.

The two old friends enter the infirmary where Beast is working late into the night assisted by Martha who, wishing to help out more, had taken a refresher on a first aid course she took years ago. Both freeze instantly at seeing who is accompanying Charles.

"It's alright," Charles assures both of them. "He is simply here for Valerie."

"I am," Magneto confirms as she walks over to the bed and looks the sleeping girl over.

"Magnus," Hank greets him using the name Magneto used when Hank first knew him.

"Henry," Magneto greets him back. "I am glad to see you have stopped fighting what you are," he says as a compliment that Hank stopped trying to repress his mutation.

"I am saddened to see you have stopped trying to fight the darkness inside you," Henry retorts.

"I simply have to come realise the truth."

"Which is?" Martha dares to ask.

"Must this _human_ be here," Magneto complains in some distaste at being in the company of one.

Charles can feel Martha's ire rising. _"Martha. I know you have a few __**choice**__ words for him but the girl is more important. Please not here," _Charles telepathically requests of her.

Charles can feel Martha's anger stew. She has had more than a few opinions she had wished to share with Magneto about his parenting skills...or lack of but she will stow them for the girl's sake.

"Please excuse me," Martha says. "I suddenly have a wish to be in better company," she adds before taking her leave, glaring at Magneto as she does so.

Hank blows out a breath. Martha Kent is not someone you mess with.

"I do not understand why you allow these _people _to stay here Charles," Magneto says, perplexed by his old friend's choices.

"I do not understand where you forgot your manners Erik," Charles fires back sternly. "You are a guest. Martha is part of the family and has been helping look after your daughter amongst much else. You must stop painting all humans with the same brush. Most are good and kind. Martha and Jonathan Kent are amongst the best and most kindest I have ever met."

"Then there are in the very small minority."

Charles pinches the bridge of his nose. This is an argument he and Erik have had to death.

"Tell me is their son a friend of my daughter?"

Charles looks up. He wonders...the way Magneto said with the same slight disdain as if Clark is human too. Has Erik's memory been altered like Lex's? "Yes," he says honestly. "Clark has been a very good friend to her as is he a good friend to all the students and they are his friends." Charles then takes a gamble here to test something. "And Clark is not the only human friend they have."

Magneto 'humphs' at that but doesn't correct Charles over Clark.

Charles makes a mental note of that for when he sees Stephen tomorrow.

"Tell me of Valerie," Magneto asks to know, looking at Hank.

Hank adjusts the small round glasses on his nose. "She is suffering from exhaustion. Her powers were forced beyond anything they naturally can do."

"Not to mention the mental trauma of having her body hijacked and transformed as it was," Charles adds, speaking softly out of his concern.

Magneto raises a hand and gently brushes some of Valerie's brown hair off her face.

"Hank could you give us a minute alone," Charles requests, wishing to be alone with Magneto.

"Of course. I am certain I have something else to do," Hank putters on aimlessly as he departs.

"Care to tell me who she is?" Charles asks Magneto.

"You remember my mentioning of Gijs?"

"Gijs? Your friend from the camp?" Charles recalls that to be.

"Yes. Gijs Van Haaften," Magneto gives the full name unsure if he ever told Charles it or if his friend needs a reminder.

"She is his...granddaughter?" Charles guesses as he does the sum in his head.

Magneto nods to confirm that. "Gijs and I had a pact. Should one of us not survive we would watch out for the other's family. Even though he did I still feel obligated to look out for his kin now he has passed on. Valerie is the last of his family...and I always keep my promises. Whatever else you now think of me Charles that has not changed."

"I have questions."

Magneto can guess what questions those are. "I have no doubt but I shall not answer them," he tells Charles and means it.

"Just the one then. Are you her legal guardian?"

"Yes."

"Then I won't stop you taking her but if you use her to promote your agenda then my X-Men will not hesitate to stop her and you."

Magneto smiles slightly, odd as it sounds, at the blunt truth Charles gives of the situation that now exists between them. "Always clear where we stand now aren't we," he says sadly.

"I wish it were different," Charles says with a little longing but he knows Magneto won't change his views and neither will Charles.

"As do I," Magneto returns the sentiment. He turns his attention to Valerie. "Val," he speaks her name sternly.

Valerie's eyes flutter open barely. "Uncle Erik?" she queries through tired eyes in tired tones.

"I am here. I will take you home now," Magneto promises her.

Valerie manages an exhausted smile at that.

"Only if you wish Valerie," Charles adds. "It's up to you. You can stay here at my Institute if you desire or go with Magneto."

Val looks at the Professor with a tired, puzzled expression. "You said you were friends?"

"We are. We have some disagreements which you probably know about."

Well yes. Uncle Erik had told her about the Professor obviously. She has been living here in Bayville for months.

Valerie thinks, her mind fogged up with messy, sketchy memories of her transformation. That experience drives her to want one thing. "Uncle Erik is family. I want to be with my family."

Charles smiles kindly at her. "I understand."

Valerie smiles a little in return before exhaustion takes over and her eyes flutter shut one more and she falls back asleep.

Magneto slides his arms under her and gently lifts her. "Thank you Charles," he appreciates his friend's care. The fact Charles tried to recruit her was to be expected so Magneto was not particular annoyed at it. It is in Charles' nature.

"Thanks are not necessary," Charles says with his usual modesty. The girl needed help. He provided it. Simple as that.

"I will tell you that you no longer have to concern yourself with the Brotherhood. They are leaving with me tonight. This place has outlived its usefulness to me."

Charles wonders what Magneto means by that but he can't do anything to stop him. Anyone who comes to the mansion must be there because they choose to so if the Brotherhood choose to leave town, with Magneto, Charles will let them and hope one day they will see the rightness of his cause instead of Magneto's but, as he said, if Magneto tries to instigate a war Charles will be there to stop him...so in a way he won't stop being concerned about the Brotherhood.

* * *

Instead of heading back up through the mansion Charles escorts Magneto to the hangar so he can leave that way.

"Farewell Charles," Magneto says.

"Farewell Erik. Any chance I can persuade you to change course?" Charles asks with a wry smile.

"This is the only course that ensures the future of our species which you, of course, will refute."

"Of course."

"We will see each other soon Charles only, once again, on opposing sides," Magneto says regretfully.

"In the meantime please take care of yourself. I would hate for someone else to beat me to your inevitable defeat," Charles jokes.

Magneto laughs, a sound Charles has not heard in years. He can still hear it as Magneto rises into the cold night sky and vanishes from sight. If Magneto can still laugh then perhaps, Charles muses to himself, just perhaps his old friend is not a completely lost cause just yet.

* * *

_Author's Note: I thought it might add some spice if there was a prophecy around Wanda that threatened she would bring about a great threat to the world. Magneto's appearance just ties up the loose end around Puzzler. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Dr Strange returns to help investigate exactly what happened with the spell Madeleine cast._


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

First thing the next morning is when Chloe and Lois are saying their farewells...or they would be if Lois was back from her night out.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go look for her?" Clark asks Chloe as the two friends wait next to Lois' car parked outside the mansion front door.

"No. She sent me a text. She's on her way back," Chloe says while waving her phone in Clark's direction to show him the message from Lois.

Clark frowns. He already wasn't in a brilliant mood since the other boys ambushed him and Scott last night to get 'details'. They got zilch from either him or Scott. Neither would ever break that kind of confidence and personal information.

A few minutes pass and sure enough Lois finally makes her appearance still dressed the way she was last night as she walks up the drive.

Chloe holds her wrist up and taps on her watch.

"I know. I know. Don't rub it in couz," Lois accepts she is late.

"Yeah. It's not something to cry over," Clark says with a teasing smirk.

Lois' eyes flash dangerously as she glares at him. Clark whistles innocently. "Can I grab a coffee first?" Lois asks.

"That's probably for the best," Chloe agrees. Lois walks past and into the mansion and Chloe then adds, "As is me driving." Lois stinks of alcohol and surely can't be fit to drive.

Chloe then notices Clark has wrinkled his nose in...disgust? "Ok spill it. What's the problem now?"

"Uh...um...err...I would rather not say. It's personal to Lois," Clark stumbles over his words nervously.

Chloe arches an eyebrow, folds her arms across her chest and taps her foot.

Oh gee Clark's dead. He can't resist that look. "Ok fine. I can smell that she got up to more than a little drinking last night."

"Such as?"

"Don't make me spell it out Chlo," Clark pleads pathetically.

From Clark's horribly embarrassed expression she can make a guess. "Would this involve certain _activities_ performed with a male of the human species?"

Clark nods.

"There's more isn't there," Chloe can assume from Clark's look

Clark nods once more and rubs the back of his neck. "I'm not sure you should mention this to her but I kinda recognise the scent on her."

"Who?"

"Um...Avalanche."

Chloe clamps a hand over her eyes and shakes her head. Only Lois.

* * *

**At the Boarding House...**

Magneto was a very patient man. He had learned throughout his life to be patient. However he draws the line at Avalanche vanishing off to wherever he vanished off to. This lack of leadership and discipline has been a fatal flaw in the Brotherhood. Perhaps it is all for the best they return with him where he can whip some discipline and focus into them before he assigns them another task.

As for this house he would leave Mystique to deal with the loose ends of one of her many identities. He had been informed she was awake. In fact she was here with him after Haze teleported them over.

Puzzler had been teleported to his base where she could receive proper care. He had a few mutant healers amongst his followers now on top of Sinister whom Magneto never wished to overly rely on for various reasons.

The door opens and in walks Avalanche, clothes slightly dishevelled and his pants' zipper open.

"Oh for the love of God," Mystique mutters. It didn't take any kind of telepathy to know what Lance had been up to. The goofy grin gives it away combined with his appearance.

"Avalanche," Magneto instantly reprimands the earth shaker.

Lance jumps. His mind had been on last night and Lois and that motel room and the bed and Lois naked and wow...just wow and he never noticed Magneto. "Uh...hi!" he says with a stupid wave.

"At least zip your pants up!" Mystique snaps at him. As if her mood needs worsened after what happened to her. She seriously dislikes magic.

Lance looks down and sees that they are undone. He quickly corrects that.

"You still with us?" Magneto wants to know.

Last night had been 1 night only. Lance understood that from the start. "I am," he relays what he had decided. For once he will live up to his commitments.

"Good. I had Haze teleport your belongings to your new quarters already. She'll be back momentarily."

Just as he says it the green haze that is Alicia begins to form until she appears and blinks her eyes as she adjusts to her surroundings.

Magneto turns to Mystique. "Wrap this up as swiftly as possible," he instructs her to liquidate what is left here.

"As you wish," Mystique says. She hadn't agreed 100% with Magneto's decision but can see where he is coming from. Apart from her daughter the entire Brotherhood had been exposed as mutants as her identity as a liar. After the incident at the school-board meeting she had continued to claim the girls were human so they could remain in school. That claim had been shown to be false. The situation here was beyond repair. It was over.

The part Mystique dislikes is that this will separate her from Kurt and Rogue. Ok so she didn't have much of a relationship with either of them but now she will be far away and unable to influence them and guide them...and they really need guidance considering both of them are dating humans.

Honestly. Humans!

Someone up there must really hate her.

Although she'll be damned if she can work out how that works when Rogue can't touch anyone. She frowns a little in confusion as if there is something she is not quite remembering as it relates to Rogue's boyfriend. She just feels like she is...missing something.

As Mystique struggles to recall what Alicia takes Magneto and Lance by their hands and teleports them away. A new phase for the Brotherhood was beginning.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

A short time later Lois is coffee fuelled and ready to go so the two girls say their farewells to everyone who is gathered outside to say goodbye.

"Well that was a party we soon won't forget," Tabby says with a grin as she bids farewell to Lois whom she really, really liked.

"Uh huh. Talked to him yet?" Lois asks, nodding her head at Sam.

"Ah...no."

"You should," Lois advises.

"I'm...kinda nervous," Tabby admits in a whisper. Usually she isn't but for some reason this time she is.

"Don't be. That boy's crazy for you. Auntie Lois knows these things," Lois assures Tabby to just go for it.

"You owe me a new set of clothes Lois!" Domino complains. "I'm never getting the bean smell out!"

Lois grins unapologetically. "Well some people should know when to refuse a bet!"

"You ever going to take that advice yourself one day Lo?" Chloe asks her cousin who never refuses a bet.

"Hey I have never taken a bet on I wasn't prepared to see through!" Lois protests.

"Yeah I bet there was a lot of _seeing through_," Chloe mutters in relation to what Clark told her about Lois and Avalanche.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! We should get going. It's a hell of a long drive." Chloe turns to the group. "If I hear anything on Lana I'll let you know," she promises them because Chloe will be doing everything in her power to find her friend.

Chloe and Lois walk to the car. Chloe looks back and spots Bobby. He was really cute and funny now she can remember it all. She thinks she might actually like him a little. "Lo you said I should live a little because it was my 18th right?"

"Yeah," Lois says warily, not sure what Chloe is thinking.

"Ok. Then I'm living a little," Chloe says as she turns round, marches right up to Bobby, grabs him by his shirt and kisses him firmly on the lips. Bobby's eyes widen in surprise as there are a few cat calls and wolf whistles from the other students at the sight.

Kiss done Chloe turns round and marches back to the car leaving a stunned Bobby wearing a goofy grin on his face.

"That's my girl," Lois compliments Chloe with a grin.

* * *

**Bayville High...**

Another Monday and for the students of the Xavier Institute another week of being stared at and having disparaging remarks whispered at them when it is thought they can't hear them or in the case of certain people, like Duncan Matthews, make these remarks when they can't be missed.

Clark is just getting his books from his locker. He still can't believe Chloe kissed Bobby. The prankster will be unbearable now. If it wasn't bad enough he was sort of dating Cat. That whole situation Clark was keeping out of as best he could. He likes Cat but doesn't really understand what she is doing seeing both Bobby and Roberto.

"You know I go away for one weekend and I miss out on a great big story. Why is that?"

Clark turns to his left to find, the just thought of, Cat Grant standing there, hands on hips, trying to look miffed. "Uh...karma?" he suggests.

Cat just breaks into a sudden snort of laughter at Clark's goofy expression. She wipes a tear from her eye. Was true though. She goes to visit her relatives and a huge mutant fight breaks out in Bayville and it involved Superman and Spider-Man. Boy when she misses out on something she really misses out on something. "So anyway we really need to get cracking...what's this?" Cat asks as Clark sticks a few pages of printed paper in front of her nose.

"A report on the fight in Bayville and by tomorrow I'll have a follow-up piece exploring the view of it from those left behind at the mansion," Clark tells her.

"Y-you already wrote an article?" she asks him totally surprised. She was about to say they should get cracking on that. She can't believe Clark has written it already.

"Yep."

"Don't you sleep?"

"I don't need a lot of sleep. I grew up on a farm. Long hours and early mornings are normal for me," Clark tells a truth if not the absolute truth.

"Mutie lover," someone mumbles at Clark as they pass him by.

"Get bent!" Cat lambastes them.

"Make me!"

"Any time pal! Name the place!" Cat dares the jackass who doesn't have the courage to follow up and walks away. "Honestly how do you live with that?" Cat asks Clark because she has seen him take it for weeks without complaint.

Clark shrugs. "You just do. Their opinions aren't important. I know who my friends are."

"You're one of a kind Clark," Cat compliments him.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

The Professor had waited until after the students left for school before he called a meeting of the instructors to go over everything that has occurred, including Magneto coming and taking Puzzler...which Martha was not happy about and had let Charles know in no uncertain terms. It had saved Logan the chewing out he was planning to give Chuck and added to that secret admiration he has for Martha.

"I understand your points Martha. I do," Charles says, agreeing with most of Martha's argument about how Magneto was not fit to be responsible for taking care of any child. "The issue is that as far as we can tell Erik is the girl's legal guardian and unlike Wanda she chose to leave. We cannot and will never make people stay here."

Martha frowns. She isn't happy at all.

"So are the goon squad really gone?" Logan asks in relation to the Brotherhood.

"Since Cerebro is needing even more repair than it was before I was going to ask if you could stop by the Boarding House sometime today, Logan, and investigate and confirm that."

"Sure," Logan agrees surprisingly quickly for the reason he wants to avoid Storm and the 'issue' between them and this is an excuse to get out of the mansion. So far he had done a good job of avoiding it and her.

"Now another issue is Wanda," Charles brings the topic round to.

"Yeah. I guess when we call her the Scarlet Witch we're being literal now," Dom says in a half-joke.

"There is that. As some of you may know Magneto was not the only guest we had last night. The friend I was attempting to contact also dropped by."

"I heard about that," Storm admits. "Who is this man?"

"His name is Dr Stephen Strange and he is Earth's Sorcerer Supreme."

"What is a Sorcerer Supreme?" Beast asks, still reeling from the fact that magic is real. As a scientist he didn't like the concept.

"He is Earth's supreme defender against mystical threats as well as the protector and teacher of those blessed with the gift of magic."

"Will he be able to find Lana?" Martha wonders. It upset her greatly to know that Lana was out there somewhere possessed. She knew Clark too was upset and kicking himself about it.

"He was not able to give a definite answer last night. I will talk to him more today about it. We will also need to talk to Wanda. She has a gift and like a mutant power she will need to learn how to control that gift. Stephen said he would consider teaching her."

"Only consider?" Ororo asks, puzzled.

Charles rubs his temple in a little nervous twitch. "He has concerns about the nature of her powers," he confesses and then goes onto explain what Stephen said last night about the threat Wanda may pose. "I disagreed with him about his concerns," he points out. "To me there is no difference than what we teach here. It is how power is used that defines it as good or evil."

"Well I agree with that," Hank says.

"As do I," Ororo adds her view.

"Yeah," Domino says in agreement. "If Dr Peculiar has a problem with Hexy tell him to take it up with me," she says in a protective streak she has developed for her students.

"I will let him know when he chooses to arrive," Charles assures Domino.

"In the meantime Wanda expressed a wish to get her hair cut this morning," Martha informs them. It had come a bit out of the blue Wanda mentioning it over breakfast. "Since Dr Strange is not here I see no reason why I won't just take her now," Martha reasons.

"I have no objection. I was planning a light day study wise for Wanda anyway," Charles replies.

* * *

Later that morning Wanda had returned from getting her hair cut. She had had her reasons but honestly she just prefers it short. She had let it grow out over the summer a little too much. She is just now finishing adding the red dye to the tips once again.

Wanda looks at herself in the mirror and gets a flashback of Madeleine looking into a mirror as she did that awful make-up. Wanda recoils from the mirror a few steps and covers her eyes.

_'It's only a memory and Madeleine is gone,' _she tells herself in her head over and over. She has worse memories than this and she copes so she'll cope with these ones as well. She takes a moment or 5 to repress. She's good at that. It'll help that she cut her hair and it is no longer physically possible to have it as Madeleine had it curled atop her head.

"_Wanda. May I see you in my office," _the Professor speaks telepathically to her.

Wanda didn't entirely like when the Professor did that. _"I'll be right there," _she says in reply.

Wanda takes a breath and heads off. She soon reaches the Professor's door, knocks and gets beckoned inside. There she spots the Professor is not alone. He is the company of another man with slightly greying hair and a beard.

"Wanda. Come," the Professor asks her to come inside the room. "There is someone I want you to meet. This is Stephen Strange. He is a sorcerer. He has come to help us with Isobel," is all Charles chooses to say right now. He's building up to the many issues surrounding Wanda.

"Hi," Wanda says warily and rather curtly which is her normal around new people.

"Hello Wanda," Stephen greets her with a charming smile. He had been here awhile as Charles gave him a fuller story than last night and was now eager to meet Wanda in person and make a better judgement on his next course of action.

"Please sit Wanda," the Professor requests holding his arm out at the empty chair prepared for her.

Wanda does so, rather confused about what is going on. "Why am I here?"

Charles cups his hands together on his desk. "Wanda what do you remember about the spell Madeleine cast in regards to Clark?"

Wanda looks uncertain and then turns her gaze to Stephen as if asking does the Professor really wish to talk about this.

Charles picks up Wanda's surface thoughts. "It's alright Wanda. I trust Stephen and we will inevitably have to discuss Clark at some point. I have already discussed this with Clark and his parents first thing this morning and to help you they all permitted us to discuss him freely."

Wanda relaxes a fraction and is deeply touched that Clark will let his secret be revealed if it helps her. He's always helping her. She never feels like she repays him enough. "I don't remember all of it," she says first off about the state of her memories. "I know she wanted to erase Clark's memory from everyone and I remember trying hard to alter the intent because it required to be consciously controlled but I don't know what happened or if I succeeded or what."

"You seemed to have done so to a degree. Lex has seemed to have forgotten who Clark is," Charles mentions but he will not mention Magneto. The last thing he needs is Wanda's temper flaring up. "Wanda what I wish to do is to take Stephen and I inside your memories and allow him to examine them. He can do so on a level I alone can't."

Wanda instantly tenses and her hands squeeze into fists. She hates the idea of people in her head.

Charles tries to mediate her concerns. "It will only be that memory, Wanda, and that memory alone. We shall see nothing else. We need to understand what has been done to help Clark."

At the mentioning of helping Clark Wanda's initial resistance lessens. After all Clark has done for her she figures she does owe him and this is one way to repay a little of her debt. "Just that memory?" she asks the Professor to confirm.

"Just that memory," Charles assures her.

"Ok," she concedes in a small voice.

"Thank you," Charles says gratefully. "Now close your eyes and concentrate on that moment Wanda."

Wanda does so.

Charles closes his eyes and reaches out to both Stephen and Wanda's mind. Since Stephen is practised in projecting himself onto the astral plane it isn't very hard to pull Stephen's mind into Wanda's head.

Charles and Stephen find their mental projections standing in the warehouse with Madeleine hovering above the arcane symbols she had drawn, her body glowing with scarlet red energy. Charles in a sense pauses the image.

Stephen walks over to the symbols on the floor so he may decipher it. He strokes his beard as he thinks. He can see what she was trying to do. He looks up at Wanda/Madeleine and is amazed at the power of the swirling mass of chaotic magical energy before him. He pulls out the Eye of Agamotto from his pocket. As a mystical object it exists simultaneously as both a physical object and as an astral one. Hence why it exists here as well. Stephen uses its power to see what was done.

Charles concentrates and pulls Wanda's mental image here so she appears next to him.

"Uh...where are we?" Wanda asks.

"Inside your memories," the Professor explains. "Does this seem correct?"

Wanda looks around. It was weird to see it from this perspective. "I think so."

"What were you trying to do Wanda?" Charles asks her in reference to the image in front of them. "Try and remember every detail."

Wanda's face becomes a mask of deep concentration. "She...Madeleine was trying to erase the memory of Clark and I knew if she succeeded we would both be doomed so I focussed all my effort on altering the spell so it wouldn't affect us...you know our friends...people we trust...you," she tries to explain.

Stephen turns to look at Wanda and cocks his head slightly. "What about people you don't like who knew about Clark? People who can't be trusted?"

"I never gave them much thought," Wanda admits.

"You have a theory," Charles guesses about Stephen.

"I can see a little of the spell starting to form. Can we move forward slowly?" Stephen requests so he may study the swirling energy. Even if Wanda never saw it, her mind recorded it in a way. The mind records everything even if we can't recall every detail. Combined with the Eye's power it is as good as being there.

Charles allows the memory to progress like a video going in slow motion. Stephen walks around studying the spell from every angle.

"Is that really me?" Wanda asks in disbelief as this being glowing with shimmering scarlet red energy.

Charles hadn't considered how Wanda might react to seeing herself. "It is you Wanda...but it is nothing to fear. As strange as this may sound Madeleine has helped reveal a part of yourself you never knew existed and in a way helped you on your journey."

"Helped isn't the word I would use," Wanda says in a dangerously low tone.

"You have every right to be angry Wanda," Charles can see the justification. "You were used in a way that was appalling. Let us see what was done first. Remember we are doing this for Clark as well as you."

Again the mention of Clark has Wanda forcibly reign in her temper.

The memory moves on as Madeleine builds up to the crescendo.

"I can see the spell altering here," Stephen says as he continues his close scrutiny of everything.

"You can?" Wanda queries.

Stephen smiles at her gently. "Yes. Come here. I'll show you," he offers and it might be a good way to begin for her to learn of magic.

Wanda looks to the Professor who nods for her to go ahead. Wanda walks over next to Stephen who points at the swirling energy. "Don't look at it. Look past it at the patterns that lie beneath and within."

Wanda looks into the swirling mass of energy but isn't sure what she is looking for.

"I'll make it a little easier for you," Stephen offers and waves his hand and chants a small spell.

Wanda continues to look and sees glowing lines of swirling patterns appear.

"There. That is the spell. As the written word, as music, have their own unique languages so does magic. If you know how to read the language it is as if reading a book. I'll demonstrate by translating what you see into something you can understand."

Wanda looks as the swirling lines reorder themselves into lines of intricate cursively written words like you see in some really old book.

"Now watch carefully," Stephen asks Wanda.

Wanda does so and the words and letters change before her eyes.

"That change there. That was you Wanda."

Wanda looks up at Stephen not quite believing what he is saying.

"It is you altering the intent of the spell. I think I can see what has happened now. You wanted to protect your friend above all else and the spell changed to meet your demand. Your wish to protect him made sure people you trusted kept their memories while people you didn't trust forgot his secrets, which is what Charles tells me happened with Lex Luthor. If I read this correctly the spell will have applied that to everyone who ever knew who Clark truly was and that you didn't want to know."

"My father? My brother?" Wanda queries as in does that apply to them because she would almost have a party in that case.

"I believe so. I...interesting," Stephen suddenly says as he spots something amongst the spell words.

"What is?"

"You care for Clark a great deal don't you?"

"Not like that!" Wanda snaps defensively. She can remember what Madeleine said about her desiring Clark which is so not true.

"I meant no offence. I only meant as a friend."

"Oh. Yes. I do care for him like that," Wanda agrees.

"Out of that care you sought to protect him by...this Clark is the hero called Superman isn't he?"

"H-How do you know that?"

"Because I read it," Stephen says pointing at a line of words.

Wanda looks and can see the words Clark and Superman mixed in. "What did I do?" she is almost afraid to ask.

"Some kind of perception alteration. In essence if anyone suspects Clark is Superman the spell will make them disregard that thought as folly. It is not that they can't see him. If he was to tell them it would break through the spell. It is just unless he does that they will just see Clark and Superman as two different people however illogical that might sound. No-one will look at Clark closely enough to see the truth. They'll see what I suspect is the image he tries to portray."

Wanda has to say that doesn't sound so bad. In fact it sounds like she did Clark a huge favour...well ok maybe repay the favours he had done for her. Anyway if this Strange guy is right she has done the best thing possible in her mind and wiped her father's knowledge about Clark out. She can't help having warm feelings at ruining her father's day.

The memory plays out until the spell wave spreads out across the world. The power again catches Stephen by surprise. No wonder he felt it even where he was.

With this trip over the 2 men and Wanda return to the office where they all take a minute to reacquaint themselves with their surroundings.

Charles has to say that was informative about Clark. He had always felt it necessary to hide and protect Clark's true nature as long as he could. Now it seemed to be even more secure than it was. That can be dealt with when Clark returns from school. Right now there is still the issue of Wanda's newly awakened magical abilities. "Wanda. We must discuss what to do, now we know you can perform magic," he raises with her as gently as possible.

"Yeah. I kinda figured," Wanda says sullenly. Wasn't hard to work out that something would need to be done.

"One of a sorcerer's most important tasks is passing on his knowledge and skills to the next generation," Stephen says in a grandiose style as this is important. "I meditated long and hard upon this last night Wanda and I decided, if you are willing to learn, I am willing to teach you."

In an ideal world Stephen would have liked a few days to think upon it. However Wanda's status as a nexus being made it imperative he made a quick decision so he went with his gut on the matter. He would disregard the set down convention for Wanda's existence and train her. In the end it boiled down to that while it may sound easy on paper to kill how could he, in all conscience, do so to a girl who had done nothing but exist. Now he thinks on it he, perhaps, should have raised stronger objections with the Ancient One about that particular policy. Seeing the memory and seeing Wanda's protective instincts...her desire to do good, to help her friend in anyway she could, has banished any lingering doubts he had about whether to take her on.

Wanda is a little put off. She's still not use to people being kind to her. "You are?"

"Yes. I am. However the initial training is quite intense and would require you to come stay with myself," Stephen has to inform her.

"I-I have to leave!" Wanda cries.

"No Wanda. You do not have to leave," Charles assures her, feeling the rising panic from her and it is panic. "No-one will force you to do anything but I ask you to take time to think on this long and hard. It is important to your future."

"D-do you want me to leave?" Wanda asks the Professor, anguish in her eyes at the idea of leaving her home.

"No. I told you Wanda that you may stay as long as you wish. I still hold to that and if you decide to stay we will try and help you with your new powers to the best of our ability."

"But nothing has happened," Wanda points out. "I haven't done any magic."

"You will," Stephen says in a deeply serious tone. "The power is awake now. Magic is more emotion than thought. Speech, speaking spells, is a tool to help us focus that energy to achieve what we desire but it can happen instinctively."

"So?" Wanda says with some hostility. "My powers have always been linked to my emotions but I have it under control."

Charles raises a sceptical eyebrow at that.

"Mostly," Wanda adds at the Professor's expression although there were many of the New Mutants who would argue with even that assertion after a DR session.

"What I offer Wanda is exactly that; an offer," Stephen says. He would never think of forcing her. It would never work unless she chooses to come learn from him under her own free will. "It is for you to refuse or accept as you desire. My preference is that you accept," he expresses his very strong desire. Wanda is exceptionally powerful and the longer she is left without guidance the greater chance she will cast a spell without meaning to and who knows what will happen then.

"All either of us ask is that you think about it," Charles says.

Conflicting thoughts run rampant through Wanda's mind. She needs some place to clear her head and think. "Can I go now?" she asks.

Charles nods his consent and Wanda gets up and departs. He sighs a little. "I wish I had had more time with her before this happened," he expresses a desire. He had tried to help Wanda work through her anger but she was very stubborn about not talking about her father which is a problem when it is obviously the root of her anger.

"The universe rarely gives us what we desire Charles," Stephen points out a fact of life.

Charles concedes that is true.

"Now may we speak about young Mr Kent?" Stephen moves the subject on with Wanda off thinking.

"I thought you might want to," Charles says as his way of saying he agrees to talk about it.

"He's a boy of remarkable power. I sensed that when I was in his presence last night."

"Clark is a remarkable person," Charles rounds out the description more.

"What he is not is a mutant."

"No. He is not. He is not of this world."

Confusion puckers Stephen's brow. "I had not sensed any dimensional breaches."

Charles chuckles. "Wrong type of other world. Try looking at the stars at night."

Understanding and astonishment forms on Stephen's face. "He is..."

"An alien," Charles fills in.

"Incredible," Stephen remarks.

"He is the last survivor of a world called Krypton."

"The last?"

Charles nods to confirm that.

_'That poor boy,'_ Stephen sympathises. How terribly lonely he must be.

"He came to Earth 14 years ago in the meteor shower that rained fire down upon Smallville."

Stephen stops and stares at Charles. The words he just said stir a memory.

"Oh no," Charles says at Stephen's expression. It is almost identical to the one from last night when he discovered what Wanda was. "What is it now?"

"One moment," Stephen says as he once more fishes out the Eye of Agamotto from his pocket. Normally it goes around his neck but that's a bit flashy for every day wear. "Show me Clark Kent," he commands the eye which opens and shows Clark sitting in class.

"Charles you never cease to amaze me," Stephen says as he examines Clark.

"How so?" Charles asks in a light tone.

"To have one nexus being under your roof is a miracle. To have two is fate."

"Clark? What do you see Stephen?"

"Reality twists around Wanda. Around young Mr Kent I can see the lines of destiny twist."

"Don't we make our own destiny?"

"Think of life as a road," Stephen starts to explain. "Fate are the different paths, destiny is the end result of those paths. Your choices can determine what destiny you have but sooner or later you reach a point where there is no turn off the path you are on...unless you happen to bump into young Mr Kent here. Somehow, for some reason, he has the ability to alter the destiny of anyone he touches. I would have thought it impossible but the Eye does not lie."

"That doesn't explain your initial look," Charles returns to that.

"Your words. They remind me of a prophesy I know. 'A rain of fire will signal the descent of the Star Child. He will be as a God though not born as one and his light will sweep away the darkness that troubles our world.'"

Charles is well aware of the power of prophecies. He and Magneto once, long ago, raced each other to find the mutant Irene Adler, to try and foresee the future. Magneto wanted it, of course, to assist him in his quest for a world of mutant domination. Irene got the last laugh on both of them because she saw them coming and had made sure to not be there but leave behind one of her infuriating cryptic messages about the future that could be interpreted in many ways.

"You said Star Child," Charles repeats those 2 words.

"Yes," Stephen confirms.

"Clark's Kryptonian name is Kal-El which he informed me once literally translates to Star Child."

"Then it is him," Stephen can conclude the prophecy refers to.

"You still have that look like the world is about to end," Charles points out.

"I don't believe it is any time soon," Stephen jokes lightly. "However that prophecy is known by many who inhabit the darkness and they fear it," he begins to explain his expression.

"Why?"

"They take the meaning to say that the Star Child will sweep them away with the darkness. If they knew he was here they would do all in their power to destroy him for they believe he will bring about their destruction," Stephen has to inform Charles of the potential threat to Clark.

"Then they really don't know him. Clark would not destroy beings even such as those. He believes anyone is capable of doing good if given a chance."

"A good belief to have. As for those residents of dark places they obviously don't realise that Superman is the Star Child or they would have already acted. I will do what I can to keep them off the scent but if he continues to publicly use his powers one day one of them will figure out who he is."

"Then they will find Clark has many good friends," Charles points out in that he and the X-Men would defend Clark.

"And I would assist," Stephen offers his services.

"Thank you," Charles says gratefully. "Now about Isobel?" he queries upon that issue.

"Yes. I had Wong do a search for any record we have of her. They're sketchy but there is enough information there abut her for me to attempt to locate her. I intend to go to the last place you saw her and try and pick up her trail."

"You must be wary of the caves in Smallville. They are an outpost of Clark's race and the place we last saw her is sealed by a field even you may not be able to penetrate. It is to protect it and keep it hidden."

Stephen looks at Charles. "I get the impression there is much about Clark Kent you haven't revealed."

Charles smiles. "Perhaps a little but perhaps you can be of assistance. We are on the same quest as Isobel and I wonder if you have any information on what she seeks."

"I can certainly have a look through our records," Stephen offers to help. "What is it precisely you are seeking?"

"Have you ever heard of the 3 Stones of Power?" Charles asks, using the term Isobel did for the stones.

* * *

In search of a place to think Wanda had ended up on the roof on the central section of the mansion. It's flat and far away from any distraction. The view over the ocean was...nice.

More importantly it's peaceful. No-one ever really comes up here unless the roof needs fixed or the satellite dish needs realigned...and it was so not her fault last time that happened. It was a pure coincidence that it happened immediately after her temper had snapped.

Wanda sits herself down, cross-legged, and closes her eyes. She lets the breeze wash over her face.

The choice on the face of it is simple. She stays here or she goes with this Dr Strange.

If she goes...IF, what would that mean? It would mean leaving the place she has come to call her home. It would mean leaving the people that are her friends. It would mean being away from Rogue...ok that's one for the pro leaving column she thinks to herself with a small laugh.

It would mean...would it mean less chance of finding her father? She hasn't forgotten about him...she'll never forget about him or what he did to her. It is just...well her need for vengeance hasn't seemed as urgent lately. Sooner or later they'll come across him. It is only a matter of time before he embarks on another of his crazy take over the world attempts and Wands swears she will be there to confront him.

It seems to her there is a better chance of meeting her father if she stays. That's one for the pro staying column.

It is not like she can't see the obvious fact that it would be helpful to learn about her new powers with Dr Strange. Wanda isn't stupid...despite what Rogue may have said once upon a time. Annoying southern cow!

_'Ok Wanda. Breathe. Relax. No need to blow up the mansion. She isn't worth it,' _Wanda tells herself. She tolerates Rogue for Clark's sake.

Back on subject. Leave or stay? Leave or stay?

Wanda debates it around and around in her head for awhile.

Eventually Wanda concludes that in the end it is about what she wants. For much of her life what she wanted didn't matter. She didn't want to go to the..._place_ and be abandoned but it happened anyway. In the..._place _her wants were dismissed as the symptoms of an ill mind.

Her hands clench into fists at the memory. She was not crazy. She is not crazy!

What does Wanda want?

As she thinks of answer to that memories of her friends and the good times she has had here come to the surface.

What does Wanda want?

If she goes with her first instinct what she wants is to stay.

Yes. She wants to stay.

She won't tell the Professor yet. She'll let it chew over in her mind for a day or two. She owes the Professor that much of a courtesy but she doesn't believe her mind will change.

"You alright Wanda?"

Wanda's brow quirks in confusion. That sounds like Clark but surely it's too early for him to be home...unless she fast forwarded through time or something?

Wanda laughs at herself...a rare thing. That's just silly.

Wanda opens her eyes. "I'm...whoa!" she yells as she finds herself floating high above the roof...above Clark's height above the roof. In fact she is looking down at him.

Next thing Wanda knows she is falling. Clark catches her and her hands automatically link themselves around his neck.

He looks at her with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "And I thought my flying sucked," he jokes.

Wanda rolls her eyes and slaps him. "You are not funny," she tells him off.

Clark chuckles as he puts Wanda down. He was just coming home from school when he spotted Wanda floating high above the roof and leapt up to check on her since last he checked defying gravity was not one of her abilities. "So did you meet with Dr Strange?" he asks her.

"Yeah. I was just up here thinking about it. We...um, we sort of figured out what happened with Madeleine's spell."

Clark looks at her expectantly and Wanda does her best to explain it, how people will just not really put it together that Clark is Superman and how, they believe, that people like her father who did know probably don't now. "The Professor can probably explain it better," she points out, feeling she probably can't explain it all that well.

"I'll talk to him...but thank you Wanda."

"For?" she asks, clearly confused.

"For everything. You protected my secret from Madeleine and I never really thanked you properly."

"It was nothing. You saved me from my father. It was the least I could do."

"No. It wasn't. This is why you're better than him."

Clark has said that to her before and she didn't really agree with him but it's nice to hear and it makes her smile.

"You need to do that more often," Clark says, pointing at her face.

"What?"

"Smile."

"Don't count on it. I have a lot of repressed anger so the Professor tells me."

"Everyone has a temper," Clark dismisses that.

"Even you?"

"Even me," Clark can confirm. His temper in the caves almost gave her a concussion after all. "So the floating?"

"Um...yeah. Don't know how that happened," Wanda confesses.

"You'll figure it out," he assures her before he looks Wanda over. "You look different," he comments.

"In what way?"

Clark snaps his fingers and points at her head. "You did something new with your hair."

"Really. Wow you noticed I had half a foot cut off. No wonder you're a reporter with observation skills like that," she says sarcastically.

"I don't have to stand here and be mocked," he pouts.

"Why? Do you usually get mocked sitting down?" Wanda quips.

"Oh look who finally found her sense of humour."

"I'm amazed you recognise what one is."

Clark bursts into a fit of laughter and Wanda joins him. "Do you need a lift down?" he asks her.

Wanda shakes her head. "Thanks but no. I'll just use the roof access."

"Suit yourself," Clark accepts her choice. He turns and walks to the edge. "If you need to talk I'm here," he offers.

"I know," she says softly, her expression deeply appreciative of that fact.

Clark then jumps off the roof and drops to the ground.

* * *

"So what's the story with the floating?"

Wanda is starting to think she should have stayed on the roof. She came back down to her room...her room she shares with Tabby who can't help but nose her way into everyone's business. See last night for example which Wanda had totally washed her hands of. Why on earth would she wish to hear anything of Jean's and Rogue's sex lives. "Shouldn't you be making out with a blond farmboy by now?" Wanda retorts in relation to Tabby's obvious and widely known fondness for Sam and as a way to avoid talking about something she doesn't understand as of yet.

"Shouldn't you be making out with a dark haired one?" Tabby asks back with that infuriating grin of hers.

"What?" Wanda demands to know, her expression stern and her hands on her hips.

"Oh please. The way your face lights up around Clark it is so obvious you have a crush on him."

"I do not!" Wanda yells angrily. She can remember Madeleine making a similar remark and Wanda will not take that when it's not true. "And besides he has a girlfriend remember?"

"Hard to forget when your best friend tried to kill her a few months back."

"Now you're exaggerating."

"Am I?" Tabby challenges.

"Yes because..." Wanda trails off. "Oh I see what you're trying. Forget it. I am not talking about it," she repeats her assertion. "And the floating thing..." Wanda rubs her hands unsure what to say. "I don't know how to explain that...and I do not have a crush on Clark!" she insists.

Tabby groans. Neither Rogue nor Wanda would talk about it and it's been months now and it is driving Tabby nuts not knowing what caused it. She decides to let the floating thing pass for now and as for Clark...Tabby is pretty certain Wanda is in fact crushing on him without realising it which is entirely possible. Wanda was locked up for a long time. Her emotions in relation to guys are behind where they should be for someone her age...and yes Tabby can be very philosophical when she chooses. Tabby changes topic seeing that she is getting nowhere with any of those 3. "Did ya hear? The Brotherhood's gone."

"They are?" Wanda says with some surprise.

Tabby nods. "Badger went to check on them after the Prof asked him and 'poof' they're no more. I think he only found Mystique. I know Logan won't admit it but I think they got into a punch-up," she can guess from the foul mood she has seen him in. Tabby laughs. "Man I would have loved to have seen that."

"How did you hear about it?"

"I overheard Mr and Mrs K talking. They took that Puzzler girl away with them as well."

"When?" Wanda asks because surely she would have noticed that...unless it was when she was up on the roof. She did lose track of time.

"Don't know," Tabby admits because Mr and Mrs Kent spotted her trying to eavesdrop and clammed up.

"Why would the Professor just let her leave?"

"Because she wanted to according to Mrs K," Tabby reiterates a part of it she did hear. "The Prof won't keep people here against their will. You know that."

Wanda does know that better than most. "So they're just gone?"

"Yeah but I'm sure we'll meet them again. No doubt due to one of your father's crazy schemes."

Wanda can agree with that.

"Sorry that your brother's gone?"

Wanda snorts derisively. "Only in Pietro's twisted little head would the answer to that be yes. Good riddance. He can't be far enough away," she says with close to hatred for her conniving no-good twin.

There is a sudden knock on the door that interrupts this conversation. Tabby bounds over to it, opens it and her eyes widen. "S-Sammy?" she squeaks.

Wanda can't help but take joy from Tabby's awkward moment. "I'll leave you two alone," she says, all the while smiling gleefully as she walks past.

Tabby swallows. She has been avoiding Sam because...for once even her wild-child, impulsive, attitude has been squashed by fear. "D-do you want to come in?"

Sam nods and walks inside. He's nervous about this. He wasn't sure what to do about what he now remembered...and he badly regrets asking the others for advice on that subject...especially Bobby. Just because he gets one lucky kiss out of Chloe does not make him God's gift to women no matter how much Bobby claims it to be so. Anyway Sam had decided, after much pestering from his so-called friends, that he and Tabby needed to talk about her wanting to be his girlfriend and the kiss they shared...and good god what a kiss that was. Sam can still feel the heat of it all the way to his toes.

"Look Sammy/Look Tabby..." they both say at the same time.

"Sorry," they says in stereo.

Sam gestures for her to go first. It's the southern gent in him.

"Ok I'll just say it," Tabby decides. "I really, really like you and I want to give you the pleasure of dating yours truly."

"Give ya tha pleasure huh?" Sam says with a wry smile.

A cocky grin comes to Tabby's face. "Are you implying it wouldn't be a pleasure?" she challenges him.

"No. Ah'm sure it would be."

"Then it's settled. You can take me out tonight!"

"Ah...what?" Sam asks, wondering how they suddenly got to this juncture.

"Date. Tonight. Short notice I know but life is all about living. Just ask Chloe." That, by the way, was freakin brilliant this morning. Tabby has to admire her fellow blond for just going for it.

"Ah...what?" Sam repeats, still lost.

Tabby grabs Sam's hand and leads him back to the door. "Now you go get dressed into something nice," she advises him.

"Ah...what?"

Tabby is trying real hard not to laugh. Oh if she knew it would be this easy she wouldn't have fretted half as much. Tabby leans forward and kisses Sam on the lips. "A little taster for what's later," she promises him in sultry tones. "Now I have to get dressed. Be back here at 7 sharp!" she orders before she closes the door on him.

"Ah...what?" Sam repeats having no idea what just happened to him. One day in the future he'll just refer to moments like this as what happens when Hurricane Tabby hits you.

* * *

_Author's Note: So a question anyone asks is how does no-one see Clark is Superman? Answer; Wanda's unintentional spell casting making it so no-one does. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Wanda's control over her magical powers leaves a lot to be desired._


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The next morning Wanda's brow furrows as the annoying _beep beep _of the alarm clock penetrates her consciousness. She raises a hand which glows blue and the alarm makes a noise like it is being strangled as Wanda sends it to wherever alarm clocks go when they depart this life.

"You'll be buying a new one of those Hex-girl," a familiar gruff voice says.

Wanda cracks an eye open and peers toward the light flooding in through the door and can see the vague outline of Logan standing there.

Is Wanda surprised to see him?

The answer is no because he is almost always there because Tabby tends to refuse to get up in the mornings and considering Tabby was home late from her date with Sam last night Wanda guesses Logan was making doubly sure.

"Up and at them Time Bomb!" he shouts.

"Screw you," Tabby mutters into her pillow.

Amara, Wanda's other room-mate, mutters something in her native Latin that Wanda doesn't catch.

"You have 5 minutes and then I'm dumping ya into the shower and running it ice cold," Logan threatens before moving on to the next person he has to wake up.

Wanda groans and rolls onto her back, throwing an arm over her eyes as she does so. She hates these early morning DR sessions. Whoever thought it a good idea to run kids through simulations in a room full of lethal death traps needs shot...except she is pretty sure it was all Logan's idea and shooting him doesn't do any permanent damage.

With a deep breath Wanda decides to get up and at least get into the shower before all the hot water is used up...or Bobby ices it...again. He seriously needs to come up with something original. It is like his whole brain is only wired to pull ice-related pranks.

Wanda throws her covers back, swivels her hips round and plants her bare feet on the ground. She stands herself up, stretches her arms out above her head and heads for the shower. She peels her nightshirt off, steps in and runs the water.

Wanda closes her eyes and enjoys the feel of the hot water. It'll help wake her up.

Wanda then frowns as the sensation of water hitting her skin stops. "Oh come on," she complains at what she thinks is the plumbing on the blink.

Wanda opens her eyes which widen further at seeing the water from the shower head flowing up and collecting on the ceiling. "O-Ok," Wanda says, her voice shaking with uncertainty. "That's new," she remarks because, even for all the strange effects her powers can have, this has never happened before.

The way the water looked and moved with the light refracting through it was sort of pretty...like rainbows. Yes she likes rainbows.

As she watches, the water starts to change and become properly rainbow coloured as the varying colours mix and flow around each other. "Uh..." she says, completely clueless as to what to do.

_'Was this her magical powers?'_ she asks herself. Nothing had happened on that front...except the floating thing. The fact that last night the curtains caught fire while she was stirring her drink with her finger was complete coincidence. It had to be...Amara or Roberto's doing even if they denied it.

Wanda stares at the water a bit longer wondering how she stops this and gets it down.

As she thinks it the whole lot falls down atop of her soaking her through and she cries out in shock.

"Wanda!" Amara's voice yells through the door. "You alright?" she asks.

"Uh...yes!"

"Why were you yelling?"

"Um...err...the water just went cold suddenly!" Wanda thinks up.

"Already!" Amara exclaims in surprise.

"One of those days I guess! I'll just be a minute!"

Luckily by now the multicoloured water has flowed away down the drain. Wanda doesn't want anyone to see that because that would mean she can't control her new powers which only leads in her mind to having to leave.

No. She has control. Her mutant powers were difficult at first as well and she mastered them...mostly. She doesn't want to leave.

_'I'm in control. I'm in control,' _she repeats over and over in her head.

Determination renewed Wanda exits the shower and gets ready for the day ahead.

Breakfast is the usual chaos. Tabby is talking Wanda's ear off about her date with Sam. Wanda is going to go with Tabby thinks it went well and Sam seems to have a large goofy grin on his face so it probably did.

Wanda pours herself a glass of milk.

"Hey. Who has tha milk?" Rogue shouts across the table.

Rogue. That girl always puts Wanda into a sour mood. "I do," she says and hands it over.

Rogue's face takes on an identical expression of unhappiness to Wanda's as she takes the carton.

Rogue pours herself a glass and brings it to her lips. She takes a gulp...and then proceeds to spit it out everywhere.

"EW! Rogue!" Kitty complains as bits of spit out milk hit her.

Rogue coughs and splutters. "Oh mah God! That's awful! It's so sour tastin!"

Wanda who is drinking her own milk down can't see what Rogue is on about. Taste's fine to her.

"What did ya do?" Rogue demands to know and Wanda finds herself under the intense angry glare of Rogue's green eyes.

"Nothing," Wanda replies.

"Lies! Ya did something!"

Wanda stands up. "Read my lips. I. Did. Nothing. Is that simple enough for you or do I need to dumb it down further to match your IQ!"

Rogue visibly seethes as she stands up and the two girls lean over the table glaring at each other. "Apologise!" Rogue demands.

Wanda laughs mockingly. "No!"

"Ya apologise or ah am warnin' ya!" Rogue threatens.

"Bring it on!" Wanda dares her.

Suddenly a hand comes down in between the two girls' faces. "Ok. That's enough!" Clark's stern tones demand an end to this. Since he rarely raises his voice it gets everyone's attention.

Rogue and Wanda look at him.

"But Clark..." Rogue starts to protest.

"Rogue. Do you have proof Wanda did anything?"

"It was fahne until she touched it!"

"That wasn't what I asked," Clark says.

"You're takin' her side!" Rogue exclaims in disbelief, pointing at Wanda.

"I'm not taking anyone's side. I asked a question. Do you have proof?"

"Well no..." Rogue has to reluctantly admit.

Clark turns to Wanda. "Wanda did you do anything to the milk?" he asks her.

"Are you accusing me?" Wanda asks incredulously.

"No. I'm asking a question," Clark voice remains calm but firm. His eyes bore into Wanda.

"As much as I may have liked to," Wanda says waspishly, "no. I didn't." And as far as Wanda is aware she didn't do anything.

Rogue snorts derisively. "As if ah'm goin ta believe that."

"I don't care what you believe. In fact I don't care what you think at all!" Wanda replies to that.

"This has got to stop," Clark says, tried of the constant bickering or cold silences between Rogue and Wanda. "Look I don't know what it is between you two...mostly because you won't tell me and I have been really, really patient but my patience has limits. Honestly of all the people around here you two should get along," he mutters absently.

"What do you mean by THAT?" Rogue and Wanda yell at him, demanding to know.

"That you have more in common than you care to admit."

"We do not!" the two girls yell at him and then glare at each other. For a few seconds everyone wonders if they will end up brawling again before they stomp out of the kitchen using opposite doors.

Clark runs his hand through his hair in frustration and lets out a long painful sigh.

"Boy are you in the doghouse," Ray remarks with an amused expression.

"Thanks for clarifying that Ray," Clark says sarcastically. He already knew that from Rogue's expression alone.

A hand comes to rest on Clark's broad shoulder. "It was a nice try honey," his mother tries to make him feel better. She too was tired of the tension between Rogue and Wanda and could see Clark tried at least to point out they have a lot in common.

"This can't go on," Clark determines.

"Vhat vill you do?" Kurt asks him.

"I don't know but we've got to find a solution. This has dragged on way too long."

"What's this we bit?" Bobby asks, bits of cereal being spit out of his full mouth as he speaks.

"Robert!" Martha snaps at him. "Swallow first. Speak second," she reprimands his bad manners.

"Sorry," he apologises...his mouth still full. Martha looks to the heavens for strength.

"Well you have good luck with that," Roberto tells Clark, showing how he is not getting involved.

Clark once more runs his hand through his hair in frustration. Honestly he loves Rogue and he said he would be patient for the answer but it's been a month since he returned and he isn't any closer to getting one. No. This cannot get on and Clark decides one way or another he'll get to the truth.

* * *

Wanda cannot believe what Clark said about her and Rogue having something in common.

PLEASE!

The only thing they have in common is their mutual dislike of each other which is something Wanda is perfectly happy about.

She stomps her way down to the changing rooms in the lower levels. Smashing the Danger Room apart will be a good release of her anger.

Wanda gets dressed into her Scarlet Witch gear. Her scarlet red top and pants. Black boots and fingerless gloves and long red coat. When she first started with the New Mutants they complained bitterly about how she got a costume and they had to wear the standard new recruit uniforms. Wanda wasn't wearing one of those in a million years. The only compromise she ever made was a belt buckle with a X on it.

Soon enough the rest of the New Mutants show up...with Logan physically dragging a couple of them into the Danger Room still looking half-asleep.

"Listen up!" he speaks loudly to get their attention. "I'm going to be nice and lenient on ya this morning."

The New Mutants all loudly scoff at that.

"All ya have to do it get from once side of the room to the other," Logan tells them before looking up to the control room. "Fire it up Jinx!" he shouts at Domino who is manning it.

"Sure skip. You want fries with that?" Domino quips back over the loudspeaker which makes the New Mutants laugh.

Logan growls. One of these days he swears, cousin or not, he will gut her. He stomps out of the room which soon activates. The holograms fire up to make a much larger room pitted with weapons of all sorts.

"Hey!" Tabby protests. "I thought all you said we had to was get across the room!" she shouts.

Logan's voice comes over the loudspeaker. "I never said which room though did I," he says and you can hear the smirk in his voice.

"Jerk," Tabby mutters.

"Easy Tabby," Sam says. He had over the last few months essentially become the leader of the group. He had a gift for it as it turned out.

Sam turns to the task at hand. Logan never makes these things easy. He thinks through the first move. "Alright. Iceman, Sunspot, Multiple, you will draw their fire," he decides. Bobby and Sunspot can move the fastest and dodge being hit and Jamie can just make expendable dupes. "Boom Boom, Magma, Scarlet Witch, Berzerker, you, along with meh, will take down the weapons."

There were too many to just try and storm across the room. They would have to thin out the defences first before trying to make it to the other side. That's what Sam thinks anyway.

"Ooh Sammy. It's such a turn on when you take charge," Tabby enthuses with a saucy wink.

Sam blushes at that.

"Today people!" Logan complains at them to get started.

"It's called planning a strategy!" Tabby shouts at him, defending her Sammy, as every good girlfriend should.

"She has you there," Domino says to Logan as she sits there, her feet up on the controls.

Logan shoves her feet off which earns him a small glare.

"Ok. Lets do it," Sam orders.

Bobby turns into his ice form while Roberto activates his powers and he turns completely black, licked by fire around the edges...just like his namesake, Sunspot. Jamie stamps his foot and creates several dupes. More than he meant to. He still can't quite control how many copies of himself he makes.

The dupes go first to draw the initial fire. They'll go down but that's acceptable and expected.

With the initial fire drawn Sunspot flies into action as Iceman slides into action. The turret weapons start to divide their fire at the multiple targets.

"Right. Our turn. Hit them hard," Sam orders. "Cannonball!" he yells as he takes off through the air smashing into turrets high up on the wall as Tabby conjures up her time bombs and rolls them across the floor. When they explode they can take out anything hidden under the floor.

Amara transforms into her fire form as her body completely changes into a dark magma-like orange with flames licking around her edges. She raises her hands and releases a stream of fire as she starts to melt the various turrets.

Ray rubs his hands together as a charge builds up between them before he launches an electrical attack causing the turret he strikes to overload and explode.

Wanda summons up her hex bolts. Just nice and simple she has decided today. She hits a turret which malfunctions and like Ray she causes it to short and overload. Nice and simple but oh so satisfying after her shouting match with Rogue...and maybe she is just imagining Rogue's face on everything she hits this morning. Wanda's hand glow with the radiant blue/black energy only what she doesn't notice are the flecks of scarlet red within.

Up in the control room Domino quirks an eyebrow as the system readings fluctuate a bit. Wasn't beyond normal parameters but it was odd. "You know they're not bad now," she remarks to Logan about the performance the New Mutants put in.

Logan will admit they've improved, especially since Hayseed stepped up and took on a leadership role. His instruction makes it work. Last time he was forced to miss it, it all fell apart into a disaster which shows there are still problems. If Sam got, say injured, there's no-one ready to step up and assume the leadership role.

Domino frowns as the readings fluctuate again. She taps the gauges with her finger. Something isn't right here. Call it a funny feeling she is having.

Wanda fires another hex bolt...only for it to shift and morph in colour and shape. "Uh oh," she says with a sudden bad feeling.

The bolt hits a weapon turret. It doesn't explode. Instead the whole thing begins to morph as if made of liquid. A tentacle like appendage suddenly whips out and smashes the ice-slide Bobby is using. The tentacle then grabs him and wraps itself around his body, squeezing.

"Can't breath!" Bobby chokes out. "But please don't help me, he adds sarcastically.

"Wanda! Get it!" Sam orders.

Wanda hesitates before unleashing another hex bolt. Instead of freeing Bobby it makes things worse. More tentacles appear and the turret rips itself out of the floor rising up on 6 legs while still holding Bobby in a 7th.

"Can't you just freeze it?" Tabby shouts at Bobby.

"Well gee I never thought of that!" Bobby shouts back sarcastically. "I'm trying! It's not working!"

"Magma. Try and melt the floor. Maybe we can trap it," Sam suggests.

Magma bends down and places her hand on the floor sending a wave of fire along the floor towards the squid turret. The fire reaches the tentacles...and then it bounces off right back at her in the air, smacking her in the chest sending her tumbling back. Her fire form fades away and her hand goes to her chest. "Ow," she says in complete shock. Her uniform is damaged and that...hurt?

Fire never hurts her. She's fireproof. This is impossible.

"Shut it down!" Logan orders Domino after seeing Magma get hurt because that should be impossible. The DR room can't cause an injury like that.

"It won't shut down," Domino reports in a frantic tone as she tries every control she can think of.

"Cut the power," Logan decides is the only answer.

Domino hits the switch. Nothing. It won't respond. "I'll have to do it at the main junction box," she tells Logan as she leaves the control room in a sprint.

Down in the Danger Room the squid turret is picking off the New Mutants. Roberto now finds himself in it's inescapable grip while a plethora of Jamies lie around dazed. Sam, with Tabby's help, is trying to pull himself out of the hole in the wall he was flung into.

The turret blasts Ray, knocking him down, making his uniform smoke.

All the while Wanda stands there unsure what to do in case she makes it worse. Suddenly there is a primal roar from above and she looks up as Wolverine comes diving from the control room, claws popped and ready.

He lands on top of the turret and drives his claws in...and it shrieks, like it is in pain, like it is alive.

Logan moves swiftly and cuts through the tentacles holding Bobby and Roberto causing more shrieks. Logan then begins to stab and slash like a man possessed until the squid turret collapses to the ground.

There is a flash and the holograms start to dissolve. Domino must have cut the power. A short time later she enters the room to find the New Mutants picking themselves up and Logan standing atop of the now unmoving squid turret.

Domino clambers up to him. "What the hell was that?" she demands to know.

"I don't know and that's not the weirdest thing."

"It isn't?"

"Everything today was holograms so if you cut the power why is this thing still here?"

Domino looks down at what she is standing upon. "That's not possible," she says in total confusion and trust her she knows better than most what is impossible and what isn't. You can't make a hard-light construct real.

"Is it?" Logan asks and Domino watches his gaze shift. She follows it until it lands on Wanda who has a far off stare.

"Lets get them to the infirmary first and sort this out later," Domino decides, not ignoring Logan's hunch but it can wait.

Logan grunts an agreement and both of them climb down and help get the students to the infirmary.

* * *

For the rest of the day Wanda avoids everyone as best she can. When asked about what happened in the Danger Room she had given this mumbling, rambling reply which was completely out of character for her but she was too freaked out to think straight. Her mind was trapped permanently on what happened.

Luckily no-one had been seriously hurt by the incident but Wanda was still freaked by what happened.

_'Was that her? Did she really do that?'_

Wanda thought she was just about getting a handle on her powers. She had really improved and was secretly quite proud of herself and then all this happens and now she feels like...like that scared little girl who just lost her mother and whose powers were out of control and whose father threw her away.

In her seat in the corner in an empty room Wanda draws her knees up to her chest. Tears threaten to fall from her eyes.

What...what if everyone here thinks she is dangerous just like her father thought?

What if they throw her away?

She scrunches her eyes closed and fights off the tears. Tears are weak. Wanda is not weak. Never weak. Weak is why she got thrown away. She's never being thrown away again. She's not leaving here. She wants to stay. She's strong. She'll get control.

"I control my powers. They do not control me," she says to herself. Then she repeats that again and again and over and over until by sheer force of will she'll make it true.

* * *

For the next 24 hours plus Wanda makes that happen. It's helpful that they're still trying to fix the Danger Room so no training sessions. Apparently it's programming was really messed up. Wanda thinks she saw that Forge guy about somewhere helping fix it. Wanda hadn't really made any effort to be friendly. No surprise there.

It's late into the afternoon and Wanda is simply walking around the grounds, her mind still plagued with doubts and worries. The others will probably be back from school soon she reckons.

Wanda lets out an audible sigh at her problems.

"Hello Wanda."

Wanda stiffens instantly. She knows that voice. She turns to find a figure whose face is hidden by a hooded cloak. "Agatha?"

The figure pulls the hood down to reveal an elderly woman with mist-grey hair up in a bun. Agatha Harkness smiles lightly. "How are you Wanda?"

"Fine," she snaps a little too quickly at the woman who first helped her control her powers.

"You do look well," Agatha observes. "This place has been good for you," she assesses.

"Why are you here?" Wanda asks.

Agatha smiles pleasantly. "Any witch worth her salt has visions. I know what is happening to you. I'm curious. Have your visions started yet?"

Wanda looks confused. "My what?"

Agatha tries to elaborate. "No odd dreams that seem real of far away places or events that haven't happened yet?"

"Not that I recall."

"Well it's still early. Your powers have only just awakened," Agatha says as if it does not matter for the moment.

"Wait a minute. Witch?" Wanda asks going back to that. "You...you never told me that," she says with a slight scowl at being lied to.

"If I had just said it would you have believed me?"Agatha asks Wanda.

"No," Wanda admits and then adds, "I don't like witches."

"I can understand that after your experience but not all of us are like the one who possessed you or the other 2. I most certainly never liked them even when they were alive."

"Huh?"

"I have been around...awhile."

"How long awhile?" Wanda asks with a curious look at the elderly woman.

"Oh 5 centuries give or take a decade. You stop counting when you get to my age," Agatha says with an amused twinkle in her eyes as if her impossibly long life is funny somehow.

Wanda's eyes widen a little in amazement before she reigns her emotions in. "Why are you here?" Wanda repeats her question.

"To help you on your journey."

Wanda scoffs at that. "And I'm just going to take help from someone who is a friend of Mystique? You are joking," she pours scorn on any suggestion of help from any ally of the blue shape-shifter who lied and used her.

"I didn't do it for Mystique. I did it to help you," Agatha says, trying to sound as sincere as possible.

"Look I appreciate what you did but I don't have any sort of journey to go on. I'm staying right here," Wanda says with utter determination.

"Which will only lead to disaster because no-one here can fully understand what you are you going through," Agatha argues.

Wanda's face darkens. "Do not lecture me," she says in a dangerous tone. She doesn't like people telling her what to do.

"I am not trying to do that Wanda," Agatha attempts to assuage the teen's anger.

"Aren't you?" Wanda asks sceptically.

"No. I'm trying to make you understand..."

"What? That I should leave my friends, my home? My father tries that line on other people. I've seen his little websites. Maybe you should hire yourself out to him as a salesperson. I'm sure you'll be good at it," Wanda says snidely.

"Wanda..."

"No! I appreciate you helped me. I really do but you helped Mystique. That makes you allied with my father and I won't be tainted by him. I'm better than him. Someone important to me told me that and I will not let him down."

This was not going as Agatha envisioned at all. "Wanda I have no interest in your father's agenda."

"Well kudos to you for having a single working braincell," Wanda mutters her belief that anyone with even a single working braincell would stay the hell away from her father.

"I want to help."

"And I want you to leave. Now!" Wanda demands, no longer wishing to have this discussion.

"Wanda," Agatha tries to argue with her.

"No. Can you understand that word? It means no. I'm not leaving. I'm not going on any sort of journey especially with someone who for all I know works for my father. You don't think I don't know he's just waiting for me to leave here so he can sic his little telepath on me. I'm staying right here with my friends," she declares.

"Oh the stubbornness of youth," Agatha laments.

"Alright. That's enough!" Wanda snaps. "If you claim you know what I'm going through then you would know I'm not in the mood for this. Our discussion is over. Leave...or I'll make you," she threatens.

"Wanda..." Agatha starts again only to be hit by a blue/black hex bolt sending the elderly woman tumbling to the ground.

"You really don't listen do you," Wanda growls, her eyes blazing with fury. All she wants is to be left alone to deal with her new powers as she feels she should but Agatha just refused to listen.

Agatha pushes herself to her feet. She can't allow it to end this way. She can't allow what she saw in her vision come to pass. "Wanda please listen," she pleads.

Wanda's response is another hex-bolt which this time Agatha is ready for and deflects it away with her magic. It hits a nearby tree.

"Last chance," Wanda warns.

"Wanda..." Agatha starts to say only to be interrupted by a strange inhuman sound.

Both Wanda and Agatha turn to look at the tree the hex-bolt hit to see it has developed a mouth and eyes and is right now ripping itself out of the ground as it begins to walk toward them.

"Oh boy," Wanda murmurs. What has she done now?

* * *

_Author's Note: I decided that this chapter would be Wanda-centric. It's all unravelling rather quickly for Wanda isn't it. Being as powerful as she is I thought that would mean that it would be a swift descent into chaos. Also thought this might be a good place to have Agatha show up again since she did initially help Wanda. Only question is what was she getting out of it and why is she back now. Also I know someone will correct me about Agatha's actual age but I chose 500 just so she would have been alive at the same time as Isobel and company and able to have actually knew them. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Wanda makes a choice about her future and Clark's patience finally snaps with Rogue and Wanda._


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

He's a superpowered alien. At night he patrols the streets of Bayville catching criminals and saving people...in-between homework, writing for the school paper, training sessions, spending time with his girlfriend.

There hasn't been as much of that last one since yesterday morning. Rogue is still mad at him for taking Wanda's side as she accused him of while she yelled at him.

Clark is, truthfully, a little sick of it...of all of this aggro between Rogue and Wanda. He hates that Rogue is mad at him but her reasons...well that's the point. It has to do with Wanda and therefore she refuses to talk about it.

So basically he has no means to resolve this at the minute. He's not going to apologise for the fact she is being completely unreasonable. He never took a side so how can he apologise for something he wasn't doing? In fact Clark thinks he has been way more patient than perhaps he should have. It's been a month since he told Rogue he would let her tell him in her own time.

_'Well she is certainly taking her sweet time isn't she,' _his inner Kal snarks.

Clark shoves his hands in his pockets as he walks home from school rather depressed. He had chosen his own way home, not in the mood for company...or to put it another way he's brooding.

So to return to where he started this thought he's a superpowered alien. You would think his life would be great but in reality it wasn't and the superpowered alien part only makes his life more complicated in all honesty.

Clark sighs and his hearing spreads out and he hears...Logan roaring?

That can't be good. Taking a quick look around he jogs into an alley before switching to superspeed. His journey home takes seconds and he finds Domino, Wolverine, Storm and Beast battling what look like mutated trees that are walking about the front yard.

One is about to smack Domino down with a branch so Clark zips in and blocks.

"Perfect timing," Domino remarks. "Now why can't all men be like you?" she asks with a mock sad, pouty face.

"Then I would stop being special," Clark quips as he pulls hard and yanks the tree into the air and slams it down.

Domino chuckles.

"What is going on?" Clark asks as he pins the struggling plant down.

"Haven't a clue...Logan! Stop chopping at them!" she suddenly yells at Wolverine who is using his claws to slice apart the tree he is fighting.

"What?" Clark asks.

"Ever seen Fantasia?"

"Loved that movie!" he enthuses with child-like glee. "Uh I mean once," he switches to a more stoic tone.

Domino eyes him. "That was about as smooth as me before my bikini wax," she jokes at his poor attempt to cover himself. "Anyway think Sorcerer's apprentice. There was only one tree when we started."

Oh Clark gets it. Like the mop that Mickey Mouse keep chopping up only for more to grow out of the pieces. "One of _those _days."

"Yep," Domino confirms with a sigh.

"How...Wanda," Clark suddenly says the name.

"Say what?"

Clark points at her. "Wanda."

Domino looks and sees Wanda is just standing there and has that far off expression again...just like after the Danger Room went nuts. "Oh I'm never going to live this down," she suddenly complains.

"What?"

"Logan had his suspicions something was going on with Hexy girl and now I'm going to have to admit he was right. My ego can't take it I tells ya."

"Lets try and find a way to stop the killer trees first and we'll deal with Wanda later," Clark proposes.

* * *

Dealing with the killer trees in the end meant Clark vaporising them with his heat vision. They didn't grow back after that. When everyone else gets home they find a scorched, wrecked, front lawn.

"Like what happened here?" Kitty asks.

"Yeah. Someone have a party and forget to invite us?" Tabby wonders because it looked like one hell of a party if it was.

"Time Bomb! Zip it!" Logan yells, now officially in a foul mood.

"Where's Wanda?" Clark asks.

"Wanda. It's always freakin Wanda," Rogue mutters as she storms past her boyfriend, giving him the glare of death, not bothering to stick around for the explanation.

"She is not the only one responsible here," the Professor adds. He too had been drawn out by the mutated trees and had spotted someone he knew before she vanished.

"Who else was there Charles?" Hank asks.

"Agatha Harkness."

"Who?" Storm asks.

"An old...acquaintance," Charles says with a little distaste to show that his last encounter with her hadn't been a favourable one. "I will explain later," he promises. "Right now we must concentrate on Wanda," he decides what the focus must be.

Clark closes his eyes and listens. By now everyone close to him he has learned to detect their unique heart rhythm. With Wanda he hears strangled sobs as well. In an instant he is gone with the usual accompanying gust of wind.

* * *

Wanda had ran. The very thing she told herself she would never do. Running was a sign of weakness...of being afraid. She had been afraid all those years locked up in the _place _and she told herself no more.

However this was not fear for herself that drove her to run. It was fear for everyone else around her. She had no wish to harm her friends. That's why she had to get away. To protect them from herself. It had all spiralled out of control quicker than she could quite grasp. 5 days ago she knew nothing of magic and witches and now she was a real witch with real mystical power that was beyond even her simplest ability to reign in.

She feels a sob well up but manages to half-strangle it. Wanda comes to a stop amongst the trees of the woods near the Institute. She sees a fallen tree and sits herself down upon it.

Wanda brushes a tear from her eye. It sits on her finger and she looks at it. When was the last time she actually cried she asks herself. It's so long ago she can't remember. She had thought she used all her tears up long ago.

Then there is the familiar gust of wind. "Go away Clark!" she yells at him without turning to look.

Wanda hears the crunch as he walks on the undergrowth and he sits down next to her. "That's not going away," she says through gritted teeth.

"I'm not going anywhere," Clark tells her, in a soft soothing tone.

"Get away from me!" she screams.

"Wanda..."

"No! You don't understand! You have to get away before..."

"Before what? You hurt me? Nope. Sorry. Not a good enough reason."

Wanda finally turns her head to look at him with a piercing glare. "Are you stupid? Did you not see what I did?"

"I saw," Clark replies calmly.

"Then get away from me!"

"Nope," he refuses once again, popping the p.

Wanda lets out a cry of frustration and gets to her feet and starts walking away only for Clark to blur in front of her. "Clark!" she cries out in annoyance.

Clark reaches up and removes the glasses off his face so he can look at her clearly in the eye. "Wanda," he says softly. "Running away does not solve anything."

"How would you know?" she snaps off harshly.

"Because I've been there, done that and the t-shirt's on order. They keep promising it's coming but there's always some delay," he says with a put-on resigned shrug.

Wanda cracks a tiny smile before she catches herself. "You don't understand."

"That you're afraid you'll hurt someone?"

Wanda nods.

"Wanda. I worry about that every second of every day," he says in haunted tones.

Wanda looks at him curiously and a little confused.

Clark smiles ruefully. "People see how much I can lift but they don't understand what it really means to be that strong. To me most people might as well be made of the most fragile glass. One momentarily lapse in control and they shatter in my hands and the worst part of it is that I just keep getting a little stronger every day and I don't know if it is ever going to stop. Then there's the fact I can kill with a look. Scott can back me up on how that feels if you really want more proof that you're not alone. Wanda I get you're afraid but please don't run away from your friends," he asks of her.

Wanda looks at him with a forlorn look before her eyes falls to the ground. Her arms wrap around herself. Tears well up in her eyes.

Clark takes a few steps forward and hugs her. It is what his mother would always do when he was upset. She would just hold him and it always made him feel better.

Wanda finds herself melting into Clark's embrace. It feels so nice, warm and secure. She can't remember the last time she felt like that and that is when she starts. She starts telling Clark everything about what has been happening to her and how she feels like she is spiralling out of control.

Clark listens carefully as Wanda's voice cracks with emotion many times and tears leak down her cheeks. He rubs her back a little. "It's alright you know. I go through the same thing every time a new power emerges."

"You do?"

"Sure. My powers didn't come all at once. I mean I've always been strong and fast but the others developed one by one and I had no idea what was happening to me or how to control them but eventually I figured out the trigger and once you know what the trigger is you learn how to control the on/off switch...for those powers I can turn off. The others...it's like I said; every second, every day."

"Even right now?"

"Even right now," Clark confirms that even holding her like this he has to be self-aware enough not to squeeze too hard and crush her.

After awhile holding her Clark leads Wanda back to the fallen tree and they sit down next to each other. "You ok now?" he asks her.

"Not really," Wanda says morosely as she wipes the tears off her face. "I still don't know how to control my power."

"It takes time and I'll help anyway I can."

"Thanks...but we both know there is only one person who can really help me."

"Dr Strange," Clark guesses. The Professor told Clark about him and while Clark is reluctant to expose what he is to help Wanda he had agreed for the Professor to let Dr Strange know.

"I'll have to leave," she says with deep sadness. She doesn't want to but all this has made her see there is no choice. It hardly needs thought upon any longer. If she wants to protect her friends she has to get these powers under control and only Dr Strange can help her do that.

"It might not be for long," Clark suggests.

"What do you mean?"

"Like I was saying about my powers. Once you find the trigger and learn how to control it maybe it's possible you can come back."

"You think so?" Wanda says with some hope that might be a possibility.

"Why not? You can ask Dr Strange but I see no reason that says you will have to stay with him indefinitely."

Wanda...she had truly not thought that. She thought if she left it would be permanent. She'll definitely have to ask Dr Strange. Maybe she should have asked him when he proposed it a couple of days ago, if she is being honest, but it never occurred to her to ask.

"Why do I always have to leave the place I call home?" Wanda says in a quiet voice.

"You're not leaving your home. Your home will always be here," Clark assures her.

"Why did my father never think like that?" Wanda says, venom slipping into her tone.

"I don't know. I wish I could give you an answer but I can't."

"I don't expect you to. I just...I hate him and Pietro. I hate them," she says with real venom. "They just dumped me and forgot I existed and..."

Clark puts an arm across her shoulder. "And that is something neither I nor your friends will ever do to you," he promises.

That's part of what Wanda is afraid of. Being rejected by her friends like her father rejected her. "You promise?" she asks in a small voice.

"I can promise that I'm not your father. I'm your friend. I'm here for you. If anyone has an issue about what happened they can take it up with me although I don't believe they will. Accidents happen Wanda. Around here they happen practically every day."

That's true Wanda has to concede. She sighs. "They'll be happening at Dr Strange's now," she says, accepting that she must leave if she is to learn to control her new abilities.

"Yeah. I sure hope he has his insurance paid. I wonder what type of policy covers mystical mishaps?"

"You're so weird," Wanda mutters at his train of thought.

"You're not the first to say it and you won't be the last."

"I guess I should go tell the Professor about me choosing to leave," Wanda decides. Enough hiding.

"Yeah but whatever happens, like I said that night on the rooftop, if you should ever need me just shout my name and I'll be there."

Wanda looks at him with a bemused expression. "We don't know where it is I go. Could be on the other side of the world for all we know."

"Then give me a week. My powers are growing."

"A week?" Wanda asks, sceptical about his claims.

"Ok. 2...at the outside."

Wanda giggles and tries to cover her mouth to stop it(because she doesn't giggle!) and she ends up letting out a loud snort.

"See. Told you you should do that more often."

"Do what?"

"Smile."

And Wanda does that very thing and smiles. "I wish..." she starts to say and then stops.

"Wish what Wanda? What do you wish...and I think I just invented a new tongue twister," he remarks with a dorky look of confusion.

Wanda slaps him across the arm for that.

"What do you wish Wanda?" Clark asks again in a soft reassuring tone in that she can tell him.

"I wish..." she hesitates because it sounds stupid and needy.

"You can tell me. It'll never leave here," he swears.

"I wish...I wish..." she bites her lower lip.

"Tell me," Clark gently encourages her.

"I wish...I had a brother like you," she confesses.

"Then you have one," Clark almost instantly replies.

"Really?"

"Sure...although there is a down side."

"What?"

"Well since I think of Kitty as the irritating little sister I never wanted I believe that makes her your little sister as well."

"In that case I take it back," Wanda says.

Clark shakes his head. "No, no, no, no, no. Too late. We already agreed. You're stuck."

"No!" Wanda mock wails in horror.

* * *

A short time later Clark and Wanda return to the mansion and she goes to tell the Professor her decision. She finds him, by now, back in his office.

"If that is what you want," the Professor says, accepting her decision, as he gazes at her standing there, looking conflicted.

"It's not what I want," Wanda tells him in no uncertain terms. "It's what I need to do. What happens next time my powers go off and I hit someone instead. I...almost hurt them in the Danger Room," she says with overflowing guilt. "I'm...sorry," she feels she should apologise.

"Accidents happen Wanda," Charles assures her, showing he is not angry at her. "Especially around here," he adds.

Wanda smiles a little. "That's what Clark said."

"I'll contact Stephen," he tells her.

"Thank you," Wanda says in a quiet, resigned, tone.

"Before you go, Wanda, tell me about Agatha."

Wanda looks surprised at his mention of the name. "You know her?"

"Agatha has been around a long time."

"I...she helped me to control my powers. She was there when Mystique broke me out. I don't know how Mystique knew her."

"The same way I do."

Wanda looks at the Professor puzzled.

"Mystique...your father...we were not always on opposing sides. We were once friends. All of us."

"W-what happened?" Wanda asks, her curiosity getting the better of her despite her father being involved.

Charles' expression becomes sad. "It's a long story. To be short sometimes things just fall apart no matter how hard you fight to hold them together," he says with much regret.

"She said she had a vision of...I guess my powers emerging and said she came to help me," Wanda gives her interpretation of what Agatha said.

"That's possible," Charles can concede. "Visions are common for those who are magically inclined. Certain mutants have the same ability."

"She said that I had to go with her. I refused to go with her. I didn't trust her but she kept insisting and insisting and I just...got angry."

Charles brow furrows. Why would Agatha have been that insistent? It implies her vision must have been about more than just Wanda's current state. He'll have to look into it. "Well if I see Agatha I will have words with her about her manners. She should know better," he says to assure Wanda he will not tolerate one of his students being treated in that fashion.

"I'll go pack shall I?"

Charles nods in acceptance. "Just so you know Wanda, whatever happens, you will always be welcome here."

"Clark said the same thing...more or less," Wanda says with a small, but sad, smile. With that she turns rounds to head to her room and pack.

* * *

"You really have to go?" Tabby asks of Wanda as she watches her friend pack her belongings. Wanda had apologised for what happened in the Danger Room the other day. Tabby easily accepted it. A couple of the others were 'freaked out' by what Wanda had done but Tabby wasn't. Tabby was more upset about the prospect of losing her friend.

"What choice do I have Tabby? Next time who knows what I'll do."

"Turn Bobby into a toad?" Tabby mischievously suggests.

"For his sake he better hope not because I wouldn't be inclined to turn him back," Wanda says with her own mischievous grin.

Tabby grins wider at that joke.

Wanda sighs. "I really don't want to Tabby but I have to," she says, sad at leaving Tabby, who is essentially, for all it counts, her very first friend.

"I'll...I'll miss you," Tabby says honestly, upset she is losing her friend.

"I'll miss you too," Wanda returns the sentiment. "But hopefully I won't be away too long. Just long enough to get a handle on these powers."

"And then just think of the fun we can have with real magical powers to play pranks," Tabby proposes with a wicked grin.

Wanda has to admit that does sound a little fun.

* * *

A short time later, bag packed, Wanda emerges from her room. By now she guesses everyone will have heard she is going to be leaving. That'll mean a lot of goodbyes she doesn't really feel like making. Maybe she can get them all together and just say it the once. Might be easier for her.

"So you're leaving then."

Wanda frowns at that rather flat, business-like statement. She turns her head to the left to see Rogue. "Yeah. I am. Happy about it?" she asks in an aggressive tone.

"Delighted. Finally means ah won't have ta live with ya coming up with ways ta hog all tha dang limelight."

"Excuse me?" Wanda asks, sure she must have heard that wrong.

"Ya heard meh."

"I heard you but I can't believe that came from someone who throws a tantrum every time the attention isn't on her."

Rogue's face darkens. "What do ya mean by that?"

"You think the whole world revolves around you. Here's a reality check. It doesn't!"

"Are ya speaking inta a mirror because that's what ya should beh saying ta yourself."

"Ha! I'm not the one who threw a hissy fit at their boyfriend over the kitchen table!" Wanda says, her voice rising in volume.

"Don't ya dare bring mah relationship with Clark inta this!" Rogue shouts back, rapidly becoming pissed. "Didn't ya learn that from last tahme ah kicked your ass!"

Now Wanda was pissed. "You didn't kick anything! It was the others interfering that saved you!" she yells.

"In your dreams!"

"Any time you want a rematch I'm available!" Wanda dares Rogue.

"Yeah? How about right now!" Rogue shouts as she tackles Wanda to the ground.

The girls rolls about on the floor wrestling, scratching, punching and insulting each other.

"That's it!" a voice booms before Rogue and Wanda find themselves physically lifted off of each other and into the air.

Both are taken in complete shock by the fact it is Clark that has them, his face as dark as thunder. Rogue doesn't think she has ever seen this look on his face.

"I have had enough," Clark says angrily, enunciating every word slowly.

The world blurs and before Rogue and Wanda can readjust they find themselves planted down on a bed.

Rogue instantly recognises this as Clark's room. "Clark what are ya..."

Clark cuts her off with a severe raising of his index figure, as a warning gesture, and a look of steel in his eyes. When he speaks there is an eerie calm to his tone "I have been patient. I have been beyond patient. I have waited and waited for you to tell what happened between you and Wanda over the summer. That was a month ago and all I have had is evasion and silence and every time you two are in the same room I feel like I'm walking on eggshells trying not to upset either of you. No more. We are sorting this out and no-one is leaving this room until I get an answer."

"But Clark!" Rogue begins to protest but he cuts her off again.

"Rogue. I love you but this has to stop. We're getting to the bottom of this and then you two are going to work out some way to at least part on civilised terms when Wanda leaves."

"You must be joking?" Wanda snorts.

Clark turns his stern glare onto her. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Wanda physically recoils from the impact of his look. "Um...no."

Clark nods to say she is correct. He walks over to the door and closes it before he leans against it, blocking any attempt at escape. He folds his arms across his chest. "So who wants to go first?" he asks them.

Rogue just looks at him in complete stunned silence. She had never...not ever seen this side of him before.

Wanda has the same look.

The girls look at each other before both saying, accusing the other, "This is all your fault!"

Clark's gaze does not waver for one second as he waits.

* * *

Out in the greenhouse Martha and Ororo were indulging in their shared love of gardening.

Martha was just gently pruning a few flowers back when she lets out a sad sounding sigh.

"What's the matter?" Ororo asks her friend.

"I'm just thinking about Wanda," she explains.

Ororo smiles warmly in understanding. It pulled at her heart too whenever a student left. When Volcana had left that had greatly upset Martha. Ororo's friend had put so much of herself into trying to help Claire and now...well no-one knew where she was. The connection with Wanda may not be as strong but there is one. "I'm certain one day she'll be back," Ororo says assuredly. "This is just what she has to do. The same as anyone who comes here. Dr Strange is the best person to help her with her new abilities."

"I know what you're saying Ororo. I do but I'll still miss her."

"As will I."

"It won't be the same without wondering when she'll level the mansion," Martha jokes.

Ororo laughs, a wonderful sound as matter of fact.

Martha returns to tending her flower. "So I was meaning to ask. What is going on with you and Logan?"

Ororo freezes, stock still. "W-what do you mean?" she asks with an uncharacteristic stutter. Ororo is almost always serene, calm and carries herself with an almost regal air.

"You've been avoiding each other like the plague ever since the party at the weekend," Martha had noticed.

Ororo returns to planting the flower she was working on into it's pot as her mind works through what to say in response. It's not as if she is ashamed. She's not. She can remember it all clearly now and she did nothing to be ashamed about. It is just complicated.

"Ororo?" Martha queries gently.

Ororo sighs. "We...slept together," she admits.

"Ah. I see," Martha says with a pleasant smile.

"You're not surprised?" Ororo gathers from Martha's tone.

"Not completely, no. I've noticed some...sparks between you two from time to time and Logan does have that feral quality that is quite appealing.

Ororo turns her head to look at Martha and arches an eyebrow in question.

"I'm married. Not dead," Martha explains what she assumes Ororo is asking about her noticing Logan's attractiveness.

A quirk of amusement comes to Ororo's features. She had come to really enjoy the humour of the older woman. She could see where Clark gets it from.

"So Isobel's spell lowered your inhibitions and you acted out your attraction," Martha summarises it, simpler than she knows it is but that's the gist of it.

"Yes," Ororo confirms.

"So that explains Logan's awkwardness," Martha concludes. Logan's inability to emotionally express himself was not exactly a secret. "What about you?"

Ororo sighs and rubs her eyebrow with her finger. "Logan and I have been friends for a long time, almost a decade. I first met him when I was 20."

"He hasn't aged a day has he?"

Ororo shakes her head. Logan looks exactly the same as the day she first met him when the Professor brought him home one day. She frowns momentarily and tries to recall whether Charles ever fully explained how he met Logan. Not that Logan ever stayed around for very long. He was working for SHIELD still back then and even after he quit he would go off to Goddess knows where. He still does vanish off for days or weeks at a time. Part of him seems to have an insatiable need to wander.

"I'm going to guess you are concerned about how this will affect your friendship," Martha jumps to why she thinks they're avoiding each other.

"That's one concern. To be truthful Martha I don't know what I want. Any relationship with Logan is...complicated." Ororo has known him long enough to know that for certain.

"But the situation isn't. You either dismiss it as a drunken one-night stand and resume your friendship or admit you have real feelings for him and try and work something out."

"You almost speak as if you are recalling some personal experience," Ororo observes.

"Who says I'm not."

Ororo is officially intrigued. Strange as it may sound, despite knowing each other for a year there is a lot about Martha's past Ororo still doesn't know.

Martha can see she has peaked Ororo's curiosity but as much as she likes and trusts the wind-rider she prefers to keep her past exactly there. In the past. "So what will you do?"

"I am not certain. Even if I was willing to pursue something with Logan, his feelings on the matter are another issue. I've known him 10 years, as I said, and in that time I don't think he has had a relationship that lasted more then a few weeks with anyone if that. He doesn't seem to like commitment and, while I am not old, I am also past the point where all I desire is a casual romance with no prospect of it leading anywhere. Logan...Logan has all the time in the world. I do not."

"Sounds like you are trying to talk yourself out of trying," Martha concludes.

"Perhaps I am and if that is the case perhaps that alone is a reason not to try and pursue it. If I believed it was a real possibility I wouldn't be trying to come up with reasons to avoid it."

"But you are attracted to him?"

"As you said he does have a feral quality to him...and an _intensity_ that is breathtaking."

Martha's eyebrows rise slightly. She can guess what that second part is referring to.

"Still I have doubts."

"Everyone has doubts."

"Did you with Jonathan?"

"Lots of them. I was making a very dramatic change in my life and my father did not...and still doesn't, approve."

"Did you doubt your feelings for him though?" Ororo asks a more specific point.

"No."

"I have doubts whether it was anything but lust. It has been awhile since I last laid with a man and as you said Logan is attractive."

Still sounds to Martha like Ororo is trying to find reasons to deny it was anything more. "I won't tell you want to do Ororo but what I would say is that it is not healthy or helpful to let this drag on in its uncertain state."

"You are correct," Ororo agrees. "I shall make a decision and talk to Logan soon," she determines.

Martha just hopes that whatever choice Ororo makes that it is the correct one. For all she desires is to see her friend happy.

* * *

"This is ridiculous Clark!" Rogue protests at being imprisoned like this.

"So's the fact you've been procrastinating for a month!" Clark fires back. "And we both know if it had been the other way round you wouldn't have let this drag on a day without demanding an answer."

Rogue opens her mouth to argue but nothing comes out because she can't argue. She wouldn't have allowed Clark to keep it bottled up if it was the other way round.

"You know I can just Hex you out of the way," Wanda threatens.

"Go ahead and try. I dare you," Clark challenges her.

Wanda is shocked. Where's the laid-back farmboy gone.

Rogue isn't as shocked because she knows that expression he is wearing, that little grin pulling at the corner of his lips, almost as if he is enjoying this, enjoying being able to speak his mind. Underneath Clark's exterior is this bad boy personality(Clark calls it Kal) and usually he keeps it at bay(except when they're in bed together which let Rogue tell you makes Clark a hell of lot more fun and passionate than one might think first off upon meeting him but enough of her pleasures and get back to the point). Rogue's point is that it's always there and sometimes it comes out but if it is coming out here then she really must have pushed him too far this time...or he's been exposed to red kryptonite again. She really hopes it's not the 2nd one.

Clark continues to lean there against the door, blocking the exit. "Just so you know I can outlast you. I was locked up for 3 months, no food, no water, no sleep so you can't wear me down. You'll be needing to leave here long before I do," he points out in case they think of trying to out-wait him.

Rogue and Wanda look at each other, both scowling.

"I'll tell you," Wanda decides. "If you get your girlfriend here to apologise to me."

"Apologise?" Rogue almost screams in pure disbelief. "That'll beh tha day ya trumped up little..."

"Rogue," Clark says sternly stopping her rant.

"She's tha one who needs ta apologise!" Rogue spits out furiously.

"For what?" Wanda asks. As far as she is concerned she did nothing.

"If ah have ta explain it than y'all are a lot dumber than ya look," Rogue insults Wanda.

"Which is still better than you because you are as dumb as you look," Wanda insults Rogue right back.

"That's it!" Rogue screams and launches herself at Wanda but is grabbed and stopped by Clark.

Clark fixes them both another severe look. He is even scowling. "No more fighting," he scolds them both. "We're here for the truth and I want to know what is so hard about telling it. I'm betting you've both blown this whole thing way out of proportion."

"Excuse me!" Rogue and Wanda exclaim at the same time, taking issue with that.

"Prove me wrong," Clark dares them.

"Fahne. Ah will!" Rogue replies incensed by the accusation.

Clark barely holds back a little smirk that that actually worked.

"Oh no you won't!" Wanda objects. "I'll tell him because we both known you'll distort it to make you the victim."

"Ah was tha victim!" Rogue growls.

Clark silently groans at how that hasn't worked because they're arguing again. "Will someone please tell me something? I know it was about a month after I vanished. You were all living in the lower levels right?" he says trying to create a jumping on point for someone by using a starting place they can't argue about.

"Yeah. We were," Rogue confirms.

"Yeah," Wanda agrees.

Finally. They're getting somewhere.

**Flashback...**

Rogue wanders around the lower levels trying to find some place she can be alone. It's been a month since...since...

A strangled sob escapes her before she can stop it. It's been a month since Clark vanished without a trace. All they found at the caves was Mr Kent who was in a coma with no brain activity. Clark was nowhere to be found and they had no leads to go.

Rogue pauses and brings her hand to her heart, barley noticing the fact within her hand she is holding the silver octagonal key. She brings her hand to her aching heart. God she never realised losing someone you love could hurt this much. Her heart physically aches.

She wasn't prepared for this. She had basically accepted that a life of loneliness was her fate. She never expected to find a boy she could touch and fall in love with him and do a lot more than just touch. She'll never forget that night in the woods they made love. Not ever. Most perfect night of her life...and then it was snatched away.

Her life was ruined all over again just like the day her powers manifested. It's not fair. Why does she always have to suffer like this?

Rogue has never felt like this and she really isn't sure what to do. She's been acting as she always use to. Isolated and away from other people which brings her back to trying to find some place to be alone.

Rogue walks around a corner, so lost in her thoughts, she doesn't see someone else coming the other way.

Wanda was trying to find some place to be alone before she went postal on Bobby primarily. She hates being down here. It's so cold and stark and reminds her of the _place._ It doesn't help that Clark, one of the people whose been nicest to her, who reached out and saved her, who is her best friend after Tabby, has been missing for a month with no hope it seems of ever finding him.

What really bothers Wanda the most is the feeling of helplessness. For half her life she felt helpless locked up as she was and now she has that feeling again only it is due to the fact there is nothing she can do to help. It doesn't help all the abuse she and the others are getting for being mutants. To be truthful all that did was severely piss Wanda off.

Wanda walks around a corner, so lost in her thoughts, she doesn't see someone else coming the other way.

"Watch it!" the two girls yell at each other the moment after they bump into each other.

"Me? You're the one who should watch it!" the girls echo each other.

That causes them to glare at each other.

"What is your problem?" Rogue demands to know.

"Right now? You!" Wanda accuses.

"Ah don't know why Clark was always so nice ta ya," Rogue says with no understanding as to why.

"Yeah well I don't know what he saw in you at all. He could do a lot better than some pathetic, selfish..."

Rogue cuts Wanda off and demands to know, "What do ya mean selfish?"

"Do I need to get a dictionary?" Wanda asks, back insinuating Rogue is too stupid to understand.

"Ah don't need a dictionary. Ah'll just drain ya dry," Rogue threatens.

"Oh do try. Please," Wanda dares Rogue, because that would give her an excuse.

Rogue is tempted. Oh so tempted. "Stay out of mah way," she gives Wanda a warning.

"So you can what? Sit around and indulge in your 'woe is me' routine. That's what I mean when I say you're pathetic and selfish. You walk around here like you're the only one who is missing him."

"Ya dare!" Rogue hisses, her eye twitching in that way it does when she is really, really pissed. "Ya dare ta think ya know what ah am goin' through? That's rich for someone with tha emotional maturity of a retard. No wonder they locked ya up!"

Wanda's eyes flare with anger, the lights flicker and the next thing she knows is she trying to get her hands around Rogue's throat. Rogue retaliates with trying to get her hands around Wanda's throat. They end up wrestling around on the floor yelling insults at each other.

**Back to the present...**

"And the others showed up shortly after and separated you," Clark can finish the story from what he knows.

"They should have let me finish the job," Wanda mutters.

"As if!" Rogue refutes that. "Ya couldn't finish tha job if ah had one hand tied behind mah back!"

"Stop!" Clark shouts before they start all over again. "Ok. Just stop," he pleads. "What is it with you two?" he asks in total exasperation. "Do you feel threatened by each other or something because you're both Goths with anger issues and aren't so unique any more? Whatever it is I'm sick of it. Everyone's sick of it. Now we're going to work through this. Lets go back to your fight. Wanda, apologise."

Rogue starts to smile. She knew Clark would stand up for her.

"For what?" Wanda asks Clark in incredulous tones.

"Rogue is not selfish nor pathetic in any way."

Wanda makes a sort of snorting sound in dispute of that.

"Do you know once that Rogue was captured and drugged to try and learn my secrets?" he asks Wanda.

"...No," Wanda says after a pause.

"She never told them anything. Even when the drugs could have caused her severe mental damage she kept my secret. Now does that sound like someone who is pathetic or selfish?"

"...No," Wanda has to concede.

"So?" Clark asks expectantly.

"I...apologise," Wanda says very reluctantly. "But only for that!" she adds.

"It's a start," Clark says with a sigh. He looks to his girlfriend. "Rogue, apologise."

"What!" Rogue exclaims as a tiny little smug grin starts to form on Wanda's face. Wanda knew her newly ascribed brother would stand up for her at some point.

"Rogue you know, as well I do, Wanda did nothing to deserve being locked up as Magneto did to her. I know you must have been upset. I'm not holding that against you but what you said went way too far. You have to see that."

Rogue shifts a little uncomfortably because if she is being honest she did think she stepped over the line. "I'm sorry I said that...but that's all!" she insists.

"That's progress. Now next issue. You both seemed to get upset about who was missing me. The answer is you both were in different ways. Wanda would you concede that losing someone you love is different to losing a friend? That it is on another level of pain?"

Wanda thinks of her mother whom she lost. That still hurts deeply. "Yes," she concedes in a small voice.

"Rogue if it were say Kurt or Kitty that had been missing, would you have missed them?"

"Of course ah would," Rogue insists.

"Then can't you concede that while it was different Wanda was missing me in her own way?"

"Ah hate it when y'all are logical," Rogue mutters in complaint.

"Was that a yes?"

"Yes," she says a little petulantly.

Clark thinks that defuses most of what they described their fight was about. Now the next step. "Now then I think that just leaves trying to find a way to get you onto civilised terms because you do have more in common than you seem to think apart from both being angry, angst ridden, Goths."

"Like what?" the two girls ask at the same time.

"Well for starters you have both been used by Mystique and started off on the wrong side and both have issues with controlling your powers but I'm not going to stand here and list the rest. You need to see it for yourselves so you two are going to sit here and work something out before Wanda has to depart. I'm going to go to the Danger Room and smash a couple dozen Sentinels to pieces."

"Why?" Rogue asks him.

Clark shakes his head. "Why she asks," he mutters in disbelief before he answers. "Because you two have driven me up the wall and I need to go let my anger out and the Danger Room is the only place I can safely." Thankfully Forge and Beast had managed to fix it after Wanda's unintended actions. "Now I'll be listening so don't even think of leaving. I'm not expecting sleepovers and pillow fights but you two will stay here until you are at least on speaking terms and if you attempt to leave I'll just bring you back here," Clark warns them before he turns, opens the door and leaves, slamming the door behind him so hard he almost breaks it.

Rogue and Wanda sit in silence just looking at where Clark left, both wondering how they had managed to push him this far.

"Did he mean that?" Wanda asks. "About bringing us back?"

Rogue shrugs. "Ah don't know. Ah've nevah seen him that annoyed...except for perhaps when we were fighting tha Juggernaut," an example comes to mind.

"Great," Wanda mutters. She was very tempted to Hex him or do a spell on him but fearful that she couldn't control it. Besides she would probably end up being punished for it. She had been before for hexing people no matter how much she thought they deserved it. "What did he mean about you being on the wrong side?" Wanda asks, confused by that bit which isn't surprising since she and Rogue have never talked.

Rogue sighs as she remembers. "Lahke ya Mystique used and manipulated meh inta joining tha Brotherhood. It was just after mah powers manifested and mah mind was a mess with bits and pieces of absorbed people and ah didn't know how ta handle it all so it wasn't very hard for her ta beh honest."

"Bitch," Wanda mutters with venom which earns her a look from Rogue. "I mean Mystique," she explains who she is referring to.

"And then some," Rogue adds in agreement about what a bitch Mystique is. "She's Kurt's mothah ya know."

"Really?"

Rogue nods.

"Huh now you said it the resemblance is obvious...and she sends the Brotherhood to attack him?"

"Bitch," Rogue repeats the description of Mystique.

Wanda never knew how much apparently. That's not how family should work. Living here has shown Wanda how family should work. To have people who care enough for you to want you all to get along...oh that's why Clark is doing this she suddenly works out.

"Was he right?" Rogue asks, seeking to put an end to this out of her love for Clark and because he asked her to. "Are we threatened by each other?"

Wanda thinks about it. "I did like being 'unique' but it's not like we're the same. I'm more of a red and black person."

"And ah'm more of a green and black person," Rogue adds her two cents in.

"My father is a manipulative, evil, lying jerk who tried to use a telepath on me to mess up my head so he could continue to use me for his own insane little schemes," Wanda says trying to pick out a difference.

"Mah 'creator', that jackass Stryker, threatened ta wipe mah memories and 'fix' mah powers so he could use meh as a weapon," Rogue says back.

"My father has all the parental skills of some breed of sharks who eat their young after giving birth to them," Wanda compares her father to.

"Mah fathah's Logan," Rogue points out.

"Oh right. Yeah. You have it much worse," Wanda jokes.

The two girls share a laugh.

"Oh mah God are we...bonding?" Rogue asks in disbelief at the sudden realisation that they might be doing that very thing.

"I think we are," Wanda says in an equal amount of disbelief.

"Ah can't believe it...although it's nice ta have someone ta talk ta who understands at least a bit," Rogue confesses.

"Yeah. It is," Wanda agrees.

"That's why ah love Clark so much. He...gets it...gets meh," Rogue says in a soft, sincere, loving tone.

Wanda smiles a little at seeing how much Clark truly means to Rogue. It is written clearly on her face and what Rogue is saying Wanda understands. Clark is good at listening and understanding. Still there is a pang within Wanda of an emotion she doesn't quite understand. A desire to have what Rogue has with Clark...with someone for herself...she thinks. Wanda still has a hard time getting to grip with her emotions. "We're getting him back for that sleepovers and pillow fights crack though right?" she asks Rogue, because no way in hell is Wanda letting Clark get away with that.

"Oh yeah. He's dead," Rogue says in total agreement and with a disturbing amount of enthusiasm for getting back at Clark.

Both girls start to grin evilly as they plot their revenge.

* * *

_Author's Note: Wanda may be crushing on Clark but I believe after being locked up she doesn't understand the emotion and translates it, wrongly, into her wish that Clark is her brother. Perhaps down the line she'll realise she made a misjudgement only it'll be too late by then. Ah emotional angst. A writer's dream. So finally we get to see what had Wanda and Rogue hating on each other but at least Clark gave them a reason to sort it out. They now have a common cause; getting back at him. The poor boy. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Wanda says her goodbyes and meets her new fellow students at Dr Strange's...and we find out where Isobel fled to._


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Down in the lower levels Domino is heading for the Danger Room to give it a personal test run before they properly restart the training sessions. It wasn't that she didn't trust Forge and Beast, she did. It is just she'll feel better if she tries it first and makes sure there are no bugs and no chance at any of her students being hurt.

She opens the door and instantly has to dodge out of the way of a giant rolling robot head. "What the...?" she starts to exclaim when her eyes spot an enormous pile of giant robot pieces that have been literally torn apart. Further back are 5 huge red and back robots fighting one figure in red and blue.

Domino watches him leap onto the shoulder of one and rip its head off before he heats the head up with heat vision until it is white hot and then throws it at another robot. The white hot metal burns through the chest easily and both robots collapse to the ground as the figure leaps off and slams into another robot, punching into the chest, before literally tearing it open to get at the power core and yanking it out.

That leaves 2 and unfortunately for Domino they have spotted her.

"MUTANT LIFESIGNS DETECTED," one of them enunciates.

"Oh crap," Domino mutters under her breath as she pulls her guns out and alters the settings. She starts firing off shots which dent the armour. Her luck will find the right spot though. Give her a minute...she doesn't have as pink blasts of energy start to be fired at her from the cannon in the chest.

Domino dives out of the way behind some of the robot parts and continues firing. She hits the eyes of one and keeps firing into the head until it sparks, the robot jerks and it begins to fall.

She is about to turn her attention to the last one when it is sliced down the middle into two by two red beams. The fall down to either side.

Domino holsters her guns and folds her arms across her chest. She arches an eyebrow. "Feeling better?" she inquires.

"A lot actually," Clark confesses as he walks over to her. "I hate robots," he mutters. Therefore smashing them into pieces is fun.

"We're going to have redesign this program I think," Domino says looking around at the destruction around her.

"Why?"

"If you alone can do all this then it obviously isn't tough enough."

Clark shrugs. "It's plenty tough. I'm just stronger than I was when we first met the Sentinels and I know how to fight them better. Besides we both know this can never be as deadly as the real thing."

Domino had to concede that. The Danger Room couldn't truly recreate reality because nothing in here was actually lethal. It was only as close as they could get it.

"So any particular reason we're working out our anger issues? I expect that from Logan. Not you."

"Wanda and Rogue."

"Ah," Domino says in understanding. "And how are the Addams Family siblings getting on? Killed each other yet?"

"Rogue is your sister," Clark reminds Dom, with a querying expression.

"So? That mean I can't make a joke about her?"

Clark chuckles and shakes his head. "I guess so. I don't know. I left them to sort it out."

"How?"

"I basically locked them in a room and told them they weren't leaving until they could be civil to each other."

"Didn't know you had it in you," Dom says, a little impressed.

"Neither did I. I just got so fed up of the two of them. I let it drag on too long but I did promise Rogue I would let her tell me in my own time. I never expected that time to be never."

"So isn't this breaking your promise?"

"Maybe...but with Wanda leaving I couldn't leave it like that. Then it would just fester and get worse. Call it hopeless naivete but I just prefer if people would get along with each other."

Domino considers that for a moment. "Remember what I said about you being too good a person for this world?"

"Yeah?" he asks cautiously, not sure what she is about to say next.

"I was right. You are...but do me a favour?"

"What?"

"Don't ever change," Domino tells him with heartfelt sincerity because that, she had come to realise, is what made Clark special.

* * *

**Smallville...**

For the last few days Lex had basically been stewing over the loss of Lana. He was angry. Lex didn't show it much, needing to portray an image of a man always in command, but he was angry.

Something needed to be done...and he doesn't just mean in relation to finding Lana although that is very high on his list of priorities.

Truth was he was doing something. It was a project for SHIELD that once complete would be extremely useful in aiding in dealing with all his problems. Lana, mutants, Superman...whatever he is.

Lex's expression grows pensive as he sits behind his desk in his office in his mansion. Awhile ago he had gotten an offer of a partnership to help with that SHIELD project. Lex had turned it down...mostly until he could figure out how the person who made the offer found out about a supposedly top-secret project.

Now Lex is reconsidering the offer. With their resources combined it would be completed much earlier and with Lana missing time is more of the essence then it was.

There would have to be safeguards, obviously, but the risk to Lex, himself, could be managed.

After a good few minutes of debate Lex picks up the phone and dials. It gets picked up by the personal assistant. "I wish to speak to Mr Pierce. Tell him it's Lex Luthor," Lex says.

A minute or so goes by until the man Lex wants to speak to speaks.

"Donald. Lex. About that partnership you offered. Is it still on the table?"

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Jonathan had been informed Dr Strange would be returning shortly and was asked to greet him when he did. It would give Jonathan a chance he had not had so far to talk and judge the man. Charles trusted him...and that was mostly enough but to help Wanda had meant revealing Clark's secret to someone Jonathan didn't know personally and that always bothers him.

He absently mindedly grasps at his chest a little. His heart condition wasn't any worse but it wasn't any better nor would it get so. The drugs kept it managed for now.

Jonathan waits outside the main entrance when a portal opens nearby...and he is certain there was a time something like that would have startled him but not any more.

Dr Strange steps out and straightens his coat out. He spots the blond man obviously waiting for him. "I believe I was expected," he says. "I don't believe we have had the pleasure of being introduced. Stephen Strange."

"Kent. Jonathan Kent."

"You're Clark's father."

"I am."

"A remarkable boy. You must be very proud."

"I am. I'll escort you to Charles."

Stephen walks alongside Jonathan as they enter the mansion and he can sense something has the man on edge. "Is anything the matter? I can sense tension in yourself."

Jonathan decides to just be honest and say it. "I worry when people I don't know, know about Clark."

"You worry for his safety."

"Isn't that what any parent does for their children?"

"Naturally, of course. I assure you, Jonathan, Clark's secret will be safe with me. I am a keeper of many secrets and while I am not a parent myself I have young apprentices, students like you take care of here, that are entrusted to me."

Jonathan supposes that assuages a few of his concerns. "Can I ask if you have had any luck finding Lana? I knew her well."

"I did go to Smallville to try and pick up her scent, to coin a phrase, but I lost the trail. She has cloaked herself or someone is cloaking her from me. We may both just have to wait until the spirit possessing her chooses to make her presence known once again."

Jonathan frowns. He felt bad about Lana. He had spoken to her aunt, Nell, who was going out of her mind with worry for the missing girl and Jonathan couldn't tell her the truth. He wanted to but he really doubted she would believe that Lana had been possessed by a 17th century witch. Heck Jonathan has trouble believing it completely.

It was also plainly obvious Lex hadn't explained it either. That only confirmed Jonathan's rather negative view he has always had of Lex Luthor.

Jonathan and Stephen reach Charles' door. He knocks and Charles beckons Stephen in. Jonathan opens the door.

"Thank you Jonathan," Charles says gratefully. "Could you please find Wanda and let her know Stephen is here?" he requests, deciding not to use his telepathy. There was no desperate rush. Charles had a few final issues to discuss with Stephen beforehand and Wanda needed to be allowed to say her goodbyes.

Jonathan nods and exits. He then realises he doesn't have a clue where Wanda is. "Clark!" he raises his voice.

A gust of wind later and Clark appears. "Hey dad. You called."

"Yes. Dr Strange is here. You know where Wanda is?"

"...Yeah. I know."

The slight hesitation in Clark's voice catches Jonathan's attention. Something is going on...well something is always going on around here. You barely get an hour without someone pulling a prank. "Could you fetch her?" Jonathan requests and decides not to ask about whatever it is right now. When Clark feels like sharing Jonathan will be here.

Clark nods and vanishes. He stops outside the door to his room a little concerned about what he'll find within. He hadn't actually listened in on them. He was bluffing about that. He pushes the door open, a little tentatively, but is pleasantly surprised to find Rogue and Wanda sitting and seemingly having a nice conversation. They're not yelling at each other. They're not angry. They're almost smiling a little bit. Their eyes turn to look at him. "So...how are we getting on?" he asks them.

"Oh we found some common ground to agree on," Wanda replies.

"Yeah. Lahke killing ya for doing this ta us," Rogue says.

Clark cringes a little as his brain tries to imagine what Rogue and Wanda combined might come up with. "Ok look maybe I went a little far but I just couldn't let this go on."

"Which we sort of agree with," Wanda tells him. "It's the reason I didn't Hex you the second you came through the door...but pull anything like this again and I'll Hex you right between the legs!" she says fiercely.

Clark gulps.

"And do ya need meh ta tell ya what ah'll do ta ya?" Rogue asks him, in an eerily calm tone.

Clark gulps harder and shakes his head. "Uh...Dr Strange is here," he suddenly remembers the message he is here to deliver.

Wanda's face falls a little as she prepares to accept the inevitable of her departure. "Ok. I'll just get my things," she says in sad resignation. She stands up. "Um where are they?" she suddenly asks, since she dropped them when she and Rogue started fighting.

"I put them back in your room, on your bed," Clark tells her.

Wanda nods and heads off back to her room.

That leaves Clark alone with his pissed off girlfriend. "So...do I get to live?" he risks asking the question.

"For tha moment...but there are fates worse than death ya know," Rogue warns him.

"You're never letting me forget this one are you?"

"Nope," Rogue assures him as she stands up as well and comes to a stop right in front of him. "But ya want ta know something?"

"What?"

Rogue rises up on her toes and places her hands around his neck. "When ya get all bossy and authoritative lahke that..." Rogue brings her lips next to his ear, "...ah find it a bit of a turn on," she says in a sexy voice. Rogue's lips are then on his to show that sure she'll never let him forget but she has forgiven him because she gets why he was trying to do it.

"Ooh! Free show!"

Clark and Rogue turn their heads and scowl. "Tabby!"

* * *

Wanda soon has her bag slung over her shoulder as she makes her way down the stairs and enters the Professor's office.

"Wanda. It is good to see you again," Stephen greets her with a smile.

"Yeah. Isn't it just," Wanda mumbles, her expression gloomy, clearly not thrilled about this but knowing it is necessary.

"I know this must be difficult for you but it will not have to be permanent," Stephen tries to assuage the mood she is giving off.

Wanda was just going to ask about that. Her face brightens a little. "It won't?"

Stephen shakes his head. "No. The first few weeks will be particularly intense so we can teach you some basic control. This is of especially great importance because you derive your power from a very unique form of magic."

"I do?" Wanda questions that, clearly confused about what Dr Strange means.

"You access chaos magic. You are the only sorceress I have ever encountered who can," Stephen tells her. He won't mention the prophecy surrounding her. That puts too much of a burden on anyone. If he is to break the prophecy it will help if Wanda truly believes, without any doubt clouding her, that she can become whoever she chooses to be. Stephen continues on a note of caution about what his teaching will entail. "This will mean that my teaching you will be as much a journey of discovery for myself as it will be for you. It will also mean that you will need to continue to spend more time with me than not for the next several months but the not times you can spend how you wish. You also won't be alone," he mentions so she doesn't have to fear being lonely. "I have a few apprentices at the moment close to your age."

Well that's something Wanda supposes. She would hate to be alone despite whatever hard shell she gives off. She is also very curious about why her magic is so unique. Well she is sure Dr Strange will explain in time.

"But I should warn you one or two of them can be difficult to get along with," Stephen cautions about his apprentices.

"You've obviously never met Iceman," Wanda quips.

Charles smiles at that, pleased to see a sense of humour starting to breakthrough Wanda's hardened exterior. It was a sign of progress in his eyes. "I have already discussed with Stephen about your education Wanda," he mentions since she is still behind of where she should be.

"Yes," Stephen confirms. "I shall make sure you do not lose out on that front," he promises. As a former neurosurgeon he knows the importance of a decent education.

"Then I guess there is no point in delaying it further," Wanda declares with sadness.

"Do you wish to say your farewells?" Charles asks.

Wanda nods and Charles sends out a telepathic summons to everyone. They gather in the lobby as Wanda, Dr Strange and the Professor head out there.

Tabby quickly moves forward to give her friend a hug. "Now don't you go forgetting about me!"

"Tabby that's impossible," Wanda says back. "And I'm sure I'll be able to call you." She looks to Dr Strange. "Right?"

"Of course," Stephen assures her.

Wanda takes a moment to say farewell to everyone, especially the ones she closest to like Kurt and Clark. She even takes a moment to speak to Rogue. "So that revenge thing we discussed. You'll let me know?" she asks glancing at Clark referring to getting him back for what he did to them.

Rogue grins a little mischievously. "Oh don't worry. Ah've got tha perfect thing in mind."

"Oh good," Wanda says with a truly evil smile aimed at Clark.

Clark looks more than a little worried by that. Rogue's scary when she's plotting vengeance.

"Dude they're agreeing on something," Evan says in total shock at Wanda and Rogue's civilised manner to each other.

"I hit my head right. None of this is real?" Ray asks, looking in a daze out of shock.

Wanda and Rogue both look at Ray and Evan with the same irritated expression. "You know I can still do hexes," Wanda warns. "Do you want a personal demonstration?" she asks them.

Evan and Ray back up, shaking their heads vigorously.

"Thought not," Wanda says with some satisfaction at their fear of her. She says her final farewells and steps back next to Dr Strange who opens a portal and she and he step through. The portal closes. Wanda is gone.

* * *

**The Sanctum Sanctorum...**

Stephen and Wanda reappear in front of the Sanctum Sanctorum and he escorts her inside. Across the street a figure in a hooded cloak watches on, trying to determine what to do now.

"You should know better Agatha."

Agatha's head snaps round at that chastisement and comes across a blind woman with a cane standing there, having managed to sneak up on Agatha unseen and unheard. "Destiny. What are you doing here?" she asks, at a loss why the blind mutant prophetess is here.

"The same as you. Bearing witness to a point of transition. You should not have tried to force her," Destiny, Irene Adler, tells Agatha off in relation to Wanda.

"I had to...and I'm betting you know why."

Destiny sighs. "For someone who has lived so long you lack so much wisdom. That is only one possible future. The Star Child will see it does not come to pass."

"Oh not this Star Child nonsense again," Agatha says as if she is sick of hearing it. "I've heard that ridiculous prophecy for longer than you've been alive and I've never seen him."

"He can be a little difficult to pin down," Destiny admits. Lately it has become even harder. She thinks Wanda might have had something to do with that but she can't quite remember whatever it is. Even her sight can't see him clearly but she can still see the effect he has on others and the world around him. "Have faith Agatha. Wanda's fate is no longer in your hands. It is in her own as it should be," Destiny tries to offer her advice on the matter.

"You have faith Destiny. I'm too old," Agatha dismisses any notion of faith. She has seen too much to have any time for any of that any more.

"Age is relative. Besides even you can't do anything now. She is under Dr Strange's protection. Even you would not be foolish enough to challenge him. Let it be Agatha and it will not play out as you necessarily believe," Destiny tries to persuade Agatha to drop this.

With that Destiny turns and leaves. Agatha just keeps staring at the house, unable to get the vision she had out of her head. It was why she tried so hard to get to Wanda so she could try and prevent it. She can see it. See an older Wanda with pain...so much pain in her eyes and an unsettling madness within them as well, like her mind has broken and all around her there is chaos, reality literally fracturing at the seams, as if in reflection of her mental state and it all originates from Wanda. She is the cause and that is when she does it.

That is when Wanda destroys the world as they know it with 3 words.

"No more mutants."

* * *

Inside the house Dr Strange and Wanda enter the lobby. Wong is there waiting for them.

Stephen does the introductions. "Wanda this is Wong. Wong this is Wanda."

Wong bows. "Salutations. Welcome. It is an honour to meet you."

Wanda is a little unsure how to respond. "Uh...hi."

Wong smiles slightly.

"Hey Doc!" a female voice calls out. "You bring me dinner?"

Wanda frowns and turns her head to see a girl about her age with black...no an extremely dark shade of red hair that has two locks that stick up oddly...almost like horns. She is of slender build but has definite curves. She is dressed in a black leather vest top and black leather pants with a chain for a belt. Also her eyes...deep within the pupils they glow slightly red.

The girl walks up to Wanda and eyes her from top to bottom. Her lips curve up into a hungry grin. "You did bring me dinner! And she smells good!"

"Satana!" Dr Strange snaps. "You are here to learn to control your impulses. Not embrace them," he reminds her.

"But she's so appetising!" she argues about Wanda, almost drooling. "It's not like the hip-hop barbie wannabe and her token ethnic friend are much of a meal. They're barely a snack."

"Why are we friends with her again?" another female voice asks, only this once has a distinctive Indian accent.

"We're not," comes the reply in a definite American accent.

Wanda turn her head to see another 2 girls, again about her age she thinks. One has blond hair and is dressed in urban city clothing, white vest top and jeans with a red bandanna on her head. The other is an Indian girl with long dark curly hair dressed in an Indian style dress.

Satana rolls her eyes. "You're bigger killjoys than my brother," she complains. "Mr I am so in denial of what I really am," she criticises her brother.

Dr Strange folds his arms across his chest, his expression growing stern and authoritarian. "Did you or did you not agree to come here of your own free will to be taught by me Satana? Did you or did you not agree to obey my rules?" he asks her, as he attempts to stamp his authority.

Satana gives him a look. "Well lets see now. There was your offer or serving my father. Wow real tough choice that one," she says sarcastically.

"Satana," Stephen says sternly.

"Alright. Alright. I won't eat her," Satana concedes.

"And speaking of your brother shouldn't you two be studying together?"

Satana rolls her eyes. "He went out for dinner with that Patsy girl he has the hots for. Personally I don't know what he sees in her."

"Study. Now," Dr Strange commands Satana to do what she should be doing. He'll deal with her brother upon his return.

Satana rolls her eyes again but walks off without much more argument.

"I'm sorry about that," Stephen apologises to Wanda. "I was hoping to prepare you for her. Satana takes some getting use to."

"Ain't that the truth," the blond girl says as she comes up to Wanda offering her hand. "Hi!" she greets Wanda enthusiastically. "I'm Jennifer Kale but most just people just call me Jen," she introduces herself.

Wanda is amazed she controlled her temper that much during all that but basically she is just very confused. She takes the offered hand. "Wanda...Maximoff."

"This is Topaz," Jen introduces the other girl who bows her head as a sign of greeting. "And that bundle of sunlight," she says sarcastically with a roll of her eyes, "you met was Satana Hellstrom. Later you'll get to meet her brother Daimon."

"What was her problem?" Wanda asks in reference to Satana.

"The duelling conflicts of the two disparate sides to her nature," Topaz answers.

"Suck up," Jen whispers because Topaz is quoting Dr Strange exactly. Topaz is the little teacher's pet.

Wanda responds with, "Huh?"

"Satana is half-demon," Dr Strange just comes out and says it. "As is her brother," he adds.

"Demons are real?" Wanda asks in shock.

"Very real...and very dangerous. As sorcerers it is our job to protect this world from their evil."

"But no pressure right Doc?" Jen asks in a flippant tone.

"I believe there is a great deal of pressure," Dr Strange dead-pans. "Wouldn't you agree Wong?"

"Indeed Doctor," Wong says.

Jen leans over and whispers in Wanda's ear. "That's what counts as his sense of humour," she warns.

Dr Strange ignores that. "I must ask tolerance of Satana. She is here to learn to control of her demonic half and learn to accept her human side. While her brother is here to learn to accept his demonic half. They are in many ways polar opposites of each other but to be whole they both must learn to accept the two halves of their nature."

"Yeah but don't ever be alone with her or she'll try and eat your soul," Jen warns.

Wanda looks more than slightly concerned at that.

"Well she is a succubus after all," Jen points out.

"A succubus?" Wanda inquires. "As in..."

"A being that must feed off the life energy of another during sexual intercourse," Dr Strange states it factually. "Yes," he confirms. "But there are many levels to that. She can take enough to sustain herself and not cause any permanent physical harm to the other. That is part of what she is here to learn; how to control her feeding instinct."

"Or she can just consume your entire soul," Jen explains the other end, saying it bluntly.

"That is the extreme her demon father wanted and which she rejected," Dr Strange reminds Jen. "That was when I stepped in and liberated her and her brother...but there will be time for sharing stories later after Wanda has settled in," he decides. "Jennifer, Topaz, please escort Wanda to her room," he requests.

"Oh get ready for this," Jen cautions Wanda. "This place will cause your brain to flip."

"Must you be so disrespectful," Topaz complains.

"Must you be so much a teacher's pet," Jen hits back with.

Jennifer and Topaz starts to escort Wanda to her room.

"So what are you two?" Wanda hazards a question.

"Sorceress in training," Topaz answers politely.

"I'm just a plain old wiccan," Jen responds.

"Wiccan?" Wanda queries with a light of interesting in her eye.

"Sure. I could teach you the ropes of it if you want," Jen offers, seeing the spark of interest in the Goth girl.

"Maybe," Wanda says cautiously. It does seem interesting to her.

Jen continues with why she is here. "Why I'm really here though is so Dr S can help me find my cousin; Johnny Blaze. He vanished awhile ago leaving me behind this letter detailing how he, to save his father's, my uncle's, life sold his soul to the devil...and I mean that literally by the way," she has to add.

"Mephisto," Topaz growls the name of the devil in question.

"Oh yeah. She really doesn't like him," Jen explains Topaz's sudden shift in mood. "And he doesn't like her either. There is some stupid prophecy that Topaz will destroy him one day. She's here for her own protection more than anything while she trains to become a fully fledged sorceress. Mephisto is really bad news. Tried to kill Topaz because of that prophecy. Dr S saved her and that's how she is here."

"Your cousin?" Wanda asks Jen in regards to him and is sure will get the story around this Mephisto character at some point.

"Don't know what happened to him or where he is really but I'm not going to stop looking until I find him," Jen swears and if she has to go through Mephisto to get answers she will.

"So what brings you here?" Topaz asks Wanda as they pass by an open door and Wanda stops and blinks as a train comes hurtling at them.

"Is that...?" Wanda starts to asks.

Jen rolls her eyes and shuts the door. A moment later she reopens it and there is a pristine looking bathroom. "I tell ya that's murder in the middle of the night when you're desperate for a relief...and that's pretty mundane for this place. It is constantly changing and shifting. Trust me you'll be getting lost for days."

"It is a vital tool in the teaching of the young mystic," Topaz argues.

"This coming from the girl who calls Dr S 'Master'."

"That is the formal title given to a magical teacher," Topaz reminds Jen.

"It won't ever be passing my lips," Jen swears. "It gives off creepy S&M vibes."

Topaz frowns, deeply unhappy at the insinuation before returning to her question. "Wanda, forgive me. Jen has gotten us off topic. I was asking what brings you here."

"Uh...short version; I was possessed by the ghost of a 17th century witch, discovered I had magical powers and I'm here to learn how to control them," Wanda tells them.

"Oh man. Possessions reek!" Jen expresses her opinion.

"They are indeed not pleasant," Topaz agrees.

The 3 girls walk through another door and enter...the same corridor but walking on the ceiling. Wanda has a feeling that this day is going to be really...forgive her for this awful pun...strange.

* * *

Back in the lobby Dr Strange blows out a weary breath. "It could be worse. Charles has over a dozen students," he says to Wong.

"He has my sympathies," Wong jests. "Another issue doctor. I made a discovery about the parentage of the Countess Thoreaux. I believe it could be useful."

"In what way?"

"Her mother is still alive," Wong says and hands over a tattered scroll to Dr Strange that he had found while searching the archives.

Stephen opens it and his eyes widen in mild horror at the identity of Isobel's mother. "Oh no," he whispers in the deepest dread.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

It is a circular room, furnished and decorated with the finest money can by. Along it's edge are several thrones and in those thrones sit the New York branch of the Inner Circle. It is being overseen by the Black King Sebastian Shaw as the club's recent business is discussed.

Right now a blond man in light blue pants, purple waistcoat over a silk shirt over which he wears a dark blue overcoat is informing them of his recent phone conversation with Lex Luthor and of the deal that has been verbally struck. He is Donald Pierce, current White Bishop of the Hellfire Club.

"This is excellent news Pierce," Shaw congratulates him. "This gives us the chance to gain access to the Sentinel technology Luthorcorp had and the ability to control the project Lex Luthor is currently working on for SHIELD."

Pierce smiles thinly, not taking any praise from Shaw too seriously. It is all for show.

"Oh yes it is all terribly interesting," a bored sounding voice says from the throne to the right of Shaw. Sitting upon it is a woman with long black hair, dressed in black leather thigh length boots, thong, a corset that barely contained her cleavage and attached at her neck was a black cape. She has a look of someone from the Mediterranean area. She is Selene Gallio, Black Queen of the Hellfire Club and an immortal sorceress of darkness to boot.

"You have some news?" a smarmy voice asks from Shaw's left. There sits the White Queen, Emma Frost, in an identical outfit to Selene except it's white.

Selene's head snaps round and she glares hard and with her, looks can kill.

Shaw, as usual, tries to mediate the situation between his two Queens. "Do you have news Selene?" he asks her in a much more polite, formal manner.

"Nothing that concerns anyone here," Selene says in a tone as to not to try and argue that point with her.

Shaw was the Black King but if he was to ascend to Lord Imperial he needed Selene's support and power so he tolerates her tendency to not be forthcoming.

Selene rises to her feet. "Now if we are done here I have..." she trails off and her eyes look around the room as if sensing something no-one else can. "Impossible," she mutters.

Then in the centre of the room a purple mist starts to form. It is someone teleporting in which is impossible. Selene cast the protection wards around this room herself. No-one knows her magic well enough to penetrate this room...save one of her children...except last she checked the ones capable of this type of sorcery were all dead or as good as or she had sacrificed them to gain herself more power.

The form takes shape of a teenage girl with long dark hair, dressed in a black dress that had seen better days. Her face has faded cuts and bruises.

Shaw makes move to call in the guards from outside.

"Stop!" Selene commands, raising her hand in that gesture, as her gaze takes in the familiar, to her, looking form. She walks up to the girl and around her, observing her closely, seeing her in ways no mortal can. She comes back round to the front and grabs the girl's chin roughly. She digs a nail into the girl's cheek and draws a drop of blood. Selene takes it on to the tip of her finger and raises it to her mouth where she drops it on her tongue and tastes it. "Possession of a blood descendant. I'm almost impressed," Selene remarks while sounding far from it. She can see who this really is. She knows who this really is.

"Selene?" Shaw inquires, wishing to know what is going on.

"This is the Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux. We go way back. I was there, in fact, when she was burned to death at the stake in 1604. That was a good day," Selene comments with a nostalgic grin to show how much she enjoyed that.

Emma cocks a sceptical, perfectly manicured, blond eyebrow at what Selene is saying but says nothing and merely observes. This might yet be of interest to her.

"I'll explain later," Selene informs Shaw about when he'll get what he wants but for now she wishes to concentrate on the figure standing in front of her. Selene brushes some hair back and takes in the marks on the face. "Been in the wars have we...and where is your book?" she asks Isobel curiously.

Isobel glares with pure hatred at Selene and says nothing.

Selene smiles in delight. "You've lost it haven't you," she works out. "I told you, you relied too much on it. I told you, you needed to learn to strengthen your own power but no. You did not heed my counsel. Thought you knew better. Led you to betray me and join that idiot Gertrude and how did that turn out again?"

Isobel just glares harder.

"So 400 years have passed and you're here because you need my help. I can see you barely managing to retain control of that vessel you are in. You must be really desperate to have sought me out," Selene says, taking utter glee in rubbing it in. She can assume this because why else would Isobel be here otherwise? "So anything to say to me after all these years?" she asks expectantly.

Isobel has to choke down the bile that is rising up her throat. To think she had to track down this abomination for help makes her sick but she has no choice. There is no-one else she knows that can help her. The words that follow feel like acid on her tongue. "Hello...mother."

* * *

_Author's Note: Selene as Isobel's mother. I wonder if anyone saw that coming but you can't help but say there is passing resemblance between Lana and Selene. I also did mention a few times that Isobel had good cause to hate her mother and when it is Selene you can't really blame her. I didn't want Wanda to be lonely so I picked out a few Marvel sorcerers to keep her company as fellow students. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Kitty and Peter's 1st date._


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

**Parker Residence, New York...**

Peter Parker drags himself out of bed...well drag may be an exaggeration. Sure he was up late webslinging and being all round magnificent...not that ol' picklepuss would ever give Peter any gratitude. Right now he can already read Jonah's editorial without having ever seen the thing. The word menace will be in it at least 7 times in relation to Spider-Man.

Oh yeah and after last weekend, when he was out helping the X-Men save the day, Jonah wrote that basically Spider-Man set that up to make himself look better by using and abusing 'poor, helpless mutants'.

Right the large guy with the Mohawk who can throw cars around was helpless. Sure JJ.

Peter scuffs his feet along the worn carpet towards the bathroom. In all truth last night wasn't so bad really. Whoever set up the 3 crime lords still hadn't made his move so all in all it was rather peaceful. The calm before the storm Captain Stacy was saying. He's probably right.

One quick morning clean-up and dressing and Peter looks at himself in the mirror.

Really cool spider-powers and he still looks like a loser. Gets treated like one too. Checks his watch. 90 minutes until his morning hassle and bullying courtesy of Flash Thomson. Maybe he'll get stuffed into his locker again today. Oh Goody! He can't wait!

Note the sarcasm please.

"Peter!" Aunt's May voice yells for him from downstairs. "Phone call!"

"Phone call?" Peter questions. Who would be calling him. Most of his friends still aren't talking to him.

Peter makes his way downstairs to the lounge and takes the phone from his aunt. "Parker's Taxidermist Services. You shoot 'em. We stuff 'em."

"Peter," May chastises him lightly albeit with a smile and a resigned shake of the head at his sense of humour.

"Peter? That you?" is the nervous sounding voice.

"Who is this?"

"Um...it's...Kitty. You know like Kitty Pryde."

* * *

**At the Institute...**

"Smooth," Rogue mocks with a smirk as she stands on Kitty's right.

"Really good there Kitty. That's telling him," Jean says from Kitty's left with her own smirk and giving her a jokey 2 thumbs up.

Kitty places her hand over the speaker. "Shut up!" she tells her smirking friends off. She is nervous ok! And they're suppose to be here to support her. Some friends.

* * *

**Parker Residence...**

"Oh! Um...Hi," Peter says in a suddenly squeaky voice and finds his aunt looking with more than a little interest at him. Peter makes good his escape into the hallway.

"Hi," Kitty says back in a high-pitched tone and Peter can hear muffled voices in the background. "So...um sorry I took so long to phone," she apologises. "We had some stuff to deal with."

"Like?"

"Oh holograms brought to life, mutated walking trees courtesy of the magical missteps of our Scarlet Witch. She's...uh away now. Staying with some like mystical doctor to learn to totally control her powers...and you know I thought Friday would be like best since...you know weekend. Able to stay out later and all that."

"Uh huh?"

"So um about that thing. You know you and I going out. How about after school? I could get you know who to run me over. What do you say?"

Peter rubs the back of his neck. Wow he had actually almost forgotten. Face palm! God he's a total tool. "Right after school or...?"

"Sure why not. Clark can cover the distance in what 5 minutes?"

"3 actually."

"I really need to pay more attention to him in training," Kitty mutters in complaint at herself.

"What?"

"Sorry. It's a teamwork thing. Knowing what your teammates are capable of."

"Oh. I really tend to work solo most of the time."

"Isn't that lonely?"

"I'm a lone wolf type of person."

"Oh my gosh! Logan and you would so hit it off!"

"I'm pretty certain he promised to gut me on the jet last weekend."

"Pft. He says that about everyone. He threatened to totally do that to Rogue yesterday and they're family!"

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Next to Kitty Rogue's face sours and she mutters some unpleasantries about Logan because he totally did say that. Some father huh? And people wonder why she never calls him dad. She's so having Beast redo that paternity test.

Kitty elbows Rogue in the ribs and gives her a dirty look for talking when she is on the phone.

* * *

**Parker Residence...**

"So back to meeting up. After school?" Peter asks Kitty to confirm that is what she wants.

"Yes...uh what school and where?"

"Midtown High, Queens."

"Okay. I'll see you there!"

"Kitty," Peter stops her hanging up.

"Yeah."

"Thanks for doing this," Peter says in a soft tone. He's tried of being alone in truth. "It's...you're pretty cool."

"Like no probs! See you tonight!" she says bursting into her perpetual cheerful tones.

Peter smiles as the phone call ends. Then there is the sound of someone clearing their throat. Peter turns to see his aunt.

"So Peter. Care to tell me who that girl is?" she asks.

Another face palm! His aunt has that meddling look in her eyes. Someone please just shoot him.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

"Oh my god. I have a date," Kitty says in shock. "I have an actual date!" she screams.

Jean and Rogue wince at the sound.

"Didn't I say you would find someone better than Lance," Jean reminds Kitty of one of many things she said to try and cheer Kitty up after she and Lance imploded.

"Ta beh fair Jean that's not hard," Rogue says, criticising Lance.

Jean has to nod a concession. That was true.

"I have a date with Spider-Man!" Kitty yells still in total stunned shock.

"Oh brothah," Rogue mutters knowing she will be hearing about this all day.

* * *

**Midtown High, Queens...**

As another school day ends Peter exits the building and his eyes start to automatically look for her. He walks down the steps when he spots her in a pink t-shirt with a white star emblazoned across the front and these mauve pants still holding her school bag. She waves at him. He waves back.

"Hi!" Kitty greets Peter as he comes up to her, taking a moment to appreciate how his unkempt hair falls over his face making him look adorably cute.

"You're here...already," Peter says in some surprise.

"You know who moves fast when he's motivated," Kitty explains and Kitty's good at motivating. Basically she just nagged Clark all day about dropping her off until he couldn't wait to be rid of her.

"Wow. You look...nice." _'Oh dear god was that lame,' _Peter mentally cringes.

Kitty blushes slightly. "So this is your school...and are they giving that guy a wedgie?"

Peter looks over to see Flash Thomson and company giving a kid with glasses a wedgie. "Welcome to my life," he says morosely.

Kitty looks at his sad features and has to fight down the urge to take him into her arms and cuddle him. "So...uh is there a plan for this evening?"

"I have no plan. Do you?"

"Nope." Kitty looks around. "What do these 'other' people do after school?" she asks him.

A smile starts to come to Peter's face as an idea strikes him. He starts to lead Kitty off, not noticing they have been seen.

"Is that Peter leaving with a girl?" Liz Allen asks her best friend Mary Jane Watson.

"What? Where?" MJ asks as she tries to spot Peter. Liz points and MJ spots them. "Do we know her?" she asks, her nose wrinkling a little as she tries to place the person.

"I don't believe so," Liz replies, unable to place any name to the girl.

"What's the hubbub ladies?" Harry Osborn asks as he walks, hand in hand with Gwen, up to them.

"Peter. Strange girl. Curiosity needs to know," Liz explains.

"Peter's doing what now?" Gwen asks, trying to spot her ex-boyfriend.

Harry spots Peter and said strange girl. "Oh yeah. Wow she's cute!" he remarks.

Gwen fixes him a look.

Harry spots it. "But not as cute as you," he quickly tries to cover himself.

"Real smooth Harry," MJ remarks in a light criticism.

"Who is she?" Gwen asks, clearly not happy at not knowing. How can she not know Peter was seeing someone? Her and Peter have been best friends forever...except lately not so much. "Come on Harry," she says, pulling Harry along.

"Uh Gwen, babe, where are we going?" Harry asks, trying not to look like a total goose at being dragged along by a petite blond.

"Wherever they're going," Gwen says with determination.

"But...but..." Harry tries to protest.

"No buts!" Gwen cuts him.

Harry hates this. It is not healthy the way Gwen keeps nosing into Peter's business. They broke up. She's his girl now. This drives him crazy!

MJ and Liz share a look. They don't need to say it. They're going wherever Peter's going to.

* * *

**The Midtown Mall...**

One thing Peter can say is that people ain't all that original when it comes to names. The Midtown Mall...Midtown High...New York in the state of New York. It's a thing that if he was alone he would spend a good hour debating over in his head but as he's in company his mind is more on the here and now and taking delight in the way Kitty's face has lit up.

"Corn dog on a stick!" Kitty exclaims in excitement at the food in her hand as she and Peter sit at a table at this mall cafe.

"Veggie variety," Peter points out because, yes, he noticed Kitty does not eat meat. " A modern achievement," he jokily lavishes praises on the 'delicacy'.

"When the mutants take control of the earth, the man who invented the corn dog shall be spared," Kitty lays down the proclamation.

Peter's eyebrows rise because she sounds quite serious about that.

"I'm like kidding!" Kitty laughs. "Totally kidding."

"You sure about that? Clark does make some mention of you being evil."

"I'm killing him," Kitty promises in relation to Clark. "But yeah I'm totally kidding. I promise. We're the **good **mutants. Fighting for peace and everything like that."

"In that case you may want to avoid statements like that in public places," Peter advises her.

"Ugh. My comedy like sucks," Kitty complains, with a face palm, if Peter of all people couldn't see she was joking. She bites into her corn dog. It's really not bad considering it's mall food.

Peter picks up a French fry and bites it in half. "So this...thing we're having. I've gotta to ask why. It's not because of what happened when we were...you know intoxicated or anything right?"

"No," Kitty assures him quickly. "It's...uh...look I don't like know if this will lead to anything but what I do know is that 95% of my 'human' friends don't talk to me now since I came out as a mutant or they spend their days like totally insulting me," she says depressingly.

"Well those guys are obviously morons," Peter rushes to her defence.

Kitty smiles at his defence of her. What a sweet guy. She continues, "And you know most of my free time is spent training or saving the world or almost getting killed."

Peter nods in understanding. "Yep. I totally get that...apart from the training thing. I'm just...you know not living at a mansion with super cool tools to train with."

"You could," Kitty says with deep passion in her voice.

"Huh?"

"Could...come over every once in a while and train," Kitty quickly covers herself. She was so not saying Peter should come live at the mansion where they could hang out all the time and make out and stuff. She so wasn't saying that.

Peter scratches his head. He supposes he could if he wanted to.

Kitty returns to Peter's original question. "It's just...I actually want a friend outside my world you know...and with my lack of spare time and being a mutant it isn't easy...and you're like the closest thing." Of course if Peter was open to them being more than friends Kitty would not say no but she decided not to be pushy about it. No really. She isn't going to be pushy at all.

"I'm flattered I think."

"And there's all that other stuff about you being smart and funny and so on and so on but that seems way too clichéd to have to be said," Kitty smarts off with a grin.

"Sometimes it is still nice to hear it," Peter says with a smile.

Kitty smiles back at him.

Suddenly a tall blond guy bumps into Peter. "Sorry sweety," he snidely apologises.

"Somehow I doubt that Flash," Peter mutters at Flash Thomson who had obviously finished beating up that other kid.

"What was that puny Parker?" Flash asks him in aggressive tones, looking at Peter as if he is a literal bug to be stepped on.

Peter sighs. He thinks about rolling off an insult or 5 but that would just get him have to pretend to get beaten up again and he doesn't want to waste any time on that when he's here with Kitty. "Nothing Flash," he says.

Flash's eyes narrow before turning to Peter's companion. His lips curl up in to a smug, mocking grin. "When you want to hang out with a real man I'll be right over there," Flash says, pointing at where his friends are.

Kitty glares daggers at the blond boy as he walks off. "I'm with a real man jerkwad," she mutters. She turns to Peter. "You could like totally wipe the floor with that tool," she points out.

"I could," Peter admits as he dips his fry in the tub of ketchup. "But I can't," he says. "If I did...it would be 2 seconds of bliss followed by 10 years of hell," he gives his reasons why he doesn't.

Kitty looks at Peter and something occurs to her. "So no-one close to you knows what you can do, do they?"

Peter shakes his head as he chews on his fry. "Nope."

"And you have no-one to share it with?" she asks, saddened at that thought.

"Not really...Clark a little," Peter supposes. "It's better this way."

"How so?"

"People close to me already get hurt when no-one knows who I am. If I tell them it would be worse."

"It may not."

"It would be. Trust me on that. My aunt...she practically raised me. Her life was already put in danger once because of me. What kind of evil scum would I be if I put her further into danger. Then there's everyone else around me. People already hate Spider-Man. That spider on my chest might as well be a big target. Anyone seen close to me is at risk. My ex...nah forget it. You don't want to hear this."

"What?"

"Nothing and it doesn't matter. That voice in your head that tells you when you're whining and nobody cares. I have that right now."

"I swear I care," Kitty tells him earnestly as she leans forward and places her hand atop of his. "Tell all the voices in your head that I like am totally interested in what you were going to say."

The sincere caring look on Kitty's face makes Peter melt and he confides in her. "My ex-girlfriend...one of my enemies kidnapped her. She still gets flashbacks occasionally and she completely blames Spider-Man. If she knew who I was I would lose whatever chance I have of remaining her friend. It's better if that is all people are to me."

"Wow," Kitty says for lack of anything else to say.

"What about you? You mentioned a little about that Lance guy."

Kitty picks up her soda carton and sucks some up through the straw. "Lance was...well he was cute and I thought that under his rough exterior there was a nice guy. Turns out I'm totally stupid."

"You're not stupid Kitty," Peter assures her.

Kitty shrugs a little. "Well I'm certainly not a good judge of character. When given the choice between me and Magneto he chose the guy trying to take over the world," she says and you can hear a tiny slither of bitterness in her voice that still remains over Lance.

"I did say he was a moron or words to that effect," Peter points out.

"That you did. At least I won't have to see him any more," Kitty chooses to say as a positive. "The Brotherhood...they're gone...at least until Magneto's next attempt to take over the world."

"Well you're better off than me. I have to see my ex dating my best friend."

"Wow. Total suckage," Kitty comments.

"Tell me about it."

"Uh...isn't there a rule about not dating your best friend's ex?" Kitty inquires.

"If there is Harry obviously skipped over that page." Peter sighs. "I'm not begrudging anyone happiness. I'm not. It just...I would rather not have to see it every day."

Kitty nods in sympathy.

Suddenly a pepper pot drops down onto the table between them after being thrown at them. Kitty and Peter turn their heads to see it came from Flash's direction.

Kitty makes a face as Flash chortles at his actions. "Ugh. Can we go somewhere they can't?" she asks.

"Yes," Peter says.

As Peter and Kitty get up to leave they are being watched by 4 pairs of eyes belonging to Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson and Liz Allen.

"Who is she?" Gwen asks.

"I don't know," MJ replies. "But he has to know her quite well."

"How do you know that?" Harry wonders.

"The way they were talking. Too serious for a casual acquaintance," MJ explains.

"MJ. I think you're obsessing a little bit," Liz lightly criticises.

"I'm not obsessing," MJ defends herself. "But I recognise her from somewhere," she says, her face askew with thought as she tries to recall how she knows that girl.

"I agree with Liz," Harry says. "You're obsessing over nothing. He obviously met a nice girl somewhere and they hit it off," is his assumption.

"Then why have we never heard of her?" Gwen asks.

"Because the two of you have barely spoken to him in months," Harry reminds them.

"What about you?" MJ asks. "Did he tell you?"

"Well...no."

"Ha! See!" MJ claims triumphantly. If Peter didn't say anything to Harry then there is definitely something going on in her opinion. "Come on," she says as starts to head in the same direction Peter and the mysterious girl are.

Gwen leaves with MJ leaving behind a totally befuddled Harry and Liz.

"That's your friend," Harry comments about MJ.

"That's your girlfriend," Liz hits back with about Gwen.

"Touché," Harry concedes.

MJ and Gwen spot Peter and the girl heading into one of the back areas. They push through the doors only to find no sign of them.

"Where did they go?" Gwen asks, clearly confused about how they could just vanish that quickly.

A puzzled expression comes to MJ's brow because she doesn't know how they pulled that trick off either but one thing that she is certain about is that she is finding out who that girl is.

* * *

Sometimes superpowers are cool. It allows you to get up to places normal people can't. In the case of Peter and Kitty that's the mall roof.

"You ok with this?" Peter asks as he helps Kitty up through the hatch onto the flat roof.

"Oh yeah. This is cool," Kitty says as she starts to catch a glimpse of the view.

"I meant with the wind," Peter clarifies, worried she may get cold.

"It phases right through me," Kitty points out.

The two walk over to the edge and the mall offered a surprisingly great view of New York. Kitty takes a few minutes to appreciate the view.

Peter points at a building in the distance. "See that? That was where I defeated the greatest villain known to man; Stilt-man." (Note: where the word greatest is written please replace with lamest.)

"My hero!" Kitty proclaims in a mock enthusiastic cheer.

"Well one must do his duty," Peter says in heroic sounding tones.

Kitty smiles at him before raising the subject they were talking on before they were rudely interrupted. "So can you not like date anyone? Is that the point you were trying to make earlier?"

Peter turns his gaze out to the city and tries not to look her in the eye. "I-I don't think I can. I can't protect the person from..."

Kitty cuts him off. "But what if...they had, I don't know, like mutant powers and could take care of themselves?" she asks him.

"Well..." Peter starts to say only to notice the horrified look in Kitty's eye.

"I can't believe I just said that," she laments to herself. Peter's obviously sensitive on the whole area and she just basically blurted out 'Hello! I want to be your girlfriend!'. Kitty turns and starts to phase herself down through the roof before she embarrasses herself further. Although short of actually throwing herself at him she probably can't.

"What are you...?" Peter starts to ask.

"Never mind!" Kitty shouts at him as she vanishes.

"What? What?" Peter asks, totally confused about what just happened.

"Idiot!" Kitty shouts at herself as she virtually glides down to the floor below. Maintenance floor essentially. She places her hands over her face. "You've fought Magneto and giant robots Katherine. What is your damage?" she asks herself. She looks up. She can't leave him there alone and she needs to explain so she phases into a wall and uses that to glide back up...like she is walking through it, only upward.

On the roof Peter wonders what he should do. "Should I leave?" he asks nobody.

"Don't leave," Kitty says as her head pops back up through the roof.

"Are you ok?" Peter asks, worried for her.

"I'm a total spaz," Kitty berates herself as she comes to sit on the roof.

Peter steps forward and offers her his hand which she takes as he helps her up. "What was that about?"

"That..." Kitty drops her eyes unable to meet his. "That was insanely forward of me," she basically apologises.

"What?" Peter asks, still lost.

"That thing about having a girlfriend with powers. That was way..."

"Uh I actually thought it was a good point," Peter confesses, cutting her off. He's use to hanging around normal people, dating normal, non-superpowered people, so Kitty's point has never occurred to him before. That might actually solve the dilemma he has. He doesn't want anyone close to him hurt but he doesn't want to end up alone either. "I wasn't freaked out," he assures her in case she thought he was.

"I was," Kitty confesses.

"Clearly," Peter says in good humour.

"I'm like a complete spaz," Kitty says, still not able to meet his eyes.

"No. I'm a spaz. You're quirky," Peter says back.

"And quirky is French for?" Kitty asks, wondering what Peter means.

"Cute."

Kitty's eyes turn to look at him and gaze into his brown eyes which are looking at her with tender affection. "Cute is good," she says with a small smile.

"Yeah cute **is **good," Peter says, lost in her blue eyes that are filled with this hope for something. His face slowly moves towards hers. Kitty's eyes flutter closed, her chin lifts in preparation for...

BOOM!

They stop, their lips inches apart and snap their heads in the same direction. An explosion a couple of blocks away at most. Dust kicks up into the air.

"Whoa," Kitty remarks.

Peter sighs. Always. The Parker luck never lets him down. He immediately starts to lift the shirt he has on, off and underneath the blue and red webbed pattern costume becomes visible. "I gotta go check that out. Will you wait...?"

Peter never gets to finish his question. "I'll come," Kitty tells him.

"No," Peter starts to say first off as his pants get discarded. "I can do this..."

Again Kitty never lets him finish. "Dude. I'm like a superhero, too. Let me swing there with you."

Peter pulls his mask onto his head but not quite over his face yet. "But you might..."

"What?"

"I don't want you to get hurt," Peter says, which was why he said no in the first place, as he pulls his mask down. His protective instinct has kicked in.

Kitty frowns in annoyance. Wasn't she just making the point about having powers and being able to look after herself. "Hey! I can't get hurt," she points out and to prove her point she phases her hand through him.

"Whoa!" Peter remarks at how weird _that _is. "You're right. Sorry," he apologises, as he pulls his webshooters and gloves out of his school rucksack and slips them both on. Peter then wraps his arm around Kitty's waist. He should know better what she can do after they worked together against the Brotherhood he knows...but also, you know, protective instinct to keep everyone around him safe so no-one ends up like his Uncle because of him. He pushes his protective instinct down and jumps off the building with Kitty securely in his arm. He fires a webline and they swing off through towards the explosion.

Kitty can only say one thing in response to being swung through the air like this. "WHOOO HOOO!"

* * *

The doors to a bank get blasted open and out walking comes a guy in a brown and yellow costume with gauntlets on his arms. The Shocker. A bag full of stolen money is strapped to his back. "Everyone stays clear and no-one gets hurt," he warns in serious tones. "I am not joking!"

One girl with brown hair and blue eyes steps forward. "You kinda **look **like you're joking...or is that you look like a joke?"

Shocker raises his blasters and aim them at her. "I mean it girly. Back off!" he warns.

The girl arches an eyebrow and grins. "I'm going to have to say like no."

"Your funeral!" Shocker snarls and fires the shockwave his gauntlets emit...to absolutely no effect as they pass through the girl.

The girl rubs her left shoulder with a smile. "Can you do my back now? Because you like won't believe the stress I go through on a daily basis," she says implying all his blasts did was to give her the equivalent of a nice massage.

Shocker has to take a minute to think. This has never happened before. He blasts her again to the same no effect.

Kitty smirks. "You know Einstein said that the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Me...well I don't have any words of wisdom to give but you want to see what I can do?"

Kitty steps forward and sweeps her hands through both gauntlets. "I can phase myself through your cute little massagers. Isn't that like the coolest?" The devices spark and fizzle. "Except, oops, it displaces the molecules causing all the electrical thingamajigs inside to short out. My bad. Sorry," she says in a tone that shows she isn't sorry in the slightest and is in fact enjoying herself immensely.

Shocker raises them up and looks at them. "Oh no," he says because he knows what happens next.

Kitty steps right into his face. "Piece of advice..." she lowers her voice to a whisper. "Don't look behind you," she warns.

Shocker turns his head to find Spider-Man stuck on the wall right behind him.

Spider-Man waves cheerfully. "Hi Herman! Miss me?"

"AAAIEE!" Shocker screams like a girl before he does the only thing he can when his offensive weapons have been destroyed. He runs. He gets about 5 feet.

THWIP!

He runs right into a web and becomes stuck.

Kitty holds her hand out in Peter's direction and says, to the small gathered crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen...the Amazing Spider-Man!" she heaps praises on him.

The small crowd actually cheers in response.

"See they do like you," Kitty says, contradicting what Peter was saying about people hating Spider-Man as he gracefully leaps off the wall and lands next to her.

"Cute," Peter remarks with a smile under his mask. He shoots out a webline, gathers Kitty back in his arms and leaps into the air as he swings them away. He never sticks around since the cops tend to not like him...unless Captain Stacy is around.

Kitty moves around onto his back with her arms around his neck freeing up both his arms for webslinging. "So you're on first name terms with your villains?" she inquires with a bemused look.

"Meh," Peter shrugs. "Me and Herman do this routine like every month...although I thought he was in jail," he says a little confused by how Herman is out again so soon. He doubts the reason is good for him.

"I bet you like totally wish that Jameson guy was in jail."

"Have you been peeking at my Christmas wish list?"

"No...but seriously I've read his editorials. What is his problem?"

"Who knows. I have my theories but they're best not repeated in such sparkling company."

Kitty grins as Peter swings them back up to the roof where they started. He always takes a roundabout way back just to make sure no-one is trying to follow him.

Kitty closes her eyes, and rests her head on his shoulder and enjoys the feel of the air in her face. It was almost like flying. She enjoys the feel of Peter under her and boy did he seem to work out. He sure feels like he has a nice body.

Peter deposits them back on the roof and places Kitty down gently. He may not be Clark but he's easily strong enough to hurt a normally strong person. He pulls his mask off.

"Well Indiana Jones you certainly haven't forgotten how to show a lady a good time," Kitty quotes, showing off her geek knowledge.

"Yeah. You're something," Peter says back.

Kitty flicks some of her hair back shyly, fighting the urge to blush at the what he said.

"You're suppose to say: 'I'm something all right, until I get my five thousand dollars back you're getting more then you bargained for...'" Peter quotes the line from the movie. "No? Nothing?"

"Wow you like out-geeked me there," Kitty says sounding rather impressed actually.

"Well, I'm sure it won't be the last time," Peter says with a dorky smile.

Kitty smiles back and their heads move towards each other again...

_Beep! Beep!_

"Crap," Kitty says it like she's swearing as she pulls her phone out of her pocket. New text message. She reads it and groans.

"What?"

"My ride's here," she says with a certain sadness.

"Your ride?" Peter queries confused and then from above there is a strong gust of wind. Peter looks up to see the x-jet hovering overhead.

Kitty raises a hand to her head. "Uh huh. Right. You really need me? Ok. Ok. Stop going on and on Jean. Just give me a minute."

"Jean? What?" Peter asks confused by what is going on.

"Jean Grey. She's talking in my head," Kitty explains.

"And you made fun of the voices in my head?" Peter teases.

Kitty relays what Jean is saying in her head. "There's been some kind of mutant incident on the news in...Delaware? What the heck is in Delaware?"

"You gotta go huh?" Peter realises.

"I gotta go," Kitty confirms sadly as she was having a great time as matter of fact.

"Can we...do this again...another day?" Peter asks because...well he really enjoyed it and Kitty essentially just proved she can overcome the one concern that plagues him. She can't be hurt.

"Yeah. Like totally," Kitty says with a brilliant happy smile at that thought. "What's...uh what's your schedule like?"

"My schedule? It sucks."

"Yeah. Mine too. I think Logan plans these Danger Room sessions to keep us single until we're like 40," Kitty voices her opinion.

"I work Saturdays to help my aunt out money-wise but I'm free in the evening."

"Depends how long this thing will be. Might have to be next Saturday. I'll call and you know feel free to email...especially after 10. The Professor doesn't like the phone ringing late into the evening."

"Uh sure. Email address?"

"Oh right!" Kitty picks up her bag, which she left here, and pulls out a card and hands it over to Peter.

"You had business cards printed?" Peter queries with an amused expression.

"I got tired of writing it out," Kitty justifies that.

"So this Saturday or next Saturday?" Peter asks Kitty to confirm it is one of them.

"Sure...as long as I'm not like saving the world or anything. That would be the only reason I couldn't...or I'm killing Clark. That has to take precedent."

"Totally understand. Same goes for me...except for killing Clark. I like him. He laughs at my jokes."

"I laugh at your jokes too...and alright Jean! I'm coming!" Kitty shouts at Jean's telepathic nagging for her to hurry up. "Sorry. I really do have to go." Kitty bites her lower lip and asks one more thing. "Before...and at the mansion last week were you going to kiss me?"

"I-I think so," Peter stutters nervously as he rubs his neck awkwardly.

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"D-Do you still want to?" Kitty asks, being bold, because she so wants to kiss him really, really badly...and she isn't counting the kisses they had while they were under a spell. She wants a normal, not under the influence of any kind, kiss just to prove to herself that that spark she thinks is there really is there. She wets her lips. "I just don't want you to think I didn't if you..."

Peter decides to just go with that attraction he is feeling and stops Kitty's ramblings by taking one step forward, placing his hands on Kitty's back and kissing her full on the lips. One of Kitty's hands wraps around the back of his neck and one foot comes off the ground at the seriously good kiss and she responds to it in kind.

* * *

In the jet Clark chuckles.

"What's funny Space Boy?" Logan asks in his usual gruff tones.

"Oh just hoping Peter remembered some breath mints," Clark jokes as he spies with his x-ray vision eyes. "No doubt you'll be wanting words with him."

Dom's face lights up as she gets it. "Oh ho. Oh I'm just gotta hear about that one. Jean go fetch her!"

Logan growls as he gets it. Words. Oh yeah. Logan will be having words with the webhead. He can think of 3 right off.

Snikt!

Those three.

* * *

Back with Kitty and Peter they break apart and Kitty wonders where he learned to kiss like that because wow! Her whole face...her whole body feels flushed with heat. It was even better then the ones she remembered when they were under the spell.

Peter smiles warmly at the girl who just gave him a kiss that made his toes curl. He won't say how much he has been wanting to do that for at least the last hour. Then Kitty is lifting into the air as the side door to the jet opens and there stands Jean, dressed in uniform, hand to her head, telekinetically lifting Kitty into the jet.

Kitty waves goodbye as she rises before remembering something and desperately reaches into her bag. She throws something out at Peter. A rolled up paper. Peter catches it. "What's this?" he shouts at her.

"Just read it. You'll see!" is Kitty's response before she vanishes inside the jet which takes off across New York's skyline.

Peter frowns a little as he unrolls the paper...and it is a paper. The Bayville High school newspaper. Peter skims through.

"Mutant incident...X-Men...assisted by New York's finest hero Spider-Man..." he trails off his mutterings in complete surprise that a newspaper is saying something nice about him. He notes the date is from the beginning of the week and then he spots who wrote it.

Clark Kent.

_Beep! Beep!_

That's Peter's phone. He pulls it out of his currently discarded pants and reads the text.

_Promised you I would write you something nice. Kept my word._

_CK._

Peter can't help but let out a laugh at that. He never thought he would live to see the day he would get a nice article written about him. Clark was a great friend. With a much happier mindset Peter gets dressed and makes his way home, the whole time thinking about that kiss Kitty gave him. His thoughts are along the line of 'Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.'

"Good date?" Aunt May asks the second Peter walks in the door.

"Wasn't a date Aunt May...but yeah it was really something."

May smiles at the dreamy expression on Peter's face. She hasn't seen that in awhile. She hopes it means this relationship has a chance. As his family she can't help but wish him to be happy. "So when do I get to meet her?" May asks.

"Uh..."

May laughs at Peter's horrified expression. "A joke Peter," she assures him. "For now...but one day I would like to meet the girl dating my nephew."

"Sure Aunt May. Anything for you. You know that," Peter promises her. Will always promise her. He has to look after her now that Uncle Ben is no longer here.

May smiles at him warmly. "Well put your school things away and I'll get started on dinner."

"Sure Aunt May," Peter agrees with a happy smile that May hasn't seen on his face for months.

Peter almost leaps up the stairs to his room and throws his bag down. He goes to his window and looks up at the sky and makes a very simple wish. "God I know you and I don't seem to be on the best of terms with, you know, all the crap I go through...which I'm certain is all part of a bigger plan or you simply don't like me very much but I have one teeny tiny request, which is more for Kitty's benefit than mine because I want her to be happy, so could you see to it to please not let me screw this up for once. Pretty, pretty please? With a cherry on top?"

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

The home where she currently resided reeked of dark magic. Isobel could feel it penetrating into her pores. Perfectly suited place for her mother to live. Also the epitome of style and comfort...or what passes for it in this century. Her mother always did like to live the good life. Be worshipped...literally.

Isobel hated to be here but she had no choice. Tracking down her mother hadn't been overly taxing. If you happen to be a blood relation and know how Selene's magic works it is relatively easy as matter of fact. Her mother was the only person left Isobel could think of to help her with her current situation. She stands in her mother's study as Selene performs a binding spell upon her. It had taken 2 days to persuade her mother to do that. Isobel had practically had to beg...which was probably what her mother wanted in the first place. To humiliate Isobel.

"There," Selene says, once she's done. "I have stabilised your spirit within this vessel."

Isobel takes a moment to allow herself to relax. With her book destroyed it had taken immense effort and concentration to keep Lana suppressed. Now with her mother's magic binding her spirit to this body it was no longer necessary. She looks at her mother with a suspicious gaze. "You can undo this whenever you feel like it," Isobel accuses.

Selene smiles and walks up to her daughter. She strokes the cheek still marred by scars. She hadn't healed them even if she could do so. "I never make the same mistake twice my daughter. This way I know you shall not betray me as before." It is Selene's way of keeping her daughter under her thumb because she can now cast Isobel out whenever she desires, so Isobel does what she is told or she can go straight to hell...literally. Selene has her reasons for not destroying Isobel on sight after her daughter's betrayal all those centuries ago. Basically she was actually impressed by Isobel's determination and drive to cheat death. She'll never say this but, out of all her children, Isobel was amongst the most talented. It means Selene can use her.

Isobel has to swallow down the bile. She knew the price she would have to pay when she decided to seek her mother out. She accepted it...for the moment. "Will you help me?" she asks.

Selene snorts lightly. "Defeated by some mutants and a farmboy. As your mother the shame of such a pathetic defeat stains me," she says in disgust. Isobel was asking for help in gaining revenge and in finding those 3 stones of power she was always so obsessed with. Selene had been sure to get the whole story out of her daughter first before she would even consider agreeing to help because trust her daughter Selene does not.

"He was not an ordinary farmboy!" Isobel defends herself robustly. "I told you that!"

Selene rolls her eyes. "So he knows a few tricks. So does the average street magician these days."

"He is linked to the stones. I know he is."

Selene groans. "400 years and you're still obsessed by trinkets," she dismisses Isobel's quest.

"Trinkets left by Gods!" Isobel argues about why she thinks she must possess them.

Selene yawns. "Yes, yes. I've heard **that **before. Always turns out to be so disappointing," she says in complaint at other such trinkets she has found over the years.

Isobel raises her right hand. "I had it. In my hand. It burned me. I didn't imagine that mother!"

Selene rolls her eyes in utter contempt. "Daughter I have been around almost as long as those stones. Have you seen me obsessing over them? I think not."

"No you're merely obsessed with being thought of and worshipped as a God. Isn't that why you founded Nova Roma. To create a whole nation of people who would bow down to you. Whatever happened there?" Isobel asks with a mocking smirk. She knows what happened.

Selene's face darkens considerably. "Do not speak of that which you do not understand," she warns in a cold, harsh tone.

"What I understand is that I have suffered humiliation and I will not let it stand. Isn't that what you taught me? To never leave your enemies in a position of strength?"

Selene sighs. By agreeing to allow her daughter to return to her side she supposed she would have to accept taking on Isobel's enemies. A stain on Isobel is a stain on her. "Show me this farmboy," she commands since Isobel has seemed in particular to focus in on him.

"Surely you have seen him?" Isobel assumes. "He parades around as that Superman character."

"I do not waste my time on these so-called heroes. I've seen a thousand of them over the centuries. I leave such petty concerns to Shaw and..." Selene's lip curls up into a disgusted snarl, "Frost," she almost spits the name out with venom. Selene despises the woman but Shaw likes her so Selene lets it be...for now.

Isobel mentally notes how her mother said that. Hmm, she may have to try and forge an alliance with this Frost woman behind her mother's back. Could be useful in the longer term in aiding Isobel from getting out from under her mother's control. For now she'll play the repentant daughter. Isobel forms a glowing sphere of purple mist in the air and within conjures up an image of Clark Kent. Isobel then looks at her mother whose expression is one of sheer...horror?

"Impossible. That face," Selene says in a deathly quiet whisper of shocked horror. "No. It's wrong," she says as she studies it closer. "The eyes are the wrong colour and it's far too young. Has to be...his son. Yes."

"What?" Isobel asks, completely lost by her mother's babbling. It seems the years have deteriorated her mother's mind further than it was already.

Selene's eyes grow dark with anger and vengeance. "Nova Roma. You know I no longer rule it."

"I did a search on google. Wonderful thing all this little technology they've invented."

Selene humphs at that. She explains about Nova Roma. "I was...defeated and banished by an...abomination," she reluctantly admits her defeat. "A being who draws its power from light itself." Selene points at the image. "He looked just like that only add a few years. This farmboy must be his son," she makes the assumption.

Isobel looks at her mother bemused. "You let this being live?" That wasn't like her mother at all.

Selene growls. "He came from a place too far away for me to reach but this is an intriguing opportunity. I can make his son suffer in his stead." She looks at Isobel. "So I shall help you Isobel. In fact I will get Frost and that ragbag team of mutants of hers to assist since you said these X-Men are involved."

"They are. He's living there."

"Well Frost and her team can keep the peons busy. That's what she's for after all," Selene says disparagingly about Emma. "The farmboy is mine...and you may have the stones once I'm done with him," she says...unless they really are powerful in which case Selene will take them for herself but Isobel doesn't need to know that.

"We'll make him tell us where the stones are first right?" Isobel asks, just to make sure her mother doesn't get carried away and destroy Clark before she gets her answers. She knows how her mother so enjoys draining the life out of people.

"Of course. I intend to make his end as long and as painful as possible. He'll be begging me to end his miserable life before I'm done," Selene promises with a dark smile of anticipation. She turns to look directly at the image within the purple sphere. "Enjoy what time you have left because your end draws near...son of Jor-El," she says to the image. Her hand reaches into the sphere and she crushes it out of existence in the same manner as she intends to snuff out the boy's life.

* * *

_Author's Note: I borrowed a lot of Peter and Kitty's date from the one they had in the Ultimate Spider-Man annual. And Clark's problems just got a whole lot more evil with Selene after his hide. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Cerebro finally gets fixed allowing the Professor to start recruiting new mutants and Magneto gets a very big surprise._


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

**At the Institute...**

It had been over a week since Wanda left. A week since Kitty went on her first date with Peter and she had been talking everyone's ear off about it. Rogue was about a hair's breadth away from killing her. Rogue has a boyfriend too but do you hear her bragging? No...and this is despite she could. She has a lot to brag about. Rogue thinks Kitty has been on that phone every day talking to Peter for hours about who knows what. She guesses that means it's going good...which Rogue is pleased about. Kitty is her friend and Rogue would like to see her friend happy.

The mutant incident in Delaware involved this guy they had come to call Nitro. His mutant power caused him to build up energy within his cells until he released it...explosively released it. It was also beyond any sort of control.

They were just lucky he didn't kill anyone. Considering the negative press mutants already get that would have been the last thing they needed. In the end they managed to persuade him to let them help him.

Well Rogue did really. Her own inability to control her powers gave her a commonality with which to reach out to him with and eventually he trusted them enough to allow them to help him. Really he was just a scared kid, terrified by what he could do, by the new power fate had given him.

Due to the instability and danger of Nitro's powers they had been forced to put him on ice...in a way. They took him to Muir Island and put him into suspended animation, similar to the way the Juggernaut is imprisoned, until they can come up with a way to stabilise his powers. That was why Dr Moira McTaggart founded the facility on Muir Island in the 1st place. It was to research a way to help those mutants whose powers and physical mutations were extreme and she was only too happy to assist in this case too.

When they were putting Nitro to sleep you could see the relief on his face that he was being locked up and could no longer hurt anyone. You couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. You also have to wonder if this is just the start of the kind of issues the X-Men will have to deal with now that mutants are public.

Being on Muir Island also meant they got to catch up with Rahne, who was sour to say the least about her mother's refusal to let her go back to the Institute. You could cut the tension between mother and daughter with a knife. It was that thick.

As for how things at the Institute were going Ororo and Logan were still avoiding each other. Martha was getting that meddling itch just to try and sort it out. Bobby and Roberto's 'contest' over Cat Grant was leading to more frequent fights between the two. Otherwise, with the Brotherhood gone, there was nothing else too serious going on right at the moment.

The Professor and Beast along with Forge had been busy for the last couple of days fixing Cerebro because, finally, the ordered parts arrived. Late into Friday evening and they are just going through the initialisation routine before they fired it back up.

"Ready whenever you are Professor!" Forge shouts from outside the door as he reconnects the final power circuits using the tools from his techno-organic hand.

Charles places the helmet on his head and takes a moment to mentally prepare himself. "I'm activating it now Forge!" he tells the young man. Charles flicks the switch and Cerebro springs to life.

Beast standing next to Charles looks over the readings. "Everything is in the green," he reports.

"I can feel them," Charles reports as Cerebro expands his telepathic abilities to encompass the whole world. "Lets do a comparison with the last recorded readings and see what has changed," he proposes for the first task. Essentially what new mutants have popped up and what mutants have vanished.

Hank nods in agreement as Charles closes his eyes and stretches out his mind.

* * *

**Bayville...**

Officer Maggie Sawyer watches with more than a little satisfaction as the gang of drug dealers is shoved into the back of a police van. She had been on their case for weeks...even if it was a little above her pay grade as the saying goes but it had become personal to her that they were caught and prosecuted.

Her eyes turn up to her right to the figure standing on the rooftop without whom, she has to reluctantly admit, she could never have succeeded. "I need to talk to you," she whispers knowing he can hear her. "Give me a minute."

Maggie watches her fellow colleagues drive off and promises to see them back at the station. She then clambers up the fire escape to the roof where Superman stands, a pleasant warm, disarming smile on his lips.

"You wished to speak to me Officer."

"Yes. I did. I'm not going to repeat this so listen good," she warns him. "Thank you for your help."

"That's why I'm here," Superman says simply. "I was as tired of them and their drugs as you were Officer," he points out.

"No. You don't understand. It's...they hurt someone I care about. In there when I had a gun pointed at that guy...he was the one and I..."

"Were never going to pull the trigger," Superman assures her with total belief...although that explains why it looked so personal to her.

"You stopped me."

"I...reminded you of who you really are. That's all. If I wanted to stop you Officer I could have."

That's true Maggie guesses. The point is he talked her down by reminding her she was a cop and what she stood for when he could have more easily just physically stopped her. She had never really seen him fight up close until now but it was...almost scary how easy it all was for him. At least against normal people with guns. "I also think I owe you an apology," she says.

Superman looks at her curiously. "For?"

"I thought you were a mindless oaf. Brawn and no brains but that's wrong," she explains. As they worked together on tracking this gang down that meant talking with him as they sorted through the clues and she could see he was in fact really smart. His sense of humour was lame though.

Superman shrugs. "You wouldn't be the first. You won't be the last." Clark leans forwards and whispers. "Between you and me I let everyone think that. Makes them underestimate me," he explains his secret with a wink.

Maggie smiles a little. The twinkle in his eye also lets her see for a moment that she is talking to someone who is not really all that old. It is a youthful twinkle. "Who are you really?" she has to ask.

"A friend Officer. That's all I am. I just wish everyone would see that."

"Some people want you shot on sight."

"I know," Superman says sadly. Clark knows there are people in the police and local authority that think him a menace and want him stopped...but he won't stop helping. He can't. "I hope after these last few days you are not one of them Officer."

"Lets just say I'm warming up to you...a little," she qualifies.

"It's a start," Superman says with a grin. "So I heard mention this might get you a promotion."

"I'm not holding my breath," Maggie mutters because she's been due a promotion for years and keeps getting overlooked.

"Have some faith Officer and sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised."

"Still not holding my breath."

Superman chuckles. "Well I will bid you a good evening. There are lots of people I have to go help," he says his farewells as he walks to the roof edge. He stops and looks at her. "You should go to the hospital and visit Tobi. I'm sure she would appreciate that."

Maggie's eyes widen. "How did you know my...um, friend's name?" she asks in relation to the person she cares about who got hurt.

Clark places his finger to his lips. "Shh. Spoilers," he says with another wink. "And friend is underplaying it I think."

"You don't have a problem with me being...?"

"Gay? No," he says, almost laughing at the absurdity that he, of all people, would have a problem with that considering what he is. Being an alien means he really doesn't judge. "You'll find I have no problem with whatever gender a friend of mine chooses to date."

"Don't get ahead of yourself Superman. I said I'm only warming up to you a little. I wouldn't go as far as calling us friends. I'm still not convinced mutant vigilantes are a great idea."

"Well that's alright," Superman replies in a cheerful tone. "After all when did I ever say I was a mutant," he says with a broad, knowing smile before he bends his knees and leaps off into air to the next rooftop over.

Maggie stands there, more confused than ever. If he is not a mutant then what the hell is he?

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Down in Cerebro, Charles and Hank are discussing the findings of his initial scan of the planet. With Cerebro now functioning fine Forge had left for home.

"Our numbers continue to increase more rapidly than projected Charles," Hank says in relation to the sheer growth of the mutant population.

"I know," Charles replies with a puzzled brow. "I don't understand how. You and I both went over those projections dozens of times. What did we miss?"

"I can only assume we underestimated the percentage of the population that carries the x-gene. If you increase the starting number it fits within the normal margin of error."

"Yes but that would mean there should have been more mutants than Cerebro ever detected before."

"It doesn't make sense Charles, I agree, but what is important is what we do now," Hank cuts right to it.

"Well we both know what Magneto is doing."

"Yes I was surprised by how many mutants have vanished from the scan," Hank admits. The assumption is that many of the mutant who have vanished have joined Magneto and are now being hidden from any scan.

"Look at how many new ones there are," Charles says in disbelief as the incredibly long list scrolls across the screen in front of them. "We're going to have to sit down and discuss how we deal with this Hank," he decides.

"Yes I know. There are too many for us to help each and every one. We will have to come up with criteria about how we choose who is invited to come and attend the Institute."

Charles hated the idea of choosing one over another. They all need help but they will have to because as Hank said they can't help every mutant on the planet. "You are correct," he expresses his agreement. "But I..." he stops.

"What is it?"

Charles highlights a name on the screen that caught his attention.

_X-gene activation detected. Location: Cumberland County, Kentucky. Name: Guthrie, Paige Elisabeth._

"Isn't that young Samuel's sister?" Hank inquires.

"It is," Charles confirms. "And I remember him saying she was sick."

That's a pretty common side-effect to mutant powers manifesting. The body has to undergo a sudden adjustment which puts a strain upon it.

"I better talk to him," Charles decides is best. He turns the wheelchair around and exits the room.

Hank stays behind for a moment, taking one last look at the list of new mutants that have appeared in the months since Cerebro last worked. He shakes his head a little. They had a lot of work ahead for them. The future, it seemed, was approaching faster and faster every day.

Hank leaves, not realising the significance of the name he left it upon.

_Mutant power use detected. Type: Creation and manipulation of magnetic fields. Location: Eureka, California. Name: Dane, Lorna._

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

Magneto had set up websites as a mechanism to use the modern social media to reach mutants he otherwise couldn't. It left a system that needed to be monitored for messages from his followers. Sometimes these were coded so as to not make it obvious to the human authorities who no doubt monitored everything.

What had been brought to Magneto's attention today was an oddly specific message addressed to him by one of his old names.

_Magnus._

_One night long ago you saved my life and repaid me by gifting me another. It was a beautiful night in Miami. I still think of it. I don't know if you'll ever see this. I hope you do. Seeing you on tv was an Eureka moment on the Bay that told me she needs you. _

_Yours for a short time Suzanna._

Magneto frowns. The message was obviously cryptic.

Suzanna in Miami?

His eyes widen as a memory slips into mind of a woman with startling, luminous, green eyes that took his breath away once.

Suzanna in Miami.

Of course. He could never forget her.

He...she...they. Well he had been in a rough place in his life...although for Magneto, a man who survived the Holocaust, that's a relative term.

Why would she send this after all this time?

It had been what?

14 years...maybe 15 since he last saw her.

He rereads the message. Eureka moment on the Bay?

Eureka was spelt with a capital as was Bay. Proper place names is what Magneto is guessing.

There can't be many places called Eureka sitting on a Bay.

Easy thing to do is a search. Magneto will concede it is one thing humans have created that is useful. If she is sending a message now something must be up so he will track down Suzanna and personally find out what it is that has prompted this attempt to reach out to him.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

"Mah sister is a what?" Sam asks in complete shock at what he is hearing. He had been called to the Professor's office and this was the last thing he expected to hear.

"A mutant Sam," the Professor repeats. "Paige has been detected by Cerebro as having her x-gene activate. It would be why she is sick."

Sam drops his head into his hands. "Oh man," he mutters.

Charles rolls round and pats him on the back. "It's nothing to fear Sam. We'll go to Kentucky first thing in the morning and check up on her. She'll be fine."

Sam looks up, fear etched in his face. "Ah know she will be Professor. That's not the problem."

"What is?" Charles asks, perplexed.

"She's been goin' on and on for months about wanting ta be a mutant and now she is and now she'll come here and ah'll never hear the end of it. Mah life is over," Sam says with utter dread.

Charles smiles. Sam is, of course, blowing this way out of proportion and being over-dramatic, but that is the way with family. "Sam you need to phone your family and let them know we'll be coming," the Professor says to him.

Sam nods, gets to his feet and slowly departs dreading the future that is waiting for him.

* * *

Clark walks in through the door after his night out helping people and finds Sam exiting the Professor's office looking like someone died. "Everything alright Sam?" he asks.

"Oh hey Clark. No. Everything is not alright."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Only if you can extract the x-gene from mah sister."

"Huh?"

Sam explains it about Paige and his dread at her almost certainly coming here. He had listened to Paige say time and again how much she wanted to be like him and attend the Institute.

"Paige? She's the oldest of your sisters right?" Clark seeks to confirm.

Sam nods.

"It'll be fine Sam. I'm sure she's not that bad."

Sam laughs mirthlessly. "No Clark. She really is."

Clark looks at him.

"Don't get meh wrong. She's mah sister. Ah love her but she's a pain in the neck."

"Look...why don't I come with you," Clark suggests to give Sam support.

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to. Besides it's been ages since I've been on a farm. I miss it," Clark admits honestly.

"Well if you're sure?" Sam says a little hesitantly.

"I'm sure. Besides I can only take so much of Kitty's 'enthusiasm'," Clark says with a roll of his eyes, "over the fact she is dating Peter."

"Now that ah get," Sam says in total agreement. Kitty had been going overboard. He felt sorry for the guy who is dating her.

Sam then goes and phones his mother and spends some time explaining all about Cerebro and how it has picked up that Paige is a mutant like him and how he will be coming home. His mother is obviously thrilled about seeing him and Sam smiles. He misses his ma. He tells her they'll be there in the morning.

* * *

The next morning Clark jogs up the x-jet ramp with an overnight bag slung over his shoulder since they can't be sure how long this will take. May need to spend a night in Kentucky hence the overnight bag. Mr McCoy and Ms Munroe are at the controls. Mr McCoy coming along is to assess how ill Paige actually is. It can be stressful on the body becoming a mutant and they wanted to be on the safe side. Sam is already there.

It only needed to be a small group to go for one person. Beast and Storm as pilot and co-pilot. Sam because it was his family and Clark because he wanted to give his friend some support.

"You invite Tabby?" Clark asks as he slips in the seat next to Sam.

"Ah did. She felt it was too early to meet mah parents," Sam explains Tabby declining to come. "What about Rogue? You ask her along?" he asks Clark back.

"I did. She refused in her usual sassy way," Clark says with a smile. God he loves her sass. "It's fine. It's not really her to go meet people. You know what's she like."

"She's been better since you two started dating," Sam comments. Even he could see how much better Rogue was at being open and friendly.

Clark shrugs, not sure that's right.

"Are we ready to go?" Ororo asks the two boys.

"Ready when you are Ms Munroe," Sam replies.

Hank and Ororo perform the last checks before the jet takes off and they head to Kentucky. On the flight over Sam and Clark share anecdotes about growing up on a farm. The time passes fairly quickly until Storm announces their arrival.

The jet is landed in an open area as near the farmhouse as is safe and they all walk down the ramp. Clark closes his eyes and inhales deeply. Almost smells like home. He opens his eyes and takes in the sights. Farmhouse, barn, animals and everything else you would expect on a working farm. He sees several children of various ages running around. Sam's brothers and sisters. Clark counts 5 in total, 3 boys, 2 girls, Paige would be number 6 and he knows Sam's mother is expecting another soon. Wow that's a big family.

"Samuel Zachery Guthrie!"

Sam cringes instantly at the yelling of his full name. It comes from an older woman with blond hair and obviously very pregnant. "Hey Ma!" he waves at her before he runs over and hugs her.

Lucinda Guthrie smiles and hugs her son back. "It's good ta see you Sam. Let meh have a look at you." She pulls back and looks him over. "You look thin. Have you been eating enough?"

"Ma," Sam groans in complaint at her fussing.

Lucinda grins and ruffles her son's dirty blond hair.

Hank and Ororo smile at Sam's discomfort. Hank was using a holowatch so as not to frighten anyone with his appearance.

Sam introduces everyone. "Ma these are two of mah instructors Mr McCoy, he's the doctor ah mentioned, and Ms Munroe."

"Delighted to meet you ma'am," Hank greets her formally.

"Indeed," Ororo agrees. "You raised a fine son."

"Well with as many as I have I had to get lucky once," Lucinda jokes.

Sam grumbles under his breath. He does the last introduction. "This is mah friend Clark."

"Well he's certainly well fed," Lucinda remarks at the tall broad teen.

"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am," Clark says. "Sam says nothing but praise."

Lucinda scoffs. "Ah doubt that but you're a nice young man for saying so. Tell meh does mah son have a girlfriend yet?"

Sam flinches. He hadn't told her about Tabby yet.

"Um...yeah. Very recently he started seeing this girl," Clark speaks the truth.

"Finally!" Lucinda says as if she wondered if it would ever happen. "You can tell meh all about her," she tells Sam.

"Yes ma," Sam says in sullen tones.

Lucinda points at her children. "That little army is Jay, Melody, Jeb, Joelle and Lewis," she introduces them. "Kids! Your brother's here!" she yells giving them permission to come greet him.

"Oh no!" Sam says in horror as he is rushed by his younger siblings who engulf him.

Lucinda turns to Beast. "So you will want ta see Paige."

"If it's alright," Hank replies not wishing to be rude.

"It's fine but don't expect her ta say or do much. She can barely get out of bed. Ah've...been worried," she says with concern for her oldest daughter.

"I'm sure it is nothing. Many mutants are ill when their powers first manifest. It usually passes in a couple of weeks at most," Hank tries to reassure the obviously concerned mother.

Lucinda takes a moment to stroke her swollen belly before she starts to lead Beast and Storm inside the house leaving Sam to introduce Clark to his siblings. "You have a large family," Ororo remarks, looking to strike up a conversation.

"Ah just love kids. What about yourself?" Lucinda asks back.

"No. I haven't found the right person...although my sister keeps pestering me to 'get on with it'."

"That's what family is for," Lucinda jests.

They soon reach Paige's room and Lucinda knocks on the door. "Paige!" she says in a raised tone as she walks in. There lying in bed, looking pretty awful is a girl of 14 with blond hair.

Tired blue eyes open. "Momma?" Paige inquires in a weak voice.

"There's a doctor here ta see you. Sam brought him from that fancy school of his."

The mention of her brother seems to bring more life to the girl. "Sam's here?"

"Yes he is," Hank confirms as he moves round next to her and places his doctor's bag down. "I'm Dr McCoy and I'm going to do a few simple tests if that is alright Paige?"

"Ah guess," Paige agrees, simply too tired to argue.

Hank smiles kindly and begins his work.

"Well if she is a mutant at least this stops all her crazy stunts," Lucinda says in some kind of relief.

"Stunts?" Ororo inquires.

"She's been desperate ta find some way to become like her brother. The fool girl jumped off the roof to see if she could fly and that was one of her saner attempts."

Ororo has to bite her lip to stop a laugh escaping. It wasn't funny really. The girl could have hurt herself. "Did she hurt herself?" she asks.

"No. She only landed on her head. Thank the Lord," Lucinda jokes.

"Momma," Paige weakly protests at being embarrassed by her mother.

"Paige Elisabeth Guthrie, did ah or did ah not tell you ta stop after you sat in that tub of ice water?" Lucinda challenges her daughter to deny it. "You could have given yourself pneumonia," she adds.

"Ah was just tryin' ta give mahself ice powers momma," Paige defends herself.

Lucinda throws her hands in the air. "You know what. Professor Xavier is welcome ta her. Ah'm washing mah hands," she says to Storm not really being serious.

"Ah don't understand," Paige says at what her mother is saying.

Hank explains. "You're sick, Paige, because your mutant powers have activated."

"They have?" Paige ask with desperate, desperate, hope in her eyes that that is true.

"Yes...although we don't know yet what power that is."

Paige does not care. The fact she is a mutant makes her feel better than she has in days. That's all she has wanted to be for months, even praying to God for Him to make her like her brother.

Hank continues with his tests. He decides to take some blood. The jet has a basic facility to run an analysis on it. It's why they took it instead of the helicopter. He sticks the needle in and...his brow furrows as something odd happens. The skin wrinkles up as if it is a sheet simply sitting on a surface. He still manages to find a vein and take the blood he needs before he puts the needle to one side and turns his attention back to the oddity that is Paige's skin. Hank gently pushes at the skin and he can feel it move and slide about. "Paige are you in any pain?"

"No. Not really," she replies. She just feels sick, worn down, tired.

"Hank. What is it?" Ororo asks, recognising that look on his face.

"Come. See," he tells her.

Ororo walks round and Hank takes her hand and places it on the loose skin. Ororo is puzzled by how she feels the skin move. Skin didn't move like that. Suddenly her nail catches the loose fold and the skin rips...making a slightly nauseating sound as it does so.

Both Hank and Ororo look to Paige's face expecting her to be crying out in pain but there's nothing. "Paige do you feel that?" Ororo asks, astounded that she doesn't seem to.

"Feel what?" Paige asks as she looks down at her arm for the first time and sees the ripped skin. Instead of being grossed out, as Ororo slightly is, an enormous grin comes to her face. She raises her hand to the ripped skin, grips it and pulls a long strip all the way off before anyone can stop her. Underneath is simply more unblemished skin. There's no pain, no blood loss. Nothing to show Paige just ripped her own skin off.

"Fascinating," Hank remarks.

"That's one term," Ororo says, holding her stomach and trying not to vomit her breakfast back up.

Paige starts to laugh joyously as she rips more strips of skin off and throws them in the air like confetti.

Lucinda just shakes her head in disbelief. Now she had another one to deal with.

Paige just keeps smiling and laughing. Finally she was special just like her brother.

* * *

**Eureka, California...**

A woman with brown hair and luminous green eyes drowns a stiff drink as she sits at home.

_'Some 40th birthday,' _she thinks bitterly to herself as she is almost alone. No friends...not any more at any rate. Something had happened and now all her friends shunned her. It would be why she is drinking at 10 in the morning.

Her name is Suzanna Dane and lately her life hasn't been going well. At the start of the summer she discovered a man she had had a love affair with long ago was in fact Magneto, now labelled a mutant terrorist by the government.

To Suzanna he was Magnus, a man who had shown her love, affection and understanding at a low point in her life. She had just lost her husband and was deep in grief. It meant she hadn't been paying attention when crossing a road as a police chase just happened to turn the corner.

Suzanna thought that was it until someone saved her. A man with silver hair and intense eyes that were deeply haunted...much like her own at the time.

Anyway after that they would meet regularly and eventually one thing led to another thing which led to Suzanna receiving the most wonderful gift she ever got.

Suzanna never regretted that but Magnus being who he is made it all more complicated.

A knock at the door breaks Suzanna out of her morose reflections of the current state of her life. She walks to the door and opens it. She gasps at seeing the sight of the silver-haired man in the trench coat. "Magnus," she says barely above a whisper.

Magneto can't stop the smile coming to his face as his eyes fall upon her. "Suzanna. You look lovelier than I remember," he compliments her in what he believes is a true statement.

Suzanna takes a moment to get over the shock. "I never...I wasn't...I didn't really think you would get my message."

"Many people underestimate me. That is their mistake," Magneto says somewhat darkly.

"You managed to find me?"

"Eureka on the Bay," Magneto repeats the words. "The town of Eureka on Humboldt Bay. It narrowed it down. After that it was simply a case of looking up the phone book."

"I'm...I'm..." Suzanna has to wipe away a few tears that start to fall. "I'm so glad you're here," she says.

Something stirs in Magneto's heart that is normally dulled from so many years of pain and loss. Seeing her cry moves him. He has a tissue in his pocket he gives to her. "Now what was so urgent you needed to see me?" he asks her.

Suzanna blows her nose first. "It's complicated," she starts to say before she is interrupted.

"MOM!" a terrified cry from within the house is heard.

"Lorna!" Suzanna says in panic as she sprints inside.

Magneto follows swiftly all the way to the kitchen where he finds a girl with brilliant green hair, a face almost like a younger version of Suzanna and the same luminous green eyes. She is dressed in a green and purple hooded top and beige pants with light grey boots. The girl is backed up into a corner, huddled on the floor, as various metal objects float around the room, a look of terror on her face. The objects, many of them sharp and dangerous suddenly fly out of control right at Suzanna and Magneto.

Magneto raises his hand and stops them, countering the other magnetic field he can sense. The one coming from the girl. He pulls the objects together until they meld into a metallic ball which he keeps floating above his hand.

Suzanna rushes over and takes the girl in her arms and attempts to soothe her. "Shh. Shh. It's alright."

"It happened again. I couldn't make it stop," the girl sobs.

"It's ok Lorna. It's ok," Suzanna assures her as she kisses the girl on the temple and strokes her hair. Suzanna then looks up at Magneto. "I was trying to build up to it," she says with a nervous expression.

"Build up to?" Magneto queries.

Suzanna swallows. "This is my daughter, Lorna," she explains. "She's 14 years old."

Magneto's jaw drops as he starts to do the maths. She couldn't possibly mean...

"Lorna," Suzanna says gently to her daughter. "This...This is Magnus. He's your father."

Through moisture laden eyes Lorna looks up at the man and Magneto sees it. That yearning of a child to connect to their parent and something stirs again in his numb heart. "We have a daughter," he says, almost like he can't believe it.

Suzanna nods. "She seems to have inherited your, uh, gift. That was the she in the message. Lorna...she needs your help."

"Are you really my father?" Lorna asks as she wipes some of the tears off her face with the back of her sleeve. All her life she wondered about her father. Her mother had always been so vague about answering that question but now, finally he was here, it seemed.

Magneto steps forward and bends down. "Apparently I am." He brings forward the molten ball of metal to hover in front of Lorna's face. "Tell me Lorna is there an animal you like?"

"Uh...ponies I guess," she answers with the first thing that pops in her head.

Magneto smiles and he starts to reform the metal in his grasp until it takes on an equine shape.

Lorna's eyes light up in awe and wonderment. His powers were like hers...only he could control them. She had no control. "C-can I do that too?" she wonders.

"In time. Yes," Magneto promises as he hands over the newly created sculpture to her and the light of joy in her eyes makes him smile. It has been so, so long since he was able to do that for one of his children.

"H-her powers?" Suzanna inquires after, afraid of another episode.

"I'm neutralising them," Magneto assures her. For someone of his power and experience he can create a magnetic 'bubble' around Lorna that keep her magnetic powers bottled up. "There will be no more episodes."

That seems to calm Suzanna. "I guess I have a lot to explain," she says with a sad smile.

Magneto should feel anger. He has been denied 14 years of his daughter's life but it just isn't there when he looks into those sorrow filled green eyes of Suzanna's. "Yes. We shall talk," he agrees.

* * *

**Guthrie Farm, Kentucky...**

Sam and Clark had managed to pry themselves away from Sam's siblings so they could go visit Paige. They enter the room to find Paige ripping her own skin off.

"Paige what in tar nation are you doing?" Sam demands to know.

"Sam!" Paige greets her brother excitedly.

"Ah thought you were sick," Sam says because she looks far from it.

"Ah don't have time ta be sick. Ah'm a mutant now! Look!" she says as she pulls more skin off.

"Will you stop doing that!" Sam pleads because, seriously, it was gross. He felt sick.

Paige makes a face at Sam and then spots the tall boy, with the curly dark hair. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Clark. Ah told you about Clark," Sam says...although now he thinks on it with Wanda altering reality or something he isn't sure what it is Paige will remember.

Clark waves. "Hello Paige. It's nice to finally meet you. Sam speaks about you a lot."

"Does he now," Paige says with an evil grin. "And what does he say?"

"That you're his little sister whom he loves dearly."

Paige snorts as if not quite believing that and continues to pick at her skin, unable to stop being fascinated by what she can do.

"Thanks," Sam whispers in Clark's ear for saying that because in reality he complains about Paige all the time.

"I'm going to back to the jet and run some tests on young Paige's blood," Hank announces. "From the looks of it I say she is getting better by the minute," he observes. It is almost as if using her powers, whatever they actually are, is helping her overcome the sickness. Going to the jet will also give him a chance to consult with Charles over the comm link.

Hank leaves and Sam turns to his mother. "Where's Pa?" he wonders about the whereabouts of his father.

"Working in the mine."

Sam's face darkens. "Ah thought we agreed he wasn't going ta go back ta that. He almost died!"

"Don't raise your voice Samuel," Lucinda warns her son. "And he had no choice...unless you want ta see your family homeless. We just don't make enough money from the farm."

Sam grumbles and wrings his hands in complete frustration. Of course he didn't want his family to lose their home. He stalks out of the room before he says something he'll regret.

Clark could sympathise. His family lost their farm because it wasn't making enough money. He follows Sam out of the house. "You ok?" he asks.

"No," Sam says in no uncertain terms. "Mah pa almost died in that infernal coal mine. The owners had been cutting corners on safety and there was a cave in. If it wasn't for mah powers he would have died."

"You never told me that story."

"That's when mah powers manifested. Ah was so worked up with worry, ah felt like ah would explode and ah did in a fashion. Ah was able to blast a way through the cave in. Made the local news. That was how the Professor found meh."

"Sam I understand you know. I ended up at the mansion partially because we lost our farm. We were already packed, ready to go to my grandfather's in California, when the Professor showed up. I saw how it ate at my father. He would have done almost anything to keep that farm, even at the risk of his health."

"Ah think your father and mine would probably get along like a house on fire," Sam proposes because that sounds exactly like his own father.

"Probably."

Sam sighs. "Ah hate the idea of him back down there," he expresses what is bothering him. Worry over his father's safety.

"Surely the owners had to make some improvement to safety," Clark argues.

"Ah wouldn't hold mah breath," Sam mutters. "The guy in charge is a greedy, self-centred man who cares little about anything except making money."

"Is that so?" Clark says in a tone that shows he is pondering something. "Well it sounds like you need a reporter to investigate him," Clark proposes and when he says reporter he's meaning himself.

Sam looks at him. "You serious?"

"Sure. Now where's this mine?"

* * *

**Eureka, California...**

They had moved through to Suzanna's lounge. Magneto had spotted the open bottle of whiskey, frowned deeply but not made a comment. He could see Suzanna was nervous, playing with her hands on her lap. Lorna was smiling joyfully at the toy he made her. It warmed a little of his cold heart. She had left for her room so he and Suzanna could speak alone. He could keep Lorna's powers in check from here. He could sense her...the magnetic field she generated. It was odd but soothing at the same time.

"You're looking...younger than I remember," Suzanna remarks, perplexed by how Magnus appears to her compared to her memory.

Magneto smiles lightly. "A long story. For the moment lets us just say I was reborn in a fashion."

"I didn't know," Suzanna starts. "That I was pregnant. I didn't know until after you had left."

Magneto sighs. The reasons he left were obvious if you do the maths. "I...regret the way I left," he says truly. He sort of just left without a proper goodbye.

"You went back to your wife Magnus. What is there to regret?"

"How did..."

"I know?" she finishes.

Magneto nods. He never told her he was married.

"I was tidying up your clothes one night while you slept and your wedding ring fell out your pocket. A divorced man would not have kept it on him," Suzanna explains.

She always was very bright. It was part of why Magneto grew so fond of her.

"I take it you and she were going through a rough patch when we met."

Magneto nods. "Yes," he says wistfully. He and Magda had basically separated at that point. Wanda and Pietro, who were 2 at the time, stayed with her while he went off for several months before returning to patch up the marriage. He doubted either of the twins remembered it in all honesty.

"I don't regret it Magnus. What we shared. You were a great comfort to me after I lost my husband and you gave me Lorna. For that I am forever grateful."

"Tell me of Lorna," Magneto requests since he feels there is nothing to gain in rehashing over hurt feelings from long ago.

"What's there to tell. Until a couple of weeks ago she was a normal 14 year old. Then her...what is it you call it? Her x-gene?"

"Yes," Magneto confirms.

"I guess it turned on or whatever the term is. Her hair turned it's colourful current shade and metal objects started floating around in her presence."

"Her hair was..."

"Brown. Like mine," Suzanna informs him of what it use to be like. She suddenly chuckles. "You know she wants to be a geologist. 14 years old and she is already planning her career...or she was," Suzanna says with a sudden sadness about how much has changed.

Magneto smiles at the little bit of his daughter he has missed out on.

"They expelled her," Suzanna says in a pained whisper.

"What?" Magneto asks, puzzled.

"It was at school it happened...her powers came and they expelled her because she couldn't control it. A few of the students were hurt by flying objects. Grounds to be expelled."

Magneto's face darkens. "Expelled because she was a mutant. Utterly unacceptable," he says in near total contempt for the _human_ authorities who made that decision.

"It's not a large town Magnus. I think Lorna is the first mutant they've probably ever seen in person," Suzanna says in a sort of justification for those who expelled Lorna.

"It does not excuse them."

"Well maybe you can tell that to my employers...no wait my former employers who deemed having a mutant daughter grounds for dismissal."

Magneto's anger grows.

"Can you blame me for drinking?" she asks in an almost flippant tone. "I know you what you were thinking when you saw the bottle. Did you notice the piece of paper under the bottle? Go ahead. Have a look at it."

Magneto leans forward and moves the bottle off the coffee table and picks up the sheet of paper. "A foreclosure notice?"

"The bank just pulled the plug on my mortgage. In a week we'll be homeless."

Magneto crushes the sheet of paper into a ball. No daughter of his will be homeless. Criticise him how you want for how he raised Wanda and Pietro but he did always make sure they had a roof over their heads. "This will not stand," he growls angrily.

"I don't care about myself," Suzanna says selflessly. "I care for Lorna. That's why I sent that message. I hoped somehow you would see it and come for her."

"You think I would leave you uncared for?" Magneto asks her gently. "I shall not," he promises her.

Suzanna sighs. "Magnus...I've done all I can for her. Her powers...I don't even know where to start to help her with that."

"You contacted me. That was the start and I can help her. I can help you," he says with genuine warmth and caring.

"Magnus I've seen your message. Not exactly very human friendly is it?"

"That does not apply to you," he assures her. "You and Lorna can come live with me. I insist."

Suzanna takes a few moments to think. "Lorna! Come in here!" she yells.

Lorna comes almost bouncing through, still holding the little horse Magneto made for her, happier than Suzanna has seen her daughter looking in weeks.

For the first time in weeks Lorna hasn't had to worry about her powers going off. She smiles upon seeing her father.

Her father.

Lorna loves that. She has always wanted to know her father and here he is, sitting in her house...and she was just like him.

"Yes mom?" Lorna inquires about why her mother called her.

Suzanna pats the cushion next to her. "Sit down honey. There is something we need to talk about."

Lorna could tell this was going to be serious as she sits herself down.

Suzanna takes a breath. "Magnus...she needs to know who you are."

Magneto nods in concession. He could see that if Lorna was going to come with him she needed to know him.

Lorna looks from one of her parents to the other. "What is going on? What do I need to know about dad?"

Dad. Magneto likes hearing that. It is good Lorna has so quickly come to accept he is her father. Magneto speaks. "My name, Lorna, is Erik Magnus Lensherr but you most likely know me better as Magneto."

Lorna's eyes widen. She thought he looked familiar. "You're him...off the news. The leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants right?"

"That is correct," Magneto confirms. "But don't believe the human propaganda. I am not a terrorist. I am the defender of our kind as we take our first steps on the road to our rightful place in this world."

Lorna takes a moment to absorb that and comes up with a question, based on what she knows of her father. "Does that make me Jewish?"

Magneto laughs at the wonderfully innocent look on Lorna's face. "Truthfully it has been a long time since I followed the tenants of the faith...but the answer to your question, Lorna, is that you are whatever you wish to be and never let any human tell you otherwise."

Lorna knows what the news says about Magneto...but it can't be true right? It has to be an exaggeration. Everyone knows how they exaggerate to pump up ratings. He's her father and she refuses to believe he is a terrorist. "I, uh, I have questions," she raises with him.

"I'm here. Ask them," Magneto permits her to ask whatever she wishes.

Lorna smiles in pure joy. Her father's here!

* * *

_Author's Note: I more or less borrowed this idea of Nitro from the WAXM episode he was in. For now I just want it to be a minor thing in passing. Superman, champion of the ordinary guy therefore Clark would never let this mine problem just be. So Husk and Polaris make their débuts in my little tale. Suzanna Dane was Lorna's adopted mother in the comics but I decided to just take her and make her Lorna's actual mother since I am pretty certain her real mother has never been revealed...or at least it is beyond my knowledge if she has. I think maybe they're doing a story about her origin and her mother at the moment but since I haven't read any of it I'll just stick with what I wrote here. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark and Sam make a visit to the mine while Magneto and Lorna bond._


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

**Kentucky...**

Hank is in the x-jet talking with Charles about Paige. "We're still trying to figure out precisely what it is young Ms Guthrie does but she does seem to be undergoing a rapid improvement. Using her powers has seemingly caused the sickness to pass."

Point proven by the fact Paige can be seen out the window, in white shorts and t-shirt, pointing at the x-jet excitedly saying something to Storm and possibly asking a barrage of questions if Hank's guess is correct.

"I'm glad Paige is improving," Charles expresses his view. "Do we know if she will be joining us?"

"I haven't had that talk with her mother yet."

"How is Lucinda?" Charles asks, having met the woman when he recruited Sam. She was a good woman.

"Fine. Pregnant but fine. She seems to be trying for her own baseball team," Hank jokes.

Charles chuckles lightly.

"I'll send the results of Paige's blood for you to study."

"Very well. Any other news?"

"Not really. Just Clark has gone on a crusade to raise the plight of the downtrodden underclass."

"...What?"

Hank explains how Clark is currently off investigating the mine where Sam's father works to try and expose the owner as an unscrupulous sort.

"Are we going to be needing the X-Men?"

Hank thinks that was a joke. "I'll let you know I..."

He trails off at the sound of squealing from outside and Storm running into the jet. "Hank. You need to come see this. It's Paige," she explains.

"Charles I'll need to call you back," Hank signs off as he runs down after Storm and follows her into the barn where Paige is standing next to a metal anvil, holding her arm up. Her arm that now looks as if made of metal.

"Oh my stars and garters," Hank mutters. "What happened here?"

"Ah was just touching the anvil and mah arm felt funny and when ah ripped mah skin off it was like this," Paige explains.

Hank takes her arm and examines it. "It feels like it is made of steel," he remarks as he presses his fingers into the now metal appendage.

"As if she mimicked the material of the anvil?" Storm asks.

Yes...apparently," Hank says in some astonishment.

Paige makes a fist with her metal hand and slams it down on the anvil making a ringing sound like metal hitting metal. "That is so awesome!" she enthuses.

"Did you feel any pain doing that?" Hank asks.

"No."

"Flex your hand for me," Hank requests and Paige does so. "Interesting," he murmurs. "The transformation hasn't impeded any of your motor functions."

"Huh?"

"He means you can still use your hand as if it was normal," Ororo puts into simpler terms.

"Yes but can we get her arm back to normal?" Hank wonders.

Paige looks at her arm and starts to pick at it. It takes some time and a little concentration but she manages to create a rip and pulls the metal skin off revealing her normal arm once again.

"May I have that?" Hank asks pointing at the discarded skin in her hand.

"Oh sure," Paige says and hands it over.

Hank takes the skin and feels the weight and texture. It is like a skin thick sheet of steel. He's going to need to do a lot more studying of young Ms Guthrie here.

* * *

At the nearby coal mine Clark and Sam are overlooking it from a nearby hill. Sam is watching Clark's eyes flash electric blue as his friend scans the interior of the mine.

"How far can you actually see?" Sam asks.

"Still trying to come up with a way to measure it," Clark informs Sam at that question. "I can't see all the way to the bottom of the mine but I can see enough. I'm up to at least a dozen health and safety violations."

"Ah knew it!" Sam accuses. "That Cunningham guy. He probably paid off everyone after the last accident," he gripes.

"Cunningham? That the owner?"

"Yeah. Total sleaze ball ta quote Tabby." Oh Sam would love to give that guy a piece of his mind...or worse, sic Tabby on him.

Clark's eyes scan around the whole area and he listens to everything being said. His eyes narrow as he spots something. "I don't think we're the first ones to think of exposing Cunningham. Look," he says pointing at something.

Sam spots a couple of people being manhandled by some heavies. It's too far away for him to make out details.

Clark listens. "The woman...she's proclaiming about freedom of the press...and...wow I didn't know there were that many colourful swear words," he relays what he can hear to Sam.

Sam laughs a little.

"That's Trish Tilby," Clark recognises her.

"The lady that interviewed us?" Sam inquires.

"Wasn't there Sam," Clark reminds his friend. That had happened when Clark had been locked away by Jor-El.

"Oh right," Sam remembers. "Ah wonder what brought her ta Kentucky though. This seems a little beneath a big tv reporter like her," he expresses his opinion.

"I don't know. I..."

"What?" Sam asks at Clark trailing off.

"The boss...he's ordering his men to take 'care' of her but to make sure it looks like an accident," Clark reports what his hearing is picking up. "Something about a ravine?" Clark looks to Sam.

Sam thinks. "On the road ta and from here there's this really narrow ravine you go through. You get landslips there occasionally. Hit a bus full of miners a few years back. Killed about 20."

Clark continues to listen. "They're planning to keep her locked up while some men go ahead, prepare some explosives to cause a landslide and then release her so she drives right into it."

"What's the plan? Bust in and rescue her?"

"No," Clark decides. "That would reveal us. I have a better idea. We'll go to that ravine and wait for his men to show up."

"And then beat them all up!" Sam says with some enthusiasm.

Clark looks at Sam oddly. "You've been spending too much time with Tabby," Clark critiques because that sounds like one of Tabby's plans. "But yes we will stop them and then we'll have a chat with Ms Tilby and find out what she's doing here. There must be a reason and it might help us."

Sam nods in agreement. Sounds like a good plan to him.

* * *

**Eureka, California...**

Lorna had not beat around the bush and just asked the very obvious questions one might ask Magneto and he told her about his quest to create a world where mutants would be safe and secure and how she could play a part in it. She had also, finally, gotten the story about how she even comes to be here at all and why he hasn't been in her life. There was a stab of anger at him for just leaving her mother but it was overwhelmed by her happiness at the fact he is finally here, in the same room, as her.

Lorna looks down at her hands in which she holds the metal pony figure her father had made for her. She so wished she could do that.

As if Magneto knows what she is thinking he moves to sit next to her and lifts the figure away with his powers. "Allow me to help you make a start with your powers," he says. "Do you trust me?"

Lorna nods.

Magneto smiles lightly. "Close your eyes Lorna," he asks of her. She does so. He takes down his block on her powers. "Now reach out with your feelings."

Lorna cracks an eye open. "Isn't that off Star Wars?" she asks sardonically.

Magneto smiles a little wider at her joke. "The principle applies to us. Our power is like an extra sense. The ability to sense electromagnetic fields. It is easier at first if you try to blank out your other senses but in time it will be as second nature to you. Now close you eyes," he repeats his instruction.

Lorna does so.

"Now I'll amplify the metal's electromagnetic signature to make it easier for you. Reach out with your feelings Lorna. Sense the electromagnetic fields around you. Look for the largest one. That'll be myself and then follow my link to the figure."

Lorna's eyes screw up tighter as she tries. At first she gets nothing but then there is a tingle and, as you look at her, there is a visible flare of green electromagnetic energy around her.

"Good," Magneto says as he senses her body start to generate its own magnetic field. One that is much more controlled than earlier in the kitchen. "Now reach out. Look for the brightest signature," he encourages her.

Lorna could sense lots around her but there were two particular big...impressions. The bigger one had to be her father. She then follows this trail, this link, to the second biggest impression which had to be the pony.

"Good. Now imagine taking hold of the figure as you would with your hands," Magneto instructs.

Lorna imagines invisible hands taking hold of the pony and she suddenly feels this connection to it.

"That's it. Excellent," Magneto compliments her. He had been sensing her attempt the whole way through and could feel she had succeeded. "Now lift it and take it from me," he instructs her.

Lorna concentrates and does so, as Magneto simply allows his grip on the pony go.

"Now open your eyes," Magneto tells her.

Lorna does so and there is the pony hovering in front of her face. Her face lights up. "Mom. Do you see?" she asks excitedly, feeling triumph at her accomplishment.

Suzanna smiles with pride. "I see honey."

"That's much better than I managed the first time I used my powers in such a fashion," Magneto says to her, feeling pride in his daughter's accomplishment.

Lorna beams with pride at the first ever compliment she has received from her father. She never thought she would ever experience it. Lorna raises her hands and sort of bounces the pony back and forth a little from one hand to the other although without ever actually touching it.

Then there is a sudden knock on the door which breaks Lorna's concentration and the pony goes flying. Magneto reacts faster than one might imagine and grabs it inches from the window and pulls it back.

"Sorry," Lorna says sheepishly.

"Who can that be?" Suzanna asks herself as she moves to the door. Since Lorna had been exposed her old friends had basically stopped talking to her. Suzanna opens the door...

BANG!

A gunshot rings out and Suzanna drops to the floor.

"MOM!" Lorna screams in panic as she rushes over to her fallen mother without giving a thought to the danger she is putting herself in. She looks up to see this man at the door, gun in hand, hatred in his eyes. On his right arm there is armband with the letters FOH upon it.

The man smiles cruelly and aims his weapon at Lorna. "Well the mutie bitch and her mother. Guess it's a good day," he remarks about being able to be rid of both of them together.

"Not for you!" Magneto roars as he rips the gun out of the man's hand with his powers. He then sends it flying back into the man's gut sending him tumbling backwards, winded. He lands on his back on the pathway, groaning in pain.

Magneto steps around Lorna and Suzanna and steps out through the door as 3 more men emerge from a car parked at the kerb at the end of the front garden. All with the same armbands on. Magneto snarls as he knows this human garbage. They all point guns at him. "You Homo Sapiens and your guns," he says with hatred to match theirs.

Magneto disarms them easily with his powers and has their weapons turned against them in an instant.

BANG!

The man who shot Suzanna finds himself shot as he lies on the ground. Not fatally though as Magneto plans to prolong his suffering for what he has done.

"Who is next?" Magneto asks them.

"You mutie freak! You'll never get away with this!" one of them shouts.

Magneto's eyes grow colder than usual. "It seems we have a volunteer." He cocks one of the weapons in readiness.

"Dad," a tiny voice says from behind him.

Magneto glances at his daughter who spoke.

"It...just let them go. We need to help mom," Lorna says, her lips trembling as is her voice. Tears fill her eyes.

Magneto turns his attention back to the his foes. "Take your friend and leave," he commands. "Today you get my mercy and shall live." When they hesitate he fires off a few shots at the ground beneath their feet. "Choose which action you desire before I change my mind!" he demands of them.

The 3 men decide they can't fight this and grab their injured friend. All the while their guns remain aimed at them, as the weapons float in Magneto's magnetic grasp. "And next time you're plotting how to kill us mutie freaks remember that you are alive only because a mutant girl asked for your lives to be spared," Magneto advises them although he doubts they'll appreciate the irony. He watches them get into their car and leave before he turns back to Suzanna.

Magneto kneels down and examines her. "Lorna do you have a first aid kit in the house?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Please get it."

Lorna runs off while Magneto looks grim. It's a head wound. The bullet struck Suzanna in the head. He finds a weak, thready pulse. He has to do his best to stabilise her now or she is lost and if she dies...those men will know his wrath and not even Lorna's pleas will stop him this time.

Lorna returns swiftly with the first aid kit and Magneto gets to work. He has had a lot of experience with wounds. Even ones like this. It is only a patch until he can get her back to his base and get her proper treatment.

"W-Will she be alright?" Lorna asks, hugging her self, scared out of her mind for her mother. Tears leak down her cheeks.

"Of course," Magneto assures his newly discovered daughter even if that is almost certainly a lie.

"What were those armbands about? Why did they attack us?" Lorna asks, if for no other reason than to distract herself from the sight before her.

"The so-called Friends of Humanity. They're a mutant hate group and they attacked us solely because we're mutants."

"Mom isn't!"

"She gave birth to one. That is enough justification for them. They will not rest until we are exterminated. That is what I am trying to protect our kind from Lorna and for that they label me a terrorist."

"I-I don't understand."

"Hatred such as that is beyond understanding Lorna. They hate us for simply existing."

They hurt her mother. How could they do that? They were her neighbours...literally. Lorna recognised them. She's talked to them. She thought they were nice people How could they do this? Something akin to righteous fury starts to well up inside Lorna.

Magneto stabilises Suzanna enough before he reaches into his pocket, pulls out a phone and dials. "Mystique. It's Magneto. I need Haze. Listen to me carefully," he says in deadly serious tones.

* * *

**Kentucky...**

Trish Tilby prided herself on bringing the truth. The fact she was the first to interview Professor Xavier and his X-Men was a highlight of her career but there were other stories that required her attention. Hence why she is in Kentucky.

It wasn't going so well.

She had been caught snooping around and Cunningham tried to intimidate her by locking her and her cameraman up using his heavies for awhile. Trish was not intimidated but after Cunningham let them go she decided a strategic retreat to her hotel might be a good idea so she can rethink her next action.

Her cameraman, Dave, was just driving them back through this narrow ravine at the minute. Trish is rubbing her sweaty head. God it was hot for October. Damn freaky weather.

"Uh...Trish?" Dave queries.

"What?"

"Look up ahead."

Trish looks up and in the middle of the road, tied up in a group, are some of Cunningham's thugs she recognises. Standing next to him are two other people. One she remembers interviewing at Xavier's and the other clad in red and blue with a strange S on his chest.

Dave brings the van to a halt as the figure known as Superman walks up to Trish's window and taps on it. Trish rolls it down.

"Good day Ms Tilby," Superman greets her in warm tones. He looks at the tied up thugs. "We need to talk," he tells her.

Trish snaps out of her surprised stupor. "Superman..is that what you prefer or do you have a name?"

"I have a name...but Superman will do," Clark decides. Yes, he brought the costume with him before the question is asked.

"We never got a chance to talk before," Trish raises as in when she was at the Institute doing her documentary he was nowhere to be found.

"I was...occupied. Personal matters," Clark brushes that area off with a vague answer. "I would prefer to stick to the here and now. Why are you investigating Mr Cunningham?"

"I could ask why you are here?" Trish points out.

"Sam asked me to come," Superman nods his head in his friend's direction using the excuse he and Sam thought up to explain his presence as they waited for Ms Tilby's appearance. "He was worried about his father. He works in that coal mine and I was looking into it for him. As I was, I spotted yourself and overheard Mr Cunningham planning to get rid of you. Our 'friends' there," he says in reference to the tied up goons, "were to cause a landslide, burying you but making it look like an accident."

Trish swears under her breath. What a bastard Cunningham is. It is then her brain catches up with what Superman said. "You overheard him? From where?" she asks, because the guy in the red and blue costume doesn't exactly blend in.

"I have very good hearing," Superman says mysteriously.

"How good?"

Superman smiles. "I understand that reporter's curiosity Ms Tilby. I admire it as matter of fact but I'm not ready to reveal all my secrets just yet. Lets stick to Mr Cunningham shall we. I would like to help Sam's father and if I can you but that means I need to know why you are here."

Trish chews it over in her head. Superman's blue eyes wait expectantly. Gee now those eyes were something. Being logical someone with his powers might be useful to aiding her. "As you know I got the first interview with Professor Xavier."

"I saw the documentary," is all Superman says about that.

"Really?"

"Yes. Very informative. You were very fair. Much more fair than others might have been."

Trish like the compliment. "Thank you. Truth is spending the time I did with those children made me believe that mutants and humans do have to find some way to co-exist so since then I've tried to promote that as best I can. It also means I've kept my ear close to the ground for any mutant related stories."

"Which brings us to Mr Cunningham," Superman can guess from her tone.

Trish nods to confirm that. "I got word he's been trying to bring in mutants to work his mine. You know ones with useful powers for that type of work. He promises them good and fair wages whereas lots of people don't give them the time of day."

"I take it his promises aren't worth much." It's a safe bet considering what Sam says about the man.

"No. He has them working in virtual slavery in dangerous conditions."

They must have been at the bottom of the mine where Clark couldn't see to which explains why he never noticed any mutants. "Yes I noticed his mine violates more than several health and safety laws," is what he says.

"He's paid up with the right people in local law enforcement so it gets overlooked."

Superman strokes his chin slightly as he frowns and thinks. "So question is what do we do about it?"

"Expose him. The miners have been trying to buy him out since that accident a couple of years back. If I can just get the evidence to expose him it'll be all the leverage they need."

"How about if he confesses to his misdemeanors on tape?"

"And how do you plan to pull that off?"

Superman grins and a mischievous sparkle comes to his eyes. When anyone asks Clark about this later he'll just say it was Rogue's bad influence on him.

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

The healers and doctors Magneto had at his disposal had managed to save Suzanna although with the brain trauma she has suffered none could give a definite answer whether she would ever wake up. She was in a deep coma and even if she did wake up what damage had been done to a woman he cared for? Would there be anything left of her?

It was hardly like Magneto needed another reason to despise humanity but they had still managed to give him one. He will have to find the time to make sure the 'Friends of Humanity' truly know whose wrath it is they have invoked.

Lorna looks up from her place beside her sleeping mother to her father who stands a distance away, his face a mask of controlled emotion. "S-so what happens to us now?" she asks, emotionally drained, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Now you stay by my side. I know this may not look like much," he gestures at the metal dome that encompasses his base. "But that will change soon," he promises. "I have plans in motion. I will also do everything in my power to help heal your mother," he swears, with as much emotion as he ever allows to flow into his voice.

Lorna's emotions were a wreck. Her mother...oh god her mother! More tears flow from her eyes to join the many others she has shed in the last few hours. She tries to keep calm. "W-What about our belongings?" Lorna asks. She has nothing but the clothes on her back.

"I will send some of my...of our mutant brothers to go collect them. It is best left until dark," Magneto replies.

"Oh. Ok," Lorna says, not seeing any reason to argue. She is certain her father knows what he is doing. Her father...she trusts him. He is all she has right at the minute.

Just then the door to this infirmary opens and in walks a slender boy with silver hair.

"You summoned me father," Pietro announces his arrival.

Lorna's jaw drops. Father?

"Indeed. I did," Magneto confirms. "I have someone I want you to meet."

"You mean the hottie with the green hair?" Pietro asks, jerking his thumb in Lorna's direction.

Magneto sighs painfully at his son's attitude, especially when there is a deeply injured woman lying the room. His anger rises slightly and it comes out in his tone of voice. "That _hottie _as you refer to her happens to be your sister Pietro," he snaps in a sharp tone.

"Say what?" Pietro asks. Surely he misheard that.

"Lorna is your half-sister," Magneto states it. "And that woman lying injured is her mother so please for once try and be respectful," he tells his son.

Pietro turns his head to look at the girl in disbelief and she is looking back at him with the same expression. "I...you serious?" he asks his father.

"Pietro am I ever not serious?" Magneto asks his son.

"Good point," Pietro acknowledges. He then zips over to her making Lorna blink. "Well hi there sis," he greets her, lazily dropping his arm across her shoulders. "I'm Pietro. I also go by Quicksilver."

Pietro then blurs around the whole room in a circle before returning to where he started. "I think you can see why," he says in such a tone as it is self-explanatory.

Right now a lot of people would be demanding to know where they got their surprise sister from and Pietro will raise that subject with his father but obviously this is not the time nor place. Even Pietro can tell that from the tone of voice and look his father is carrying.

"You're my...I have a brother!" Lorna says in disbelief. She never actually asked earlier whether her father had ever had any other children.

"Not just any brother but the best big brother any little sister can ask for," Pietro says with his usual cocky arrogance.

"Do I have any other siblings?" Lorna wonders, momentarily putting her worry and grief over her mother to one side.

Pietro looks to his father to field that one.

"Pietro does have a twin sister, Wanda. She has chosen another path and forsaken me," Magneto phrases it as.

"Why?" Lorna asks, confused about why her sister would do that.

"We don't have the best relationship. I have made mistakes," Magneto confesses with genuine sounding sadness.

"So?" Lorna asks, not seeing that as a good reason. "Whatever those mistake are surely they can be overcome. We're suppose to be a family and families stick together." Maybe it is what has happened to her mother that is prompting her to say this but for now it is what she believes.

Pietro grins. "I like her. We're keeping her right."

Magneto fixes Pietro a glare for his glib attitude. "Yes. We are...and as for Wanda. It's complicated Lorna and not a story to be told after such a trying day. There is plenty time to discuss Wanda another day," Magneto puts off that talk for many reasons, primarily because of the condition Suzanna is in.

"So what brings you here sis?" Pietro asks, sounding a little more serious.

"My mom and I...we were attacked by humans," Lorna says, the word 'humans' almost sounding as hate-filled as Magneto says it.

"This your mom?" Pietro asks at the sleeping figure, with a bandaged head and the usual tubes and monitors and stuff you associate with someone who has been badly injured and in hospital. Ok so his father already said it was but he's looking to strike up a conversation with his newly discovered sister.

Lorna nods. "Yes," she says with a sniffle and a lump in her throat.

"Hey I'm sure she'll be fine," Pietro assures his new sister, sounding genuine for once and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder for support. "And as for humans...they're just jealous of us. We get the cool powers and they get squat. We're the future. They're the past. So what is it you can do...if you don't mind me asking?" Pietro adds on, remembering the look his father is giving him.

Lorna looks around and spots Pietro is wearing a silver looking watch. She raises her hand, remembers what she did in the house and the watch comes off Pietro's wrist and hovers in the air. "I take after our dad," she says with some pride at that.

"Huh? Go figure," Pietro mutters. All he can hope is that she doesn't take after their father in any other way.

* * *

**Kentucky...**

Darkness descends upon the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Alan Cunningham is preparing to go to bed in his large home situated in a large portion of land he owns. He is just standing on his balcony, dressed in his pyjamas and robe, looking out at the night sky one last time.

There is a sudden gust of wind that blows his thinning hair about.

"Mr Cunningham I presume."

Alan spins round to be greeted by a tall youth clad in red and blue. With one hand he is grabbed by his robe and lifted into the air with consummate ease. The youth smiles. "Lets talk," he says and the next thing Alan Cunningham knows is the world blurring around him.

When it stops blurring Alan finds himself in some dark, dingy, filthy place being dropped to the floor.

"What in tar nation? Do you know who ah am boy?" Cunningham demands to know.

"Oh I know Mr Cunningham," Clark says in a deeply serious tone. "That's why you're here."

"And where is here?"

"Oh we're in your mine...but it's perfectly safe right? I mean you do meet all the current safety regulations right?" Clark walks over to a support beam and flicks it with his finger. It breaks in half. "Oops," he says sheepishly. "Sometimes I just don't know my own strength," he says with a goofy grin.

Worry starts to pepper Alan's brow.

"Well I'm sure that was a one off. I'm sure this support is just fine," Clark says as he walks to the one next to where Cunningham is standing. Clark prepares to flick it.

"Stop!" Cunningham yells. "Just stop!"

"Why?"

"Why?" Cunningham asks incredulously. "Are you tryin ta kill us?"

"Nope. I'm just proving how you meet all current safety regulations." Clark not so gently taps the support which creaks under his immense strength.

"You're insane!" Cunningham yells.

"Now Mr Cunningham there is no reason to resort to name calling," Clark mildly rebukes him. "We're both intelligent men."

Clark flicks at yet another support beam, cracking it.

"Stop!" Cunningham pleads.

"Why?" Clark asks, pretending to be clueless.

"Because you'll bring the whole mine down upon us!"

"Now Mr Cunningham you know as well as I do if you are meeting all regulations there is redundancy built in and that any mine can afford to lose a few little support pillars."

"Not here!"

"Oh and why is that?"

"Because there isn't any redundancy! I was trying to save money!"

"Uh huh. I see," Clark says calmly as he flicks at another support pillar. "Shouldn't that kind of thing have been noticed during inspection?"

"I paid them off!" Cunningham says, panic making him spill secrets like a leaky bucket.

"You know I hear you've been hiring mutants. As you can see I'm pretty strong. Think I could get a job? I'm sure you offer a fair and equitable rate."

"Are you kidding? I don't pay them anything. I just feed them enough so they can work."

Clark pauses from flicking another support. "That's slavery Mr Cunningham."

Alan is sweating buckets. He's amazed the mine hasn't already caved in. This...freak is going to kill them. "So? They're mutants. Slavery is the best thing for them."

Clark's face darkens and in an instant he in front of Cunningham and lifting him up with one hand. He turns to look to his right. "You get all that Ms Tilby?"

A black sheet gets pulled down to reveal Trish, her cameraman and Sam who had been hiding in a little alcove and had recorded everything. Oh they were never in any danger by the way. All the beams Clark broke were extras he put in when they were setting this up.

Trish is grinning like the cat who got the cream. "Oh I got it alright. Care for that interview now Mr Cunningham?"

"This'll never make it to court! I was under duress!" Cunningham protests.

"Doesn't have to," Trish counters. "Your confession on the prime time news will bring in a federal investigation and unlike the local authorities I'll think you'll find them a might harder to bribe...especially when I'll be watching you."

Clark jerks the man higher. "I'll be watching you too," he promises and in this dull place the burning red glow he brings to his eyes is particularly unsettling. "Don't make me come back here to have to settle this up Mr Cunningham because if you do I won't be half as nice," he warns, trying to be as intimidating as possible.

Clark then puts the man down. "Now why don't you get going," he tells him. "The way out, in case you don't know, is that way," he says pointing down the tunnel. "3rd left, 2nd right, another right and you're home free."

Alan starts walking. He's not staying here with that superstrong freak. He'll find some way out of this situation. He swears and then he'll get back at all of them. He swears that as well.

"Or was that 2nd left and 3rd right?" Clark asks as soon as the man is out of earshot, with a knowing little smirk.

Sam bends over double with laughter because it was that second one. Who knows where Cunningham will end up or how long it will take him to find his way out.

* * *

**Later at the Guthrie farm...**

"Oh mah God!" Paige almost shrieks as Clark and Sam tell the story of what they have been up to to Sam's family as they all stood outside, apart from Sam's father, not too far away from the x-jet. Well ok what Sam, Clark and Superman got up to. To keep Clark's identity secret it ended up being a 3 man story. "Ah can't believe what you did. Ah can't believe you never asked meh along!" she complains at her brother.

Sam groans. "Paige you have just discovered your powers. You have no control over them," he argues.

"But...but I just...want to be like you Sam. A hero. Have powers. Be special!"

Clark cocks his head slightly. "Paige you don't need powers to be special. You already were by just being Paige Guthrie."

"Listen ta the young man Paige," Lucinda tells her daughter. "He has a wise head on his shoulders."

"Well I know a few people who might argue that one," Clark jests.

Paige huffs. She never felt special before. It's why she so badly wanted to be a mutant. She hated...no hated was the wrong word. She loved her family but didn't like the farm life. She wanted to be elsewhere...to see the world...to be unique like Sam...and now she was. Finally she had gotten what she always dreamed of. Like God had decided to finally answer her prayers. The prayers she sometimes said through tears as she cried in desperation at her desire to be something else.

"So who is this Superman fella?" Sam's brother, Jay, asks.

"A friend," Sam answers.

"He's always around if you need him," Clark says with a sly smile.

Sam chuckles lightly. No-one else gets the joke as Beast and Storm are back in the jet for the moment talking to the Professor about something. Clark was choosing not to eavesdrop. Sam had actually enjoyed what they had done. He worried about his family's future, sure, but his pa was already on the phone to other workers about trying to buy the mine again so he hoped it could all work out for the better.

Clark's head turns and he frowns slightly.

"What is it Clark?" Sam asks at his friend's expression.

"Uh...I can hear a van approaching."

"You sure?" Sam's younger sister, Melody, asks. "Ah don't hear nothin."

"I have sharp ears," Clark tries to play that off.

"Actually ah do hear it," Sam says and he walks off towards the drive way up to the house. When the van comes into view he recognises it. "It's Ms Tilby," he says.

_'Why would she be coming here?'_ Clark thinks to himself. Superman and Sam had said their farewells and basically they were leaving the story in her hands. They trusted her to see it through.

The van pulls up just as Beast and Storm descend from the jet. Beast's face seems to light up just a little as Trish exits her van. "Patricia?" he queries.

It takes Trish a minute to put together the familiar voice to the unfamiliar holowatch image. When she does she smiles widely. "Henry!" she greets him enthusiastically.

"Patricia?" Sam questions.

"Henry?" Clark questions. "Is there something going on I don't know about?" he asks Sam since he missed the whole interview thing and Mr McCoy and Ms Tilby seem to be speaking in very warm tones to each other.

"Nothing ah know about," Sam responds.

Ororo smiles slightly and knowingly steps off to one side.

"What...how do you look...like...?" Trish asks, confused, gesturing at Hank.

Hank suddenly remembers the projection around him. "Oh...a hologram projection. It's so I don't startle anyone," he explains.

Trish wants to know more about that because that seems like a remarkable piece of technology.

"What brings you here Patricia?" Hank asks, not that he is unhappy to see her. He's not. He's very happy to see her again. He found her an interesting and stimulating woman.

"You didn't hear about me from your friends?" Patricia queries, a little confused that he wouldn't have by now.

"Oh the mine! Yes...yes I did but I was more meaning here, here."

"Oh!" Trish laughs at her silliness. "Well I just wondered...I knew someone had to bring Sam home and I just wanted to see... I hoped it would be you," she says and blushes slightly as she realises what she said. She looks around and spots Sam and Clark but no Superman. She looks to Hank. "Your friend Superman?" she asks after.

"Oh off saving the day somewhere," Hank replies vaguely, covering for Clark. "He's often busy doing that. I'm not certain when he'll return. If he will at all. He comes and goes as he's needed."

"I see," Trish says.

"Would you like some tea?" Hank asks her. "I do manage to bring along a box with me and we could catch up," he proposes.

"Sounds lovely," Trish smiles.

Hank offer his arm which Trish snakes her arm through and they move off inside the jet together.

"Are you seeing this?" Sam asks in disbelief at what he is witnessing.

"I'm seeing it," Clark confirms.

"Huh, Mr McCoy has a girlfriend. Who knew?"

"Not us apparently."

Clark then finds his arm getting pulled at by Paige. "So Clark you want ta see what ah can do? Ah've learned a new trick since you left earlier," she says, basically wanting to show off.

Clark smiles politely. "Sure. Why don't you show me."

Paige leads Clark into the barn and Sam and the rest of his brothers and sisters follow. Inside the barn are objects of varying materials laid out on a workbench.

Paige picks up a stone, concentrates a little and then rips the skin off her arm to reveal a new stone arm underneath. She does the same with objects made from other materials; wood, plastic, metal. She had found over the course of the day, as she practised with her new powers, that it helped to hold an object of the material she was trying to turn into.

"That's very good Paige," Clark praises her for mastering that level of control in only a few short hours.

"Isn't it!" she says with a huge grin, really appreciative of the praise she is getting. Her expression then turns thoughtful. "Ah wonder though..."

Sam panics. He knows that look. "Now Paige don't be gettin' any stupid ideas," he tries to warn her off.

Paige ignores him and proceeds to rip her skin off...all her skin off and standing there is now a Paige seemingly made entirely of metal. "Oh mah God! This is amazing!" she exclaims as she looks at herself.

"Paige!" Sam shouts in worry.

"What?"

"You shouldn't be pushing your powers that far this soon," Sam tells her. "Change back. Now!" he orders.

Paige rolls her metal eyes at him. "Ok fine," she sulks...and proceeds to rip off her metal skin.

Sam and Clark instantly cover their eyes as do her other brothers. Her sisters are giggling and pointing at her.

"What now?" Paige asks at her brothers' actions, her hands out to the side.

"Paige...you ripped your clothes off," Sam says, incredibly uncomfortable, at being feet away from his, naked as the day she was born, little sister.

Paige looks down and blushes all the way to her toes as she tries to cover her naked body. She then makes a break for the house, dashing inside.

Ororo comes striding in to the barn after seeing Paige's naked backside disappear into the house. "What is going on?" she wants to know.

"The start of many, many years of therapy Ms Munroe," Sam replies, shuddering at the memory.

* * *

The next morning Paige is all packed and ready to leave, to go to the Institute with Sam. Her parents had talked it over with Mr McCoy and Ms Munroe over the course of the day yesterday and last night and had agreed to let her attend. Paige was so excited she could barely contain herself. She was so excited she barely slept a wink of sleep last night. She just knows this is going to be fantastic. Not even the teasing of her sisters about ending up naked last night could spoil Paige's mood.

Paige was not the only one in a good mood. Hank was too after spending some time with Trish last night. They had exchanged contact details. He can't remember the last time he actually did that with a woman even before his mutation altered his physical appearance. He admired her greatly for her beliefs in relation to humans and mutants. They had talked about that a lot as well and he hoped they would talk about much more in the weeks and months to come. He almost felt like a teenager with a crush.

Trish had departed to finish off her story first thing this morning. Hank understood the demands of a reporter...mostly because one of his students was taking it up as a career.

Speaking of Clark he was on the phone to his girlfriend who was currently laughing her head off as Clark told her what he did to Mr Cunningham.

"Oh mah God," Rogue says trying to catch her breath. "That was...ya know ah'm so proud of ya. That was brilliant."

Clark can't help but smile at the compliment. "Well thank you. I think we can safely say though it was your influence on me."

"Can we now?" Rogue questions that.

"Oh definitely. I think everyone knows which of us is bad."

"Oh? Ah'm a bad girl am ah?" Rogue asks, her voice taking on a deep sultry huskiness.

"Yep."

"And tell meh Clark what do ya do ta bad girls?" she asks him, virtually purring sensuality, her tone making Clark shiver pleasantly.

"Oh I can think of a few things," he replies, with that bad boy smirk creeping onto his face.

"Only a few?" Rogue asks, sounding disappointed.

"Well maybe more than a few."

"Well ah'm all alone in mah room Clark so why don't ya tell meh about what y'all will do ta meh and don't spare tha details sugah," she tells him, a suggestive tone pouring from every one of her words.

God Clark feels like just running all the way back to New York and doing everyone one of those things he can think of to her. "Don't spare the details?"

"Nope."

"You know you're asking for trouble."

"Trouble's mah middle nahme. Now what are ya goin ta do about it?"

"What I'm going to do is to take you and..." Before he can finish that thought Clark finds the phone is being snatched out of his hand by a displeased looking Storm. She brings it to her ear. "Rogue what you and Clark do in the confines of your bedrooms is your business but the mansion phones are not for_ that _type of conversation," she rebukes both Clark and Rogue. They should know that there is a chance they can be overheard.

Storm ends the call and hands the phone back to Clark who couldn't look more embarrassed if he tried. Storm can imagine Rogue has the same look. "We're leaving in 10 minutes," she says to Clark as if she didn't just interrupt him about to partake in, what she can guess was going to be, phone sex.

Storm then leaves the quiet little corner Clark had found himself, trying so very hard not to laugh at the mortified expression on his face.

* * *

A short time later, after all the appropriate farewells are made and Sam promises his folks he'll look after Paige, they make their departure.

Sam will be damned though if he can ever figure out when Paige ever needs to be looked after. She's a...tomboy he guesses is the word you would use. More than that though she hits harder than he can and this comes from personal experience of Paige's right hook.

As for Clark's secret identity they decided to save the decision about that for when they got back to the mansion. There was no need to rush about it.

Shortly after take off Ororo informs them they won't be heading straight back to the mansion. That they'll be making a detour to California. When Sam asks why he gets told how Cerebro had detected the use of magnetic powers. That's what she and Beast were talking to the Professor about last night.

"Magneto?" Clark inquires at the magnetic powers.

"Most likely," Hank says.

Paige's face lights up at hearing that name. Sam had told her all about Magneto. "You mean mah second day being a mutant and ah get ta fight bad guys!" she almost screams in excitement. If she wasn't strapped in to the chair she would have bounced out of it.

Sam groans at his sister's attitude and looks to the heavens. "Someone just shoot meh," he mutters.

Clark laughs slightly at that.

"The chances are by the time we get there Magneto will be long gone but as you know, normally, Magneto can shield himself from a scan," Hank says.

"So why did Cerebro detect him and why was he in California? That's what we'll be trying to find out," Clark can assume.

Storm nods. "Yes...although the 1st part we will unlikely get an answer to but the Professor got a good fix, down to the street Magneto was on. We'll have a look around and see what we can find. Low key presence. We're not there to attract any sort of attention," she defines the mission.

Sam rubs his head. The last thing he wants is his sister any where near Magneto but this comes as part of being an X-Man. As much as he wishes to he can't protect her from that forever and chances are, from the sound of it, there will be no danger this time. Magneto is probably long gone. Sam hopes so anyway. In any case he'll be keeping a close eye on Paige. "If we're going for low key and blending in then we'll have ta leave Paige on the jet," he says with a smirk, joking to rile Paige up.

"Hey!" Paige protests. "Ah can be low key and blend in," she insists.

"When?" Sam asks her back. "You can't do that on the farm you grew up on."

"At least ah'll be useful in looking for clues," Paige argues. "You're useless. You once spent a whole day trying and failing ta find our prize cow," she knocks Sam's detective skills.

"It broke free and ran off!" Sam argues.

"It was in the barn...the whole time! And you missed it! Lewis ended up finding it!" And Lewis is their youngest brother and was like 1 at the time.

"It wasn't! I looked!" Sam insists.

"It so was!" Paige argues back.

"Wasn't!"

"Was!"

"Wasn't!"

"Was!"

"Can we open the door and throw her out?" Sam asks, jerking his thumb at his sister.

"Can we open the door and throw him out?" Paige asks, jerking her thumb at her brother.

The other 3 persons present just burst into fits of laughter at the squabbling siblings.

"The answer is no to both your questions," Storm tells them, still chuckling.

Sam sighs and looks to the heavens. So it begins. He looks around the jet and spots his sister's discarded skins that had been collected up. "Did we have ta bring those along?" he asks, pointing at the revolting things in his opinion.

Hank glances backward. "Yes. I need to study the discarded husks so we can understand young Paige's powers."

"Husks," Clark murmurs as he contemplates an idea he just had.

"What was that Clark?" Ororo asks.

"Husks," he repeats louder.

"What about them?"

"Well everyone needs a codename. How about, for Paige, Husk?" he proposes. He looks to her. "What do you think?"

Paige thinks on it for a moment. "Husk," she says the word, trying it out. She then starts to smile. "Husk. Ah like it," she gives her approval.

Ororo and Hank share a look and then both shrug. "Husk it is then," Storm agrees and it was appropriate considering what Paige did.

Paige can't stop smiling. This...this is what she has always wanted for her life and whatever the future holds she knows one thing. This is where she belongs.

* * *

_Author's Note: Didn't seem like the right place for Lorna to get her codename but she'll get it later. Paige is kinda easier since her discarded skins are referred to as husks. Kinda sweet wasn't it how Lorna and Magneto were bonding especially now over a dislike of humans and Lorna's journey towards the dark side begins. I did take some time thinking of what would happen to Suzanna. Ranging from a mild injury to killing her. In the end I chose the coma option. Severe enough to raise up some hatred within Lorna but still alive and leaving it open for Suzanna to wake up and return one day. __Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men get invited to a function hosted by Tony Stark._


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

**At the Institute...**

Charles was in his office, reading his morning mail, and assessing the last few days. The arrival of Paige was surely going to be only the first of many new arrivals as soon as they could agree on the criteria on how to choose. There were so many now, with so many varying powers, Cerebro was detecting. It was not easy to make such decisions.

There was also who Cerebro couldn't find. Magneto for starters. Storm and Hank's report from California was that, they concluded, Magneto had been there and a woman and her daughter were now missing. Did Magneto abduct them or did they go willingly?

The fact Storm, Hank, Clark, Sam and Paige found that personal belongings were gone might seem to indicate they went willingly. Yet they had found blood stains in the house which says the opposite. The locals hadn't been too eager to explain that and the police were barely paying it lip service as if they would rather almost forget the people who lived there.

It left lots of questions and few answers.

There was also Volcana. Both Logan and Martha had asked and Charles had tried to find her. In fact since she is a meteor mutant it should have been easier. Their brainwaves are different from x-gene mutants and there are only a few hundred of them at most but there was no trace of Claire. Charles liked to believe Volcana hadn't joined Magneto but if she hadn't then where was she where he couldn't detect her.

Again lots of questions, few answers.

On the plus side Paige was settling in well. She and Jamie had hit it off, most likely because they were the same age and most likely because Paige could order him around as she had been doing.

Paige's powers were fascinating.

Transitional Omni-morph Husking. That was the technical term he and Hank had come up with to describe it.

'Husking' being what Paige does when she removes the outer layer of her epidermis. It sounds better than saying she is ripping her skin off. When she removes one layer, the layer underneath can imitate varying substances. That's the morphing part and when she imitates them she inherits their particular properties as far as the testing so far can determine. For example, that means, when she turns into steel she is literally as strong and durable as steel. It was still an open question about the limit of what Paige could imitate, inevitably, at this early juncture and how long she could maintain the transformation. In time they would get answers to these questions.

Charles continues to sort through his mail. He throws the 3rd piece of mutant hate mail so far today into the bin. He's sadly almost got use to that in the last few months.

One letter catches his attention. The envelope is headed 'Stark Industries'. While Charles has bought most of the mansion defences from Stark Industries he does that through a front company so as not to raise suspicion. Therefore he is extremely intrigued about this particular piece of mail. He opens the envelope and pulls out the letter and reads it. It was an invitation for this weekend to a function at Stark Tower. An invitation for Charles to speak and an invite for his X-Men to attend the dinner and after speech party.

Well Tony Stark does have this Halloween dinner every year where prominent people talk. Charles is just surprised to get an invite. He taps his chin with his finger as he thinks. The political situation with mutants was still delicate and it had been awhile since Charles' last public speech. With the chaos the Brotherhood caused while under Isobel's control and Nitro's literally explosive appearance truth is mutants needed some good PR and one thing Tony Stark guarantees is media exposure.

Also a party is a party and it might be nice for the students.

He'll summon everyone together and they can discuss it.

* * *

Elsewhere in the mansion Kurt is wandering around in a daze. "Oh man, oh man, oh man," he keeps muttering to himself.

"Yo Kurt. You alright man?" Evan asks, as he spots his friend. Evan had his skateboard under his arm. They were just about to leave for school shortly.

"Nein," he replies with a shake of his head and continues walking past Evan.

"Anything I can do?"

"Only if you can change how I look, sound, speak and everyzhing else about me."

"Huh?" Evan asks, completely lost as Kurt vanishes in his usual puff of blue smoke.

Kurt teleports next to the bed and sits down.

"Kurt is there a reason you're in my room?"

Kurt raises his head and spots Clark. He then looks around and sees he is in Clark's room. "Sorry. I meant to teleport to mein room," he mumbles an apology.

Clark looks a little bemused. "You do look a little distracted," he remarks.

"I'm dead Clark," Kurt says with a haunted expression.

"Why? You steal Mr McCoy's twinkies again?"

"Zhat vas not me. Zhat vas Bobby. I vas framed," Kurt protests his innocence despite the 'evidence' left behind that pointed to Kurt as the culprit. Bobby was good. Kurt would give him that.

"I believe you but that was a scary few hours," Clark expresses his view.

Kurt nods in agreement. "Ja. A twinkie deprived Mr McCoy is not a pretty sight."

"So what's bothering you Kurt?" Clark asks, worried for his friend.

Kurt sighs and decides he needs to tell someone. "I-I'm meeting Amanda's parents this Saturday," he stammers.

"Oookay. That's a big step. I can see why you're nervous."

Kurt chuckles nervously. "It's not just meeting zhem Clark. Amanda wants zhem to see me...zhe real me."

"Oh," Clark finally understands.

"I've been putting it off but Amanda finally got me to agree to go to dinner vith zhem."

"Well it might not be so bad," Clark suggests.

"Are you kidding?" Kurt exclaims. "Zhey'll hate me."

"No they won't. You're a great guy."

"Clark I look like..."

"It doesn't matter. If they're even half decent parents what they'll care about is what makes Amanda happy...or at least that's what I would care about if I was them and aren't you and Amanda happy?"

"I like to zhink so."

"There you go then." Clark sits down next to Kurt on the bed. "Besides you think you have problems. My girlfriend's father is Logan."

Kurt starts to grin a little. "Zhat must be terrible."

"Well I did get the you hurt her, I'll cut off certain parts of your anatomy speech awhile back," Clark says with a grimace.

Kurt chuckles lightly at that image. "How is zhat going between Rogue and Logan? Rogue doesn't really talk about it but zhey act around each ozher like zhey have always done."

"It's not like him and her have exactly bonded. I don't need to tell you what Rogue and Logan are like when it comes to allowing people in. Acting like nothing has changed is their coping mechanism. One day, I guess, they'll have to actually sit down and accept that things have changed but unlike what I did with Rogue and Wanda I don't believe there is any need to push it. Logan and Rogue aren't at each other's throats...well not more than usual anyway."

Kurt found himself agreeing with Clark's argument. "Speaking of Vanda have you spoken to her?"

"Yeah. The other day on the phone. She seems settled in at Dr Strange's. She's learning about Wiccan and seemed quite excited about that."

"Ja. I noticed zhat too," Kurt agrees after his last conversation with Wanda.

"She even wanted to speak to Rogue for awhile," Clark mentions.

"Miracles never cease," Kurt jokes although, of course, he is pleased that Rogue and Wanda seem to be getting along a little bit better now.

"Actually I think they were talking about their plan to get back at me for locking them in the room," Clark says with total trepidation at what awaits him.

"You poor, poor man," Kurt sympathises and pats Clark on the back.

"Will you say something nice at my funeral?" Clark asks in jest.

"Of course," Kurt promises.

It is then Kurt hears the Professor's telepathic summons and Clark hears him call out his name. They look at each other and realise they both heard that. Kurt places a hand on Clark's arm and teleports them in a puff of blue smoke.

* * *

A short time later the X-Men and the adults are gathered in the Professor's office. There are a lot of confused expressions that shows how no-one was certain what was going on.

"If I can have your attention," Charles calls the impromptu meeting to order. "I wish to run something by you." He places the invitation on his desk where everyone can see it.

Logan snorts with derision when he sees who it is from. "Stark? That egotistical joke. Ya must be kiddin' Chuck?"

"Now Logan, since Tony Stark's abduction in Afghanistan you know he has publicly announced he is no longer building weapons. He has also done much good as Iron Man," Charles puts up a defence of Tony Stark. He liked to believe people could change for the better and it seemed like Stark was trying.

"He's an irresponsible showboat," Logan argues with no respect for the man.

"He's an absolute genius. God I would love to meet him!" Kitty gushes.

"Should Peter beh jealous there Kitty?" Rogue asks with a smirk.

"No," Kitty says hastily. "Besides I know Peter would like totally love to meet him too. Ooh, ooh, do you think I could invite Peter along Professor?"

"One thing at a time Kitty," Charles tries to reign in Kitty's enthusiasm. "We have to decide whether to go or not."

"Why are we getting invited to this?" Scott asks the rational question here.

"Perhaps it is part of Mr Stark's attempt to change his image," Hank muses. "He wants an event that brings all facets of humanity together and we are probably the most public face of mutantkind...if we're not including Magneto."

"Oh yeah can you imagine Magneto there?" Evan asks. "That would be a laugh," he says sarcastically.

"That's one reason I wish us to go. Despite our best efforts mutants still don't get the most favourable press. I hope seeing us interacting with the most influential people will show how we are just like everyone else," Charles says.

"And talking to those influential people who control the media and government and forging positive links with them probably won't hurt," Ororo points out.

"We need all the allies we can get, true," Charles concedes.

"This does sound a good opportunity to try and improve our standing," Jean agrees, having thought on it.

Kurt raises his hand. "Um, I can't go. I'm going over to Amanda's parents zhat night," he reminds them and as much as he wants to avoid it out of fear he can't let Amanda down. He won't.

"Oh yes," Charles remembers Kurt mentioning that and asking permission to be out. "Well that's fine Kurt. You can still go. Not every X-Man has to go to this function."

"In that case I'll stay and look after the kids," Logan volunteers, "if you're going," he amends because they hadn't decided yet.

Charles nods his agreement. Two adults would have to stay behind to look after the New Mutants. That's one down. He looks to Martha and Jonathan who had been quiet so far. "I request that Martha, Jonathan and Clark come as well."

Jonathan looks shocked. He was about to volunteer to stay. "Us?"

"Yes. It's a bit cynical sounding, I know, but I want the whole world to see mutants and humans arriving together, living and working side by side. It's an image and message we must keep reinforcing in any way we can."

"I don't know," Jonathan says cautiously. He could see what Charles was attempting but that might not be a good idea. He hated people like the kind he knows will be there. They reminded him of Martha's father.

Martha was thinking it over. She had been to this kind of party before. Her father held them all the time. She use to love them when she was young. Now she sees them for what they are. Cynical people trying to advance themselves up the social ladder but to help out the students she might be willing to tread the scene again. She looks to Clark. "What do you think Clark?" she asks him first before she makes her mind up.

Clark shrugs. "It's not like Superman would show up. He's not an X-Man. I would like to help out anyway I can. Also I could get some reporter practice in. If it's going to be my career choice one day I'll need to learn how to act around people like this so I suppose that means yes I'll go if we're going."

"Um, this is goin' ta beh a big thing isn't it. None of us have been ta anything lahke this," Rogue strikes a voice of caution, nervous about having to be in a room full of people like this. This was nothing like a school dance.

"It won't be easy for many of you," Charles concedes. "I know it is not something you're use to but all you need to be is yourselves and I am certain you will be fine," he tries to boost their confidence and self-belief.

They talk some more and discuss a few details. Hank wonders if he should go or stay and help Logan look after the children. He's torn in two directions for the same reason. His appearance. Part of him really doesn't want to be seen at such a public function, yet if the public is ever to accept mutants they have to see all types of mutants, including ones like him with obvious physical mutations. It is also for Hank about accepting himself. A year since he was transformed and he is still trying to come to terms with what he is now. Maybe for that reason he should go. Yes he will go, Hank decides.

"So will we go, yes or no?" Charles asks.

There is a majority who say yes. The rest stay silent. No-one, not even Jonathan, says no. "I thank you," he says appreciatively. "Now there is the issue of who will assist Logan look after..."

"I will," Ororo speaks up interrupting Charles.

"Ororo, you are sure?" Charles asks, with a little surprise she would ask to remain behind.

Ororo looks at Logan. They had been avoiding each other for 2 weeks since the night of the party where they slept together. It was time to put an end to it. Logan had been doing far too good a job of avoiding any situation he and she were alone but if they were looking after the students he couldn't avoid it. "I'm certain. Besides I think Domino will explode if she doesn't get to 'hobnob' with the rich and famous," she quips with a smirk.

"YES!" Domino squeals like an over excited 5 year old on Christmas morning and punches the air.

Everyone can't help a chuckle at her reaction except Logan who looks like a man about to dig his own grave at being stuck with Storm all night.

"Very well then," Charles accepts Storm's choice.

"Is this a fancy dress thing or a formal thing?" Evan raises.

"Formal. It's a formal dinner with speeches," the Professor clarifies.

"Oh my gosh!" Kitty suddenly exclaims. "I have like nothing to wear. All my good dresses were destroyed when the mansion blew up!" she says in what, to her, is a major crisis.

"Everyone's good things were destroyed when tha mansion blew up Kitty," Rogue says with her usual sarcastic flare and roll of her eyes.

Everyone was more concerned with buying everyday wear and not replacing their formal wear after it was all lost.

Charles could see that a good presentation was important. "Well then we will have to invest in some fashionable clothing for everyone. Since this is a formal affair at my request I will pay for it," he offers.

Kitty's eyes light up in excitement at the prospect of new clothes. "Ooh we can go shopping together!" she proposes.

"Must we?" Rogue queries with a sigh. Kitty and shopping were not exactly high on her list as a description of a good time.

"Come on Rogue. It'll be fun!" Kitty insists. She looks to Jean. "Right Jean?"

"It could be fun," Jean considers. She's not a shopaholic like Kitty but she enjoys buying nice things and with the Professor paying she could go for a dress she would never normally consider because it was usually way above her budget.

"Oh I have to go and like phone Peter!" Kitty squeals in excitement as she runs out the room, phasing through the door. This is her first chance to show Peter off since they started dating.

"She's going to be late for school," Scott points out because he knows Kitty. Any phone call where she is talking to Peter will be a long one.

"Ah'll just drain her and throw her ovah mah shoulder," Rogue proposes with a shrug.

The scary thing about that is no-one can tell if Rogue is joking or not.

* * *

Paige Guthrie, dressed in grey sweat pants and a white t-shirt with her blond hair tied back in a pony tail, was out having a morning jog around the grounds. She was use to waking up early and working on the farm. She needed to find another way to burn off her excess energy now she was here at the Institute. Jogging seemed like a good way. Besides she figures she needs to be fit to survive these Danger Room training sessions she has heard about.

She hadn't had one yet. The Professor wanted to give her a few days to settle in and get a more basic grasp of her powers first. Paige couldn't wait for her first session though. It sounded awesome to her.

She had also got to meet Sam's girlfriend Tabby and Paige liked her. Tabby was different from anyone else Paige had ever met but she thought Tabby would be good for her brother.

Paige gazes at the mansion still in utter disbelief she was here. She was also in disbelief how meal times here were crazier than at home with her brothers and sisters.

Due to the suddenness of her arrival Professor Xavier hadn't had time beforehand to enrol her into the local school but he told her he was working on it and that she would attend as soon as the paperwork went through. Therefore she was spending her days here for the minute which could be a little lonely while the others were at school.

Clark's parents though did their best to keep her company. They were really nice people, not unlike her own parents in many ways, because they were farmers too. In fact she had seen the small 'farm' Mr Kent had created. She had helped out because, while she may not love farm life, it gave her something to do to fill in the time. Apparently at some point everyone helps out anyway. It was one of the punishments if rules were broken Paige had learned.

Paige continues her jogging and spots the other starting to leave for school. Ooh she better step up the pace if she wants to say bye to her brother. "Come on Jamie!" she encourages her jogging partner for this morning.

Jamie, cheeks red, breathing hard, tries desperately to keep up with her. Now remember Jamie trains like everyone else and he can't keep up with her which really says something about Paige.

Paige was really something Jamie had come to realise almost instantly upon meeting her. She wasn't like anyone else he had ever met and he hoped they would become good friends...especially since there is no-one else his age currently at the mansion.

Paige reaches the mansion doors as Clark and Rogue exit arguing about something with Jamie several steps behind her.

"Ah don't know why ah agreed ta go," Rogue moans about the Stark function. This is not her type of thing at all. In fact it as far away from her type of thing as it is possible to get.

"So you can show up all the supermodels," Clark says, with this dorky expression of total belief on his face.

"Ah keep tellin' ya Space Boy; not funny," she waggles her finger at him giving her usual chastisement for his terrible sense of humour.

"I'm being perfectly serious," he assures her. Rogue's self-esteem issues. Old problem. Clark is use to it. He spots Paige. "Hiya Paige. How y'all doin'?" he asks in a southern accent or his attempt at one.

Rogue rolls her eyes and slaps him on the arm. "Ah told ya not ta try that. Y'all can't do a southern accent."

Clark pouts and looks hurt.

Rogue rolls her eyes again albeit with a small smile at how adorable he looks.

Paige lightly chuckles at how playful Clark and Rogue are around each other. She still can't believe Clark is an alien. She means he just looks so human although she thinks it amazing he goes out and plays superhero.

"Y'all alright there Jamie?" Rogue asks, trying to stop herself smirking at the boy who is bent over double, gasping for breath.

Paige pats Jamie on the back. "He's fahne," she speaks for him. "Right Jamie?"

Jamie coughs and nods.

"He also has about 5 minutes ta get ready for school," Rogue points out.

Jamie's eyes widen. _'Oh crap,' _he thinks to himself. He didn't realise he and Paige were out that long!

He finds new energy and runs into the mansion. He trips over the step and a whole gaggle of Jamies appear who all pick themselves up and run.

Paige can't help but laugh. That boy is funny but she likes him anyway.

* * *

Over the course of the next few days there is a whole lot of shopping and preparation for the party for those going. For Kurt there is working himself up to a panic attack as the night draws closer he has to spend with Amanda's parents.

Finally the evening arrives.

Jonathan is his room just trying to knot his tie properly. It has been ages since he has worn a suit.

"Here," Martha says as she spins him round and fixes his tie.

Jonathan's eyes light up as he gazes upon Martha in a formal dress. It was red to go with her hair. "You've never looked lovelier," he says softly in hushed, awed tones.

Martha smiles at the compliment. It had actually been a long time since she last dressed like this. She had spent the last couple of days reacquainting herself with how to walk around in heels. She fixes Jonathan's shirt collar. "You're sure you're ok with doing this?" she asks him.

"No," he admits honestly. "But for those kids I'll do it." He'll do anything he can to make their lives easier. If this will help then, however uncomfortable he may be, he'll do it.

Martha smiles and kisses him. That was the man she married and she has never regretted it. No matter what her father says. She catches him rubbing his chest and she instantly worries. "Your heart?"

"It's fine," he assures her. "It's just stress."

"I'm meant to worry Jonathan. I'm your wife."

"And I truly appreciate that every morning I wake up with you by my side," he tells her as he wraps his arms around her waist. "Martha we both know my heart can't get better but really it's fine," he repeats his assurances.

Martha kisses him gently once more.

"Oh come on! I don't need to see this!"

Martha and Jonathan turn and give their not funny son a severe look. "Clark Joseph Kent!"

Clark smirks as he cleans his glasses and puts them on his face. He's half-joking about the kiss.

Martha looks at him in his new suit and rolls her eyes. She walks over and has to start fixing his tie. Like father, like son.

* * *

Elsewhere Kitty was just making the last moment adjustments to her dress. It was pink with straps and exposed part of her back. It went down to her knees. When she laid eyes upon it she just knew she had to have it. It was so cute!

She looks in the mirror and pushes her hair back. She had decided to leave it loose and the ends curled. She hoped Peter would like it. He was attending...not as her date exactly though. He was there working. Taking pictures for the Bugle but he promised her as much of his time as he could. Peter was so sweet and thoughtful like that.

Kitty turns her head as Jean enters in a red dress, different shade of red to what Mrs Kent was wearing, and it also had black trim which Mrs Kent's didn't. It was strapless which Jean could get away with and Kitty couldn't.

Compared to Jean Kitty was a bit...'flat'. Kitty tried not to let it bother her. Looks weren't everything but when you have to stand next to Jean and others who were more gifted in that area it was hard not to notice it.

Jean's hair too was left loose. She also decided to wear that pendant with the image of the Phoenix on it around her neck. It was always her favourite accessory especially since it was a gift from Scott.

"Looking good Kitty," Jean compliments the younger girl.

"Thanks," Kitty says. "You too. I think you might like kill Scott before we leave," she jokes.

Jean smiles. Part of her sort of hoped so actually. She likes it when she can make Scott's eyes pop out. It was part of the consideration she made when buying the dress. "Want to see if Rogue's ready?" Jean asks.

Kitty agrees and the two girls walk down the hallway to Rogue's room. They can hear muttering from inside. They knock and enter to find Rogue in that eternal struggle of trying to zip up the back of her green and black dress.

"Dang stupid thing!" she insults her own dress. "Why did ah agree ta this?"

Jean and Kitty smirk before Jean offers to help.

"Thanks," Rogue says as Jean zips up the dress.

Kitty picks up Rogue's arm length gloves and hands them to her. Rogue sighs as she slips them on. As always having to cover herself up as much as possible. It gets wearisome after awhile. She grabs a thin purple scarf and wraps it around her neck.

Rogue looks at herself in the mirror. She had reduced her Goth make-up as much as she was comfortable with and had allowed her hair to resume a little of it's natural curliness. She thought that looked better. She smooths her dress out. It was tight but she would manage.

Kitty was making a small face at the fact even in a dress that covered a lot of her up Rogue managed to look way curvier than she did.

Rogue shifts a little bit on her feet. She hated heels. She was use to wearing boots or training shoes. Her feet were already a little sore and the night hadn't even started yet. This was going to be torture.

"Think the others are ready?" Kitty asks.

"The boys probably are," Jean reckons.

"Yeah. By the way Rogue what dress did Domino get?" Kitty wonders.

Rogue rolls her eyes. "Don't ask. She wants it ta beh a 'surprise'," she says in air-quotes.

"Oh boy," Jean murmurs in concern. Domino's surprises were not always to everyone's taste.

The 3 girl make their way down the stairs to the lobby where the boys are and boy as ever they look good scrubbed up. Kitty can't wait to see what Peter looks like. Even if he is working he'll have to wear something nice.

The boys in return all practically drool at the sight of the girls dressed up. Clark steps up to Rogue and gently glides his hand over her shoulder making her skin raise goosebumps. "You're so beautiful," he says in reverence.

Rogue blushes slightly but tries to hide it at the way Clark is looking at her.

Clark finds it adorable and cute when Rogue did that.

Scott says practically the same thing to Jean, as Clark did to Rogue, as she fixes his tie. Honestly what is it with the boys around here that they can never tie these things properly.

Hank, the Professor and the Kents were all gathered there too by now. Hank had managed to find a suit to fit. Not perfectly as they didn't have time to make major alterations but it was sufficient. This was a big step forward for him in a sense. No hiding behind a holowatch tonight.

"Wow y'all look so pretty," Paige says from the sidelines, her eyes glazed over at what she sees. She had never seen anyone dressed up as fancy as this.

"I know," Amara says in agreement. Honestly she was slightly jealous. It had been ages since she last dressed up and went out but the invite was for X-Men only.

"Alright! Here I come!" Domino's voice echoes around.

"Oh this should beh good," Rogue mutters.

Domino strides into view, in a long, strapless, sheer black dress, split up the side to the waist. Her hair was really too short to do much with but she had it groomed as best she could manage. She stops at the top of the stairs and assumes a pose, clasping her hands together in the shape of a gun. "The name's Ino. Dom-ino,"she says with a smirk in a James Bond impression.

A few chuckle. A few of the boys are trying to pick up their tongues off the floor. It wasn't hard to see that Domino had an amazing body but the dress highlighted it to it's maximum.

As Domino walks down the stairs Martha is seeing to Kurt who would be teleporting over to Amanda's shortly. Martha was adjusting his suit. He had got a new one too, wanting to make a good impression on Amanda's parents.

Kurt and Amanda had planned the evening out. He would start with his holowatch on, let Amanda's parents get to know him a little and then drop the revelation of his appearance upon them.

Kurt mentally face palms himself. He's dead.

"It'll be fine Kurt," Martha assures him, able to tell he is nervous.

"Zhank you Mrs Kent. By zhe vay you look lovely," he compliments her.

Martha pats his cheek affectionately. "See. With charm like that you'll be sweeping Amanda's parents off their feet."

Kurt smiles.

"So are we getting this party started or what?" Evan asks.

"Remember to be on your best behaviour Evan," Ororo tells him as she fixes his suit into something near neat.

"Sure Auntie O," he promises her.

Ororo gives him her sternest look to make sure she gets across that she means it.

Charles checks his watch. "Yes. It is time we got going," he agreed. It was an hour's drive at least.

"Have fun!" Tabby cheers. "Kitty, don't droll over Stark too much or you might short out his heart," she adds mischievously.

"I like won't be drooling over him!" Kitty protests. "I just want to meet him and ask him about that repulsor technology of his. I mean that sort of energy to force ratio shouldn't be possible. Why doesn't it overheat? How does he compensate for the thrust it generates?"

"Whoa, whoa," Scott says stopping her. "Save it for later Kitty," he requests before she goes into full on geek babble mode or they'll never leave.

Logan steps up to Domino.

"Aw Logan. You saying goodbye. You're such a sweetie," Dom teases.

Logan growls quietly and holds his hand out flat. "Hand it over Jinx," he orders.

"Hand what over?"

"Domino," he says sternly, leaving no room for her to argue.

Domino sighs almost sounding like she is in pain. "Fine," she spits out. She reaches down between her legs and pulls off the holster strapped to her thigh with gun in place. She hands it over to Logan.

"And the other one," he says.

"Oh come on. They'll never find them," she insists.

"Domino," Charles says sternly, now adding his voice to insisting she gives up her weapons. They would not be needing them at this, surely, and he is pretty certain she wouldn't get them past the door, despite her protests to the contrary.

Domino reaches back down and pulls the other one off her other thigh and hands it over. All this gives everyone a good view of her legs which Domino doesn't really mind. She's proud of her legs.

"Now we may depart," Charles announces.

They all start to head outside to the limo Charles has ready for the evening. He had replied to the invitation and made all the necessary preparations.

Everyone left behind waves them off from the entrance as they enter the limo and depart.

"How did you know?" Ororo asks Logan.

"Jinx?" he queries what she is referring to.

Ororo nods.

Logan shrugs. "It's what I would have done."

Ororo smiles lightly. "I guess you are related after all," she teases him.

Logan snorts at that.

Ororo can see he is uncomfortable in her presence. Well after tonight, hopefully, they will have sorted that out. She has thought on what Martha said about either resuming their friendship or making a go of a relationship and had come to a decision.

All Ororo can hope is that it is the right one.

* * *

This is the point Kurt has to make his leave. He first grabs a bunch of flowers he got for Amanda's mother, hoping to make a good impression.

**Bamf!**

Kurt vanishes in his usual puff of blue smoke and reappears at Amanda's door. He double checks his holowatch is on and working first. His heart is thudding against his ribcage as he rings the doorbell. He is fiddling with his tie when the door is opened by Amanda. He smiles instantly upon seeing her in a purple blouse and black skirt. She looks beautiful.

Amanda smiles at seeing Kurt. She was really nervous about this but determined it had to be done. "Kurt," she says warmly. "You're, uh, a little early actually."

"Ok. I'll leave," he says and turns round to do so.

Amanda giggles at his silliness. She grabs his arm to stop him. "Come on you goof. It's fine. Really. Come in and meet my folks."

Kurt's expression is almost a pained one as Amanda leads him into her lounge. Because Kurt is early her parents are sitting in there. Her father is reading a paper while her mother is watching the tv.

Kurt had never really seen them before up close. Her father was an African-American man with a beard and glasses. Her mother had brown hair and her skin was lighter coloured. In fact it reminded Kurt a little bit of Wanda's complexion.

"Mom, Dad, this is Kurt Wagner," Amanda introduces him, with pride above her nervousness.

Kurt raises his right hand and waves.

Mr and Mrs Sefton both take a moment to look at him. When Amanda told them she was dating a mutant at that Institute they obviously had concerns. Especially since it got blown up and Amanda snuck off to Washington to testify to Congress without telling them.

Amanda got such a grounding for that but she was adamant in not apologising for her actions. Saying it needed to be done. She also made it quite clear and forcefully that she would be continuing to date this Kurt so Mr and Mrs Sefton relented a little in allowing Amanda to date this boy.

However the first sign that Amanda was in any danger they were putting an end to this, no debate.

Lately Amanda had been hinting at wanting them to meet Kurt. They guessed that meant she was serious about him. Mr Sefton's hope that it was a short infatuation was shot to pieces. He and his wife had talked and decided to give Kurt a chance but he was starting from a negative position.

Amanda's parents rise to their feet. George Sefton walks up to the two teens. "Kurt," he says eyeing him carefully.

Kurt gulps. "Mr Sefton," he says in a high squeaky voice due to his nervousness.

George offers his hand.

Kurt hands him the flowers. "These are for you..." He then realises what he did and grabs them back. "I mean your mozher...I mean Amanda's mozher."

Amanda laughs a little. It is kinda funny.

Margali Sefton laughs a little too at seeing how nervous the boy was. She had been a little more open minded that her husband on the issue of their daughter dating a mutant. Seeing the normal reaction of any boy meeting his girlfriend's parents made him seem more...human. She takes the flowers from him. "Thank you Kurt. I'll put them in some water," she says with a noticeable accent.

As Margali leaves for the kitchen George decides he should be the nice host. The way Amanda was clinging to Kurt showed he should make an effort. "Amanda why don't you show him around and I'll get us some cold drinks," he says before he follows his wife through the swing doors into the kitchen.

Kurt waves stupidly. His head drops. "Oh zhey hate me," he says with a feeling of complete failure.

Amanda looks at him lovingly. "Kurt. Will you relax a little? Everything's going fine," she assures him. Her parents hadn't immediately thrown him out so that was good.

"Really? Zhen vhy are you tapping your foot nervously?"

Amanda looks down to see her foot jiggering in a nervous twitch. She leans into Kurt and wraps her arms around his waist. This always makes her feel stronger to be near him. "We'll be fine," she says as much to reassure herself.

Kurt places his arm across Amanda's shoulder. "Of course. Ve just have to break it to zhem gently about vhat I look like right?"

"Right," Amanda agrees.

There is a strange sizzling sound and Kurt's image starts to flicker and fail.

"Oh no! My image inducer!" he says in a panic as he taps on it. "No, no, no. Not tonight," he pleads. Not tonight of all nights for it to act up. Seeing him now isn't breaking it to them gently.

"Here we are!" George shouts as he returns. "Cold drinks for everyone!"

Kurt intakes breath sharply as the swing doors start to open. Luckily Amanda's father walks into the room backwards and doesn't see him immediately. It gives him a second to...panic even more.

Amanda's father starts to turn round and Kurt teleports.

"Kurt?" George queries looking at his daughter.

Amanda tries desperately not to look as panicked as she is. "Um...uh...err...bathroom. He went to the bathroom. He's really nervous," Amanda makes up on the fly and since she heard Kurt reappear up the stairs that should hold.

George looks at his daughter who smiles back and plays with her hair a little. It looks suspicious to him. "This doesn't have anything to do with his powers does it?"

"What? No? He agreed not to use them like you asked." _'And has just broken that promise,' _Amanda cringes to herself but that's probably better than the shock of seeing Kurt unprepared. _'Stick to the plan,' _she tells herself. Kurt's warm personality will win her parents over and then they'll drop the bombshell.

George did ask that Kurt not use his powers. He saw them fighting that robot in New York and fighting those other mutants downtown. He doesn't want his house destroyed.

"Besides his powers aren't dangerous," Amanda defends Kurt. "They're really cool," she enthuses. She loves his powers and teleporting around with him.

George looks at his daughter sceptically. "We'll discuss that later," he promises.

Amanda forces a smile.

Margali returns from the kitchen as Kurt walks back in having gotten his holowatch to work again. He just hopes it holds up now.

"Well dinner will be ready shortly," Margali announces. "Why don't we sit and Kurt can tell us about himself while we wait."

"Um sure," Kurt agrees as they all sit down in the lounge. "So, uh, vhere do you vant to start?"

"Tell them about your parents and growing up," Amanda suggests because that is a nice safe area and Kurt always speaks about his parents in glowing terms...well his adopted parents anyway. As for that Mystique woman Amanda would love to give the shapeshifter a piece of her mind for the way she has treated Kurt.

"Yes," Margali agrees. "You come from Germany? That correct?"

"Ja," Kurt says and starts to tell about Amanda's parents about growing up.

* * *

**Stark Tower, New York...**

Huge crowds had gathered at the entrance to Stark Tower as people tried to get a glimpse of their celebrity hero or idol. The press were there too. Flashbulbs going off, people trying to get that money shot. It was always the same whenever Tony Stark held any sort of function. He is just the type of man who attracts attention.

The next limo in line pulls up to the red carpet. Inside, unseen, are the X-Men and company. Rogue was next to Clark, her head on his shoulder as he held her and reassured her about tonight. She was nervous as hell about what they were away to face.

Jean was leaning into Scott in the same way. This...this was big. Both Scott and Jean knew that. The Professor had had his speaking tour but this was different. This was all of them trying to put out a good image for mutantkind. They really couldn't afford to mess it up.

"It's time," the Professor says, having given them a minute to look out through the blacked out windows and prepare for what was about to hit them.

Domino volunteers to go first. The door is opened and she kicks her leg out in a way that deliberately pushes her dress aside so everyone gets a long look at the shapely appendage that happens to be bluish-white in colour.

All the crowds and press stop for one moment as Domino emerges. She strikes a pose and grins widely. This night was going to be awesome in her opinion.

The others follow. Scott helps Jean out. Hank emerges and there is a few intakes of breaths at seeing the blue furred mutant. He aids Kitty to exit the limo. Clark helps Rogue while his father helps his mother. Evan pops his head out, actually grinning a little at all this because this...this was really something.

It takes a minute to get the Professor's wheelchair out and him back in it. All the time cameras are going off and reporters can be heard referring to this major moment that the X-Men have arrived.

"Everyone, best behaviour," Scott reminds them. He's a nervous wreck. Only Jean's reassuring mental presence is keeping his nerves even remotely steady.

With that they start to walk down the red carpet. Questions get thrown at them. The Professor deals with them since he has the most expertise with this.

They reach the main door where they are greeted by a woman with red hair, dressed professionally in a business suit. It is Tony Stark's personal assistant; Virginia 'Pepper' Potts.

"Professor Xavier," Pepper greets him with a well practised welcoming smile.

"Ms Potts. So glad to meet you in person," Charles greets her back. When he confirmed that they would attend it was her he spoke to.

"Likewise. I'm sure what you will have to say will be a highlight."

"Thank you," Charles appreciates her compliment. He hadn't had a lot of time to work on his speech but he was satisfied with what he had come up with.

"Is Mr Stark here?" Kitty has to ask, noticeably excited and nervous.

Pepper frowns a little. Not at the question but at, as usual, Tony's unreliability. "Mr Stark...likes to be fashionably late," she covers for him...again as usual. "This gentleman will show you to the hall," Pepper tells them turning to one of the ushers for the evening she had hired. Pepper always had to handle the details. Tony wasn't a details type of person. She so should get a raise.

The X-Men follow the usher, unaware of what sort of night is in store for them.

* * *

_Author's Note: This party is going to be so much fun as you'll see. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Kitty meets Peter's friends, Clark and Rogue meet a couple of famous superheroes, Scott comes face to face with the girl who gave him his 1st kiss(much to Jean's annoyance) and Martha meets a ghost from her past._


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

**At the Institute...**

"Ooh look there they are!" Jamie says excitedly as he points at the tv. The remaining students were watching the arrivals at Stark Tower on the tv.

"_**And here are the surprise guests, at the invite of Tony Stark, the mutant heroes known as the X-Men," **_the female tv reporter says.

"_**And the human family that resides with them," **_her male colleague adds.

"_**You've just got to wonder what it is like to live in a house full of teenagers with superpowers," **_the female reporter says.

Her make colleague laughs. _**"Well I think we all know what normal teenagers are like. I guess you have to multiple that by a thousand."**_

The female reporter laughs as well.

"More like a million," Logan mutters.

Ororo smiles a little at his usual grumpiness. It was kind of endearing in its strange way.

"At least they're not saying anything nasty about us," Sam raises up as a positive. They get way too much negative press.

"They probably are on one of the other channels," Ray mutters.

Sadly no-one can argue that with him because it's probably true.

* * *

**Stark Tower...**

When they enter the hall the X-Men just have to stop and stare at the opulence. It seems, for Tony Stark, nothing is too expensive. There are people milling around, servants attending them, a huge fountain centre piece made out of what is possibly gold. Even if it was formal dress the decorations all had a Halloween theme. This was the pre-speech bit of the evening. There was a string band playing music.

The X-Men took in the sights of people whose very clothes they are wearing tonight probably cost more than their entire closets.

They were others in clothes not so fine. The reporters who had been able to get in. One was instantly recognisable and brought a large smile to Beast's face as she drew up to the group. "Patricia." Hank says in warm tones.

Trish Tilby smiles in return. "Hello Henry. I heard you got an invite."

"Ms Tilby," the Professor greets her too, with a sly look at his old friend Hank. He could sense the attraction without having to try. He extends his hand to her.

Trish takes it. "Professor Xavier. Nice to see you again."

"Henry told me of your work in Kentucky. I wish to say how grateful I am for your exposé on Mr Cunningham."

Trish grins at the praise. "Oh he had that coming. You know his workers look like being able to buy him out for half what the mine is really worth," she says with glee. She likes taking down scumbags like that.

"I'm sure Samuel will be happy about that," Charles says in relation to Sam's family connection.

"So care to tell me why Stark invited you?" Trish asks, seeking an angle.

"You'd have to ask him," Charles politely deflects her.

"I wish. I've been trying to get an interview with him since his return from his abduction. His assistant keeps fobbing me off," Trish says, genuinely peeved at that.

While Trish talks with the Professor and Beast, Kitty manages to spot Peter, dressed in a slightly ill-fighting blue suit, with a camera around his neck. She takes her leave of her friends and makes her way over. She taps him on the shoulder. "Hi Peter," she says shyly, brushing a lock of her hair back.

Peter turns his head and then looks twice. His eyes takes in Kitty all dressed up and he had to say he liked what he saw. "Hi Kitty. You look...wow and I look...ugh, you're so going to be wanting to find someone more fashionable to date now aren't you."

Kitty smiles. She loves his little jokes. She kisses him on the cheek. "I'm dating like the most handsome guy here," she assures him.

Peter manages a smile at that.

"So you seen anyone famous?" Kitty wonders.

"Just you," he replies.

Kitty rolls her eyes. "I'm not famous," she dismisses that idea.

"Sure you are. You're one of the famous X-Men...even if you're a girl. Should that be X-Person?"

"Oh I like tried to get the name changed. I was voted down. Democracy sucks," she complains.

Peter rubs her on the back in support.

Not too far away a girl with red hair and green eyes, dressed in a short little black number, quietly moves off to meet up with her friends. Mary Jane Watson had managed to get here thanks to Harry, who was filling in for his dad, who was working or something, and he invited her, Gwen and Liz along. She meets up with Harry, Liz and Gwen who are at the buffet table. "I was right," she says to them.

"About what?" Gwen asks.

"That girl we saw Peter with. I was right that we'd seen her somewhere before. She's one of those mutants on the news."

"How do you know that?" Harry asks.

"Because she's here and I heard Peter call her an X-Man."

Harry, Liz and Gwen search for Peter and find him sharing a laugh with the girl in the pink dress.

"They let _those __**people**_ here?" Liz asks incredulously with downright venom, her voice shrill.

All 3 of her friends look at Liz due to the hostility in her tone. It was quite...scary.

"You don't like mutants?" Gwen asks.

"I like them fine as long as they are nowhere near me!" Liz snaps, her face twisted in hate. She then stomps away.

"Uh...what just happened?" Harry asks, utterly blown away by that.

"I don't know," MJ says in total confusion. Liz had never mentioned being that strongly against mutants and she is Liz's best friend. "I'll talk to her later...when she's calmed down."

"So what are we doing about Peter?" Gwen asks.

"We have to do something?" Harry questions that. He means seriously. What is it that makes Gwen have to constantly butt her nose into Peter's business.

"We'll wait until he's alone and then talk to him," MJ suggests.

"Good plan," Gwen agrees.

"Ok I'll just speak and no-one will listen to me," Harry mutters. "Wow you're just carbon copies of my father," he says a little bitter at how little time his father makes for him.

"What?" Gwen asks her boyfriend, having not been paying attention and missing what he just said.

"I rest my case."

"What?"

* * *

The other X-Men slowly start to disperse through the throngs. Rogue walks next to Clark, noticing she is getting a few looks and people suddenly go silent or reduce their volume to a whisper. It wasn't that much of a surprise and really Rogue was use to it being a Goth. Her and Clark reach the buffet table and she can't even recognise half the food on it. She gets a feeling that some of it costs more than the dress she is wearing.

Clark was planning to go and be a psuedo-reporter but for the start of the evening he decided to stick close to Rogue until the initial reaction died down a bit...and the fact it was hard to keep his eyes off of her because she looked that good.

Clark has a look at the buffet table for something that tickled his fancy. As he does so he feels an enormous presence next to him. He turns his head to the left as someone, who made Clark seem small in comparison, saddles up next to him.

"Geez," the man rumbles in complaint. "What I wouldn't give for one of my Aunt Petunia's pies rather than all this fancy schmancy stuff."

Clark looks up to see a head made seemingly of orange rock. The head turns and blue eyes fixate upon Clark.

"Something I can do fer ya kid?"

"You're Ben Grimm!" Clark exclaims, in total fanboy mode. "It is so great to meet you! I've read everything about you and the Fantastic Four! "

Benjamin 'The Thing' Grimm arches a rocky eyebrow. Usually people aren't gushing all over him due to the fact he was transformed in a huge golem-like creature of orange rock after being exposed to Cosmic Rays on a space trip he was making with his best friend Reed Richards. He had adjusted to being stuck like this but many people looked at him like a monster and deep down it hurt so it is rare the look he is getting, from this tall kid in glasses, of admiration.

"I didn't know you were attending this," Clark says and he had checked. It's a reporter thing.

Ben sighs almost painfully. "Kinda last minute decision," he says gruffly because he was never sold on coming here. Reed and Sue were the ones who really wanted to come. The Matchstick wanted to come so he could hit on girls and Ben...well it was this or staying home alone. He decided to come. Someone, after all, has to keep Johnny out of trouble.

"Are the others here too? Dr Richards? Susan Storm? Her brother Johnny?"

"Yeah they're around somewhere," Ben says. "You want to meet them?"

"If I can but meeting you is just...awesome...if you don't mind me saying so."

Ben laughs heartedly and claps the kid on the shoulder with his large rocky hand. If Clark was anyone else the clap would have probably knocked them flat on the floor "Kid yer alright? What's your name?"

Clark pushes his glasses up his name and grins his dorkiest smile. "Kent. Clark Kent."

"So ya got a recommendation about what to eat?" Ben asks.

"Not really. It's not my usual diet. Honestly I would prefer one of my mom's apple pies."

"Oh I'm sure they're good but they ain't got anything on me Aunt Petunia's."

"I'm afraid that I would have to raise an objection there. My mom's pies are the best ever made by anyone."

Ben could hear the challenge in the tone. He admired the kid for standing up for his mother. "Now I'm just going to have to argue with ya there kid. Let me tell all about me Aunt Petunia's pies..."

Rogue rolls her eyes. Of all nights for Clark to go into fangirl squee mode and now he is debating with the freakin' Thing about who makes a better apple pie. She turns back to the table and picks up...something. Honestly Rogue has no idea what it is. She nibble on it a little and decides she doesn't hate it.

"Now how is someone as lovely as you all alone?" a flirtatious voice asks.

Rogue turns to her right to see a boy in his late teens, with short, dirty-blond hair, blue eyes, and an athletic frame. He was dressed in an expensive looking suit. Rogue recognised him. He wasn't shy about showing off on tv.

The boy extends his hand with a wide smile. "Johnny Storm...which you probably already knew."

Oh the arrogance. Rogue feels like punching him...or she could do something else. She has to repress an evil smile. She takes his hand. "People just call meh Rogue."

"And what do people have to do to get to know your real name?" Johnny wonders.

"Well ah always lahke ta make that a challenge. Up for it?" Rogue challenges him, coming close to flirting but it's all for a purpose. Trust her.

Johnny's eyes roam over the girl. Yeah she was overly covered up and the make-up was a little goth-lite but he could tell she was a looker. In a few more years she would probably be even more so. Johnny loved all of this. The fame, the celebrity and everything that goes with it ever since he had gained the ability to turn himself into a being of living fire thanks to those Cosmic Rays thingies he and the others were exposed to...and as for being up for the challenge this girl proposed...well there isn't one yet he's failed at.

* * *

Scott was not good at socialising is his primary thought right now. It isn't helped by the fact Jean had managed to slip into a conversation with a small group of prominent geneticists and since Jean planned to study that at college next year it was easy for her to find a common subject to talk to them about. It left him a bit of a goose standing by himself.

"I always knew you'd grow up into a handsome young man...once you moved passed the acne."

Scott's brow furrows. That voice. It sounds like the girl who gave him his very first kiss. It sounds like... "Emma?" he queries as he turns round and that is when his jaw almost drops to the floor at seeing the voluptuous blond woman in an incredibly expensive looking, elegant, strapless white gown. Scott knows he shouldn't but he can't stop his eyes roaming all the way over her from head to toe and back up to her head. She was...gorgeous.

It was also something else. A quality Emma possessed, standing there, that Scott can't remember whether she possessed before or something she has gained in the years, that have passed, since he last saw her. Yes there was the beauty that most people only dreamed of. She also seemed to stand tall, almost as if she stood above the world. There was a strange sensual calling to her, but one of a siren, a dangerous allure. It was typical sin and sensuality that she seemed to give off to the world. Promising pleasures but at a price you might not want to pay. Eyes were drawn to her, not just Scott's. Many a male eye couldn't help but stare at her.

A pleasant smile comes to Emma's face at Scott's reaction. She wasn't originally going to come to this. She can't stand Tony Stark. He's an uncouth child in a man's body but when she heard the X-Men were attending she just had to come...and cause as much mischief as possible. The day was coming when her Hellions would meet the X-Men and she thought she might as well get a head start on undermining them.

"Is that...is that really you?" Scott has to ask because this was not the Emma he remembered. Oh she was pretty and the accented British voice was the same but her hair was actually brown back then and she just didn't look...he cannot get his head around how beautiful she is.

Emma lightly chuckles at the question and the thoughts she can hear Scott having. "Come now Scott, don't tell me I am that forgettable?" she asks, with mock hurt.

"Forgettable? No. It is just...you...look..."

"Yes, I've had some work done. That's what you want to ask but are too polite to."

"Uh...it's not really any of my business."

"I'm not ashamed of admitting it Scott. A woman has the right to look her absolute best even if she has to pay for it and believe you me I paid a lot. Doctor in Brazil. Does fabulous work don't you think?" she asks him as she strikes a pose.

_'Oh he most certainly does,' _Scott muses.

Emma smiles as she picks up the thought. Almost too easy.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asks, as he gets his brain to start working again.

"Frost Industries. My family's company. Remember it?"

"Yes."

"Well my father's passed on and now I run it so like every other important person I received an invitation."

"I'm sorry about your father," Scott expresses his sympathies.

Emma suppresses a sneer. She's not sorry at all the old bastard is dead. However appearances are all. "Thank you Scott. I don't think I need to ask why you are here with mutants being on the news. Congratulations for exposing us all," she says with her usual cold sarcasm.

"That's wasn't our fault. It was Magneto," Scott puts up a defence.

"Of course."

"Besides it was inevitable one day mutants would be revealed. You know that."

"Well there were certainly better ways to go about it," Emma critiques.

"Look Emma I don't wish to fight with you. I know you left the Institute under a bit of a dark cloud but that was a long time ago. Can't we move past that?"

A bit of a dark cloud? There's the understatement of the century but if Emma is going to start driving some wedges into the X-Men she needs to be able to get close so she can put her personal feelings aside. "Of course Scott. I'm all for new beginnings," she says with a warm smile.

"Scott?" Jean's voice breaks into the proceedings after wondering where he had gone to and her eyes fall upon the woman he is talking to. "Who is this?"

"Well..." Scott starts to say as he thinks of some way to break it to Jean that it is one person whom she never ever got along with.

Emma beats him to the punch in her own unique fashion. "Jean dear. Tell me, did you get that dress off the rack or are you still rooting around charity bargain bins?"

That voice. That look of arrogant superiority. The attitude. The familiar psychic presence Jean is now picking up on. "Emma," she almost spits the word out.

"Oh look it only took the telepath a whole minute to work that out but then again as soon as I left, Charles was stuck with the 2nd choice inferior one wasn't he Jean."

Scott can feel Jean's ire rising. It is making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Emma only smirks slightly as she sips on her flute of champagne.

Emma Frost. Emma Frakkin Frost! Oh to say Jean dislikes the woman is the largest understatement since saying Logan is a reasonable, calm, deep thinking man...and oh my God! Just look at her! How much surgery has she had? Jean doesn't think there is anything original left. "Not that it is any of your business," Jean tells Emma bluntly, "but I got this dress from Rossi's." And Rossi's is a very high end fashion chain.

Emma chuckles. "Jean dear if you buy something with a price tag on it you're buying from the wrong place. My dress was hand made and cost more than your father would earn in a year."

Scott quickly places a hand on Jean's arm before she goes postal and thinks to her to not lose it. Not here.

Jean looks at him and her anger lessens.

Emma observes the interaction with interest. "Now don't tell me. Jean finally managed to find 5 minutes to notice what a handsome man you are Scott. Well I guess all those years she ignored the way you followed her around like a love sick puppy are just forgotten then."

Jean's anger explodes at that and she glares at Emma with the death glare to beat all death glares. Her eyes flash with golden psychic fire for one brief moment and Emma physically recoils.

Emma rubs her head. Jean packed more of a psychic wallop than she remembered but she'll be damned if she will just take that. She returns the psychic blast and Jean physically recoils a little. They then glare at each other and it is clear to anyone from their expressions just how much they don't like the other.

Scott looks from one woman to the other and wonders how he stops them killing each other.

* * *

Evan ended up paired up with Domino, basically because there was no-one else. He came here mainly because it was what his Auntie O would have wanted. For him to be out here setting an example for the X-Men. Evan was not doing this for himself. Personally he would rather be out skateboarding.

Domino was on the lookout for celebs. She wondered if any were mutants. It was a little game they played at the mansion. Watching the entertainment channel and joking about which celebs were mutants and who were not. She had noticed she got more than her fair share of stares. She liked to think the ones from the men were because she looked that good. Forgive her for being a little bit vain. In reality she knows why they stare but she doesn't let it bother her.

"Ooh is that Robert Downey Jr?" she suddenly squeals as she rushes over to introduce herself.

* * *

Martha and Jonathan were too starting to mingle...well Martha more than Jonathan. Martha had to say it was all like riding a bike. It just seemed to all come back to her how to work a function like this.

It wasn't necessarily about who you were. It was what, who and what you knew. For Martha an easy jump off point was to use her father. He was a stock broker and she bets 95% of the people here own stock. Sure it had been awhile since she really paid attention to that world but nothing changes that much. Stocks go up. Stocks go down. People make money. People lose money. The only thing that had changed were the amounts were much larger now.

Fake smile, laugh at their poor jokes, listen to them talk about their 3rd wife or 4th husband or the new yacht they just bought. They were shallow, uninteresting people for the most part and Martha is glad she left this world behind. She was only here to help the children.

"Martha Clark. My, I don't think you've aged a day."

Martha turns round, her eyes widen in complete surprise at the sight of the man with dark hair and green eyes. The man she almost married. "Sebastian!"

* * *

Back with the Professor, Hank had left him to talk to Ms Tilby a bit more. Charles, meanwhile, had spotted someone he hadn't talked to in quite some time and wished to. He rolls up behind the unsuspecting person. "Reed Richards...or is that Mr Fantastic these days?"

The tall lean man in his early 30s with short, dark hair with streaks of grey at the sides turns round and his face lights up into a smile. "Charles Xavier!" he proclaims with much enthusiasm. He then extends his arm out...literally to offer his hand which Charles takes and they shake hands vigorously.

There is a light cough from behind Reed. It comes from a woman in her mid 20s with blond hair, dressed in a light blue gown that showed off a body supermodels would envy. Unlike most of them she also possessed a mind that wasn't far short of Reed's own brilliant intellect. Susan 'Invisible Woman' Storm smiles pleasantly as she waits for her boyfriend to introduce her.

"Oh this is Sue," Reed says. "Sue this is Charles Xavier. He was once a teacher of mine."

Susan extends her hand which Charles takes. "Susan Storm. A pleasure to meet you."

"And yourself," Charles returns.

"So what was it exactly you taught?" Sue asks.

Charles smiles slyly. He had spent a few years teaching shortly after he ended up in his wheelchair and met this brilliant teenager who had reached university by the age of 15 named Reed Richards. "The effect of mutation upon the evolution of life," he gives Sue his answer to her question.

Susan smiles brilliantly. "Interesting choice of topic. I'm betting few knew how precisely you were an expert upon the subject," she jokes.

Charles shrugs letting it brush off. "Well I do believe it was Reed who raised in my class the prospect of how Cosmic Ray bombardment may have been the trigger for the first mutations of life upon Earth that prompted the leap from single cell to multicellular organisms," he mentions.

"The irony huh?" Susan says with a wry look at Reed. After all it was thanks to Cosmic Rays that Reed was mutated into a virtual living piece of Taffy while Susan could now generate forcefields that could bend the light around her body rendering her invisible or use those forcefields to pick up and move objects.

"I suppose in hindsight one might concede it as irony," Reed was willing to admit. Although at the time that thought hardly crossed his mind with his original intent and all his focus upon reversing the mutation and curing them all...especially Ben. Reed wasn't going to stop until he returned Ben to normal. As for the rest of them...they had all grown to accept their powers these last few months and the good they could do with them. Although he wasn't fond of how they had been turned into celebrities. Of course Johnny just saw their powers and that celebrity as a way to show off although under it was he was a good kid who was there if you were in a tight jam.

"I suspect Professor that you have a more detailed knowledge of mutation than you were ever willing to admit in class," Reed ventures.

"Indeed," Charles admits and he, Reed and Susan begin to have an amiable chat all about it.

* * *

"I don't know why I agreed to let you drag me along to this. I don't even like Tony very much," a man with short blond hair is complaining to a woman with auburn hair in a stylish yellow and black dress.

Janet Van Dyne rolls her eyes. "I have to earn a living Hank. You know the living that pays for all your experiments," she reminds him. "Is it asking so much that you help by at least keeping me company and there's another more important reason. What is it again? Oh that's right. You're suppose to be my boyfriend!"

"I am," Hank Pym confirms.

"Really? Cause some days your ants get more of your time than I do," Janet complains. "I bet Spider-Man would pay me attention. I wonder if he's single?"

"W-what!" Hank splutters.

"You know Spider-Man. It could work. You know Insects United!"

"Spiders are arachnids, not insects," Hank points out, wondering what is going through Janet's head. "And you don't even know what he looks like Jan."

"I'm shocked at how shallow you are Henry Pym. Shocked I tells you. You don't judge someone by their appearance," she tells him off.

"I don't judge people in that way. Tony Stark is proof of that and...are you pulling my leg?" he suddenly asks, his brain cottoning onto something Janet does from time to time

Janet snorts with laughter. "Wow the great Henry Pym only took a whole 5 minutes to figure that one out," she says with an impish grin as she admits that, yes, that is exactly what she is doing. Although saying that they had teamed up with the wallcrawler once recently and Janet had found him quite funny and she couldn't help but wonder what he looked like under the mask and whether he was cute.

"It wasn't that long," Hank protests.

Janet laughs some more and stands on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. From the day she met him he was so easy to wind up. It was fun and frankly he needed it. If it wasn't for her he would never leave his lab...or remember to change his clothes, wash, eat etc etc.

Janet turns to go mingle when she bumps into someone large.

"Oh please excuse me my dear," the figure apologises.

Janet looks up into a blue furred face but with very kind eyes. "Oh...uh...no problem Mr..."

"McCoy. Henry McCoy," Hanks fills in. Patricia had to go do her job so he was on his own for the moment.

"Dr Henry McCoy?" Hank Pym queries.

"Yes."

Hank Pym's face bursts into an enormous grin and he offers his hand. "I'm Henry Pym and I am a big fan of your work," he says with much enthusiastic praise.

Beast takes the hand and shakes it. "Of course. Dr Pym," he says, feeling he should have recognised him earlier. "I've read all your papers. Genius if I can say so," he heaps praise back.

"You may and thank you."

"Whoa. Just whoa," Janet says stopping them. "You're name's Henry too?" she asks Beast.

"That is what my mother called me. I always found it a very fine name."

"As do I," Henry Pym says in agreement about the name Henry...his name as well.

Beast looks down at the petite woman. "And you are Ms Van Dyne. Delighted to meet you."

"You know me?" Janet asks with a little surprise.

"Several of the female students are big fans of your work," Hank explains how he knows her.

Janet's face brightens. "Really? I'm an icon for mutant fashions?"

"Well I wouldn't phrase it quite like that," Beast cautions.

"But no wait. There's this whole new branch of humanity and no-one to clothe them. Ooh, ooh, I can see my new line!" Janet says as she starts to imagine it. She could be the world leader in clothes specifically aimed at mutants. Her eyes drift off as she daydreams it.

"Oh she's gone," Hank Pym mutters knowing Janet's mind won't be back for awhile. "So Dr McCoy anything new you're working on?" he asks since there is nothing to be done until Janet decides to rejoin the real world.

"Oh many things. All to aid the students with their powers mostly. You won't believe how many times I have to keep rewriting the established laws of physics," Beast complains slightly.

Hank Pym nods in understanding. "Had to rewrite one or two myself," he points out.

The two Henrys begin to discuss their mutual discoveries.

* * *

Peter raises his camera and gets a good shot of Professor Xavier and Mr Fantastic speaking. He was here to work. Kitty had gone to get them both a drink and he still can't believe how cute she is in that pink dress.

Actually she's more than cute. She's really beautiful as matter of fact and despite they don't get to see each other every day Peter thinks it is going well between them. Kitty was so smart and funny and kind and courageous...and boy does he have it bad.

"Peter can we have a word?"

Peter turns to see MJ, Gwen and Harry. "Sure. Where's Liz?"

"Uh...bathroom," MJ thinks up because really she didn't know where Liz stormed off to. "So anyway about that girl we saw you with?"

Peter's brow drops. There was just something about the way MJ said that that irks him. "What about her?"

"Do you know who she is?" Gwen asks him sounding a little irate. "What she is?"

Peter's expression turns more serious as he can guess what they mean. "If you mean do I know is she a mutant then yes." He looks at all 3 of them. "What is this about?"

"Well its just...what do you know about her Peter?" MJ asks. "About mutants? I mean no-one knows a lot about them."

Peter can't believe he is hearing this. "Excuse me? Are you judging her on what she is? Have you even bothered to talk to her?"

"We're just looking out for ya man," Harry says.

Gwen nods in agreement with her boyfriend. "Yes. Exactly."

"Funny. I was certain I asked a question there," Peter says with an exaggerated confused expression that points out how they didn't answer it.

"Peter?"

Peter looks to see Kitty has returned. His 3 friends fidget nervously. Seriously what is their problem? MJ and Gwen barely talk to him yet feel they can stick their noses in his business. "Kitty come meet some...friends of mine," he says after a deliberate pause. "This is Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn. Guys this is Katherine Pryde."

Kitty smiles warmly, biting down that same insecurity about how she looks in comparison. Especially to the redhead. "Please call me Kitty. It's very nice to meet you. Peter has told me like all about you," she says pleasantly...and he has during their many hours of phone conversations. "And oh my gosh. I so like your dresses. You have to tell me where you got them," Kitty gushes praise.

Gwen and MJ are a little surprised at how...normal she sounds. "Uh...yeah. Hi," MJ manages to say back.

Gwen manages a little wave.

Peter injects some of his humour here. "Harry's in a dress? How did I not notice that?"

"Oh ha ha," Harry retorts.

"People who say 'oh ha ha' are ones who can't think of witty comebacks," Peter quips.

"Oh...ha ha," Harry dead-pans.

Kitty giggles almost spilling the drinks she is still holding. Peter grabs them before she does. "Easy there Kitty."

"So...uh...what is it you can do?" Gwen asks.

"Well I like major in all computing languages and can hack my way into the FBI when I'm bored," Kitty jokes...only not really. She hacked her way into the FBI mainframe when she was 12. After that the challenge was over.

Peter sniggers.

"I also do all the websites for the Xavier Institute," she says more seriously. Hey she has a gift. She might as well use it.

"You do? Really?" Gwen asks sceptically.

Kitty nods. "Yep. Someone has to counter that douche Magneto's message and I'm your girl for that job...you know as well as stopping his evil plots, fighting giant robots and saving the world on a semi-regular basis."

"But she's not boasting," Peter points out.

"Oh so totally not. I leave the giant ego quota to Iceman and Sunspot. After them there really isn't any left to spare."

"So what is it you do?" MJ repeats Gwen's question.

"Hmm?" Kitty queries.

"They mean your powers," Peter clarifies, since he figures that is what they are on about.

"Oh right. I can displace my molecules, lowering my density to the point I can phase through solid matter."

"Say what?" Harry asks, having no idea what Kitty just said.

"She can walk through walls," Gwen clarifies.

"Bet Peter wishes he could do that. Make it easier to get out your locker every time Flash stuffs you in there," Harry mentions.

"Thank you for bringing up such lovely memories Harry," Peter says sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. Of course Peter could easily get out or not get put in there at all. He just can't do that without giving away his powers.

Kitty frowns and places a sympathetic hand on Peter's arm. She hates to hear what her boyfriend has to put up with. She also knows what he goes through. She can't go through a day at school without some kind of insult thrown at her.

"So how did you two meet precisely?" MJ asks, because she can't figure it out.

"Uh, h-how did we meet?" Kitty asks back with a nervous stammer not sure what to say without blowing Peter's secret identity. Boy this is actually hard work keeping it all straight Kitty is beginning to realise. "Well that's...uh...a story. Peter?" she asks, turning to him to think of something.

Actually Peter has a prepared response. What he told his friends that day he went to Bayville chasing after the Black Cat. "It was that time I went to Bayville for JJ. Remember?"

"Yeah," Harry says, but only barely.

"I, uh, bumped into Clark Kent, the human boy at the Institute, and we talked and he introduced me to his friends including Kitty."

"And we, uh, stayed in touch ever since," Kitty adds in. That sounds plausible.

"So does that mean you knew about mutants before we did?" Gwen wants to know.

Peter thinks what to say. He could give an answer either way actually.

"No," Kitty says for him, making sure he doesn't have to take any sort of blame. "We had to keep it like a total secret back then. After we came out Peter was very understanding about why we did that."

"Aw shucks. Well you know me. Mr Understanding," Peter jests.

"Just another secret huh Pete," Gwen says, with anger lacing her tone. How many bloody secrets does he have? She knows there is stuff he doesn't tell her, never told her even when they were dating. His odd disappearances, his lame excuses, his complete personality transplant to a jerk and then just as suddenly he is back to normal. Is it any wonder they didn't work out?

"What?" Peter asks, not understanding what Gwen is on about.

"Friends in Bayville that you never mentioned," Gwen clarifies.

Peter shrugs. "It wasn't important."

"Wasn't important?" Gwen almost shrieks. ""Dear God whatever happened to my best friend who told me everything?"

"He grew up," Peter says solemnly. "And learned that sometimes secrets have to be kept."

"Some days Peter I wonder if I ever knew you at all," Gwen accuses before walking off.

Peter grimaces. He hates having to lie to her but it is for the best. He completely believes that.

"I'll get her," Harry says as he chases after her.

"I'll...go find Liz," MJ decides, getting out of this awkward moment as fast as possible.

Peter lets out a painful sounding sigh.

"I'm sorry," Kitty says in a small voice.

"Sorry? For what?" Peter inquires as he looks at her guilt ridden expression.

"For messing it up with your friend."

"What? No. Just...that...has nothing to do with you at all," Peter assures her. "That...was all me. That comes from stuff from months ago." Peter puts the drinks down he was still holding and gently places his hands on Kitty's face and tilts her head to look at him. "I promise you Kitty that nothing of that was your fault and I don't regret us going out. If Gwen or my friends have a problem they will just have to get over it." Peter drops his head and kisses Kitty gently on the lips. "I enjoy your company Kitty and I like going out with you...although Clark did warn me that you'd use me as a pack mule whenever you take me with you to go shopping."

Kitty gasps. "I am so killing him," she swears as she stamps her foot a little.

Peter chuckles. Kitty is so adorable when she's mad.

* * *

Rogue glances out the corner of her eye. Clark was still debating with the Thing only they were off pies and on to more general food topics. Seriously how can anyone talk so much about food is beyond her. She had been playing with the Human Torch, feigning flirty interest in him...and he was so full of himself he couldn't even see she was pretending which is only going to make this all the sweeter when she executes her plan.

For the last 10 minutes at least he had been droning on and on about how wonderful he was, how he took down Dr Doom, how many times he personally, not the Fantastic Four, how he personally saved the world. Rogue has had to stop herself from rolling her eyes in what would be, no doubt, a world record number of eye-rolls.

Rogue is smiling flirtatiously at whatever he is saying. Honestly her Kitty-mode had turned on and she had been tuning this pompous ass out in the same way as she does whenever Kitty's on one of her non-stop babbles. Rogue's hand goes up to her neck and she fingers at the scarf she is wearing. "It's a little warm ain't it...but then again that could just beh from being in your presence," she says, going as far as to batting her eyelids slightly. "Is this an effect ya have often on women?"

_'Hell yeah,' _is what Johnny Storm thinks. He doesn't say it because women need to know they're special. "Only on the special ones," he says with a charming grin.

Rogue fakes a small laugh and fingers at her scarf a little more. "Think ya could help a lady cool off?"

"Well my speciality is warming things up but for you I can try," Johnny says as his hand goes up to the scarf to gently pull it away.

Rogue 'accidentally' nudges his arm. "Oops," she fakes as his bare hand touched the bare skin on her neck.

Johnny lets out a cry of shock as he feels all his strength leave him. Rogue had been careful not to overdo it but this should still be good. Johnny sways on his feet, struggling to remain conscious. Rogue gently pokes him with her finger in his chest and down he goes, backward, right through the buffet table whose contents fall atop of him covering him in all sorts.

Rogue turns to look at the Thing. She raises her hand. "Uh Mr Grimm. Ah think your friend just fainted," she feigns complete innocence. She sees Clark raise an eyebrow showing he isn't buying it. He points at his ears. Dang superhearing.

Ben walks his heavy steps over to where Johnny lies...and bursts into a fit of laughter at Johnny's appearance with a trifle bowl on his head. "That's a good look for ya Matchstick."

"Hnn," is Johnny not so eloquent reply.

By now people are gathering and taking pictures on their phones. Ben sighs and picks Johnny up. He has to hold the kid steady on wobbly feet. "What's the matter with ya kid?" Ben asks Johnny. "Ya sick?"

"Pft. I'm no sick," Johnny slurs his words. "Hey Ben did I ever tell ya how much I love ya."

"Oh boy. What have ya been drinking?" Ben asks because no way would Johnny ever say that to him.

"Johnny!" an irate sounding voice cries. The commotion has caught the attention of Johnny's sister who storms over.

Johnny waves in a manner that resembles a drunken one. "Hey sis, sister of mine, sis," he slurs.

"Oh my God!" Susan proclaims horrified at his appearance. They hadn't been here an hour and look at him already. "I just can't take you anywhere!" she says, mortified at being embarrassed by Johnny's antics...again!

"Suzie I've been tellin' ya that one for months," Ben says.

"Ben...can you take him to the restroom and see what you can do to clean him up?" Susan asks.

"Sure Suzie," Ben agrees because he would do anything for her if she asked. "Come on Flame-brain," he says to Johnny as he virtually carries him. Johnny meanwhile starts singing and Ben wishes he was somewhere else.

Rogue's chest is heaving with suppressed laughter. Someone coughs next to her. "Oh hey Clark. Have a nice chat with the Thing?"

"Oh yes. Lovely. Now care to tell me what that was about?"

Rogue shrugs. "A gal can't have a little fun. Why? Ya jealous of his flirting with meh?"

"No...not really."

Rogue arches an eyebrow at his need to say it twice.

Clark cracks. "Maybe a little. I mean look at him. Big famous hero and I'm..."

"Tha man ah love," Rogue says, giving him a kiss to prove it. "Trust meh Clark ya have nothing ta beh jealous about. Ah'm almost regretting absorbing his mind though. Tha ego would put your alter ego Kal ta shame."

"That big?" Clark asks with some surprise.

"Tha words God's gift ta women are quite prominent in his head," Rogue reports.

"Do...do you have his powers?"

"Yeah but ah would rather not demonstrate. They tend to destroy whatever clothes he wears."

"And this would be a problem in your case how?" Clark asks, with a cheeky grin and a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.

Rogue slaps him playfully and rolls her eyes but with that secret smile that shows how much she loves him.

* * *

Scott continues to look between Jean and Emma as they glare at each other. He wonders if they're having some kind of psychic slanging match or something. This is so not good. They never got on when Emma was at the Institute. They spent more time trading insults and put downs than Scott thinks they ever had having a civil conversation...although civil would be stretching the definition.

He gets a break when the commotion caused by Johnny Storm collapsing through the buffet table draws the attention of all 3 of them.

Emma rolls her eyes and makes a sound of displeasure. "The riff-raff they allow in these days," she says disparagingly.

Jean is almost certain that one was actually aimed at her by the fact Emma is looking at her with a cold smirk. Her hands clench into fists. God what she would give to wipe that smug look off Emma's surgically altered face.

"So," Scott starts to say looking for a way out. "What have you been up to Emma?" he asks.

Emma turns her head graciously to look at him and a small smile plays on her lips. "Well perhaps you and I could discuss that over dinner sometime?" she proposes.

"Ha! That'll be the day," Jean scoffs.

"I believe I was asking Scott, Jean darling, not you...unless of course that is how your relationship works. Hmm? Does Scott need to run by you every decision he makes?"

"Of course he doesn't," Jean fires back.

"Can't he meet an old friend for dinner and some catching up?"

"You don't count as an old friend."

"You're right," Emma says in surprise agreement. "We were closer than that weren't we Scott?" she drops that in slyly.

Scott scratches the back of his head nervously. "Uh...well...it was only a couple of dates Emma," he clumsily trips over his words.

"Dates!" Jean yells in complete shock. "You dated her?" she asks Scott, pointing at Emma, a look of complete disbelief on her face.

"Scott, you never told her? My, my, you must have decided that it would be our special little secret. I'm touched," Emma says, taking pure delight in implying something that will rattle Jean. Sure she's twisting it but that's half the fun.

_'How did I not know this?' _Jean asks herself. She was there but she never...how did Scott and Emma do it without her noticing? _'What other secrets is Scott hiding from me?'_ she can't help but wonder. "Excuse me. I need to use the ladies room," she says, needing to get away and gather her thoughts.

"Jean," Scott says and starts to go after her only for Emma to grip his arm and stop him.

"Sometimes we ladies need some privacy Scott, darling. Now how about I answer your question about what I've been up to hmm?"

"Well...alright," Scott supposes. Maybe he should let Jean go cool off. He could sense how aggravated she was through their link.

Emma smiles inwardly at herself. And so the undermining of trust begins. She clears her throat and starts telling Scott only what she wants him to hear.

* * *

Evan bites into...uh who knows what. Luckily there are lots of tables with food and not just the one that was trashed. Although that was funny. Domino was still chasing after celebs...and as a supermodel walks by Evan can see why.

He wonders if he can get her phone number...

* * *

Martha blinks...three times. She hadn't laid eyes on Sebastian Shaw since she called off their engagement. That was close to 2 decades ago.

Sebastian takes Martha's hand and kisses the back of it in a polite gesture. "I'm glad you remember me," he says in silky tones.

Martha finds her voice. "You're a little hard to forget Sebastian."

"I hope in a good way."

Maybe Martha shouldn't answer that. She left because, Sebastian, along with most of the people in her father's world were shallow, greedy, selfish twits...in her opinion. She remembered him, yes, because they were engaged, but more because she eventually came to see him as an emblem of everything she had come to dislike about her father and herself. That's why she left. She had to get away before she ended up just like all those people.

Loud coughing intervenes. Jonathan.

"Sebastian, this is Jonathan Kent, my husband," Martha introduces him. "Jonathan this is Sebastian Shaw."

Jonathan offer his hand out of politeness. "Mr Shaw. Martha told me all about you."

"All good I hope," Sebastian says back as he takes the offered hand, out of expected politeness. Not because he thought much of the man. As he had found out by checking up on Martha she had married far beneath herself in the form of a farmer. He never really understood why she called off their wedding and left. Oh she wrote him a letter detailing her reasons but he never understood what she meant and to go on and marry so far below her station makes no sense to Sebastian. Perhaps one day he'll get an answer from her but this is not the correct forum for that. Although rest assured, now he is back in her life, that day and that forum is coming.

"Martha never has a bad word to say about anyone. It's one of her best qualities," Jonathan heaps praise on his wife and it's mostly true. She has talked about Sebastian to him and while he may not be the best man Martha never really criticised him that strongly. More he is simply a product of a society elite that Jonathan never cared for.

Martha is impressed at Jonathan self-restraint so far...although they have been shaking hand an awful long time. Oh good grief. They are trying to squeeze each other's hand in some stupid contest. Martha subtly elbows Jonathan and he breaks it.

"How's Shinobi?" Martha asks after Sebastian's son. A son he fathered with a woman before she met him. He had only been little more than a baby last time she saw Shinobi.

Shaw hides the disappointment he has in his son and gives the rather bland answer of, "Fine."

"He must be what, 21, 22 by now?"

"22," Sebastian confirms his son's age.

"Following in your footsteps?" she asks, because Sebastian owned Shaw International and surely Shinobi would be following Sebastian into running that.

"Trying," Shaw says through a thin smile. Trying and failing. Shinobi would rather party than do real work. "And yourself Martha? I hear you have a son," he says, turning the topic around and off his failure of a son.

"Yes. Clark," Martha says with total pride in her son. "He's 17. Wants to be a reporter. You know exposing the truth, seeing justice is done."

Shaw laughs politely to humour her. "Noble ideals indeed."

"Right," Jonathan mutters. He had been silent for the most part but from what he knows of this man he doubts Shaw is a big believer in noble ideals.

Then there is the commotion caused by Johnny Storm going through the table.

"Tsk. Tsk," Shaw says disapprovingly at the scene. "Stark really must screen his guests more thoroughly."

"On that I agree," Jonathan says, only he is aiming that comment at Shaw.

Shaw leaves that irrelevance and turns back to Martha. "So I saw you on the news Martha at Congress. Most courageous of you to stand up for mutant rights."

"It was simply doing the right thing," Martha insists.

"I'm curious how you ended up at Xavier's school. I mean I saw what you said to Congress but it's not the same as hearing it from the source."

Martha eyes Sebastian carefully. She may be rusty at these sort of gatherings but it feels like he is fishing for something. Martha simply gives the same answer she has given before about meeting the Professor, losing the farm and being invited to the Institute. She's said it so often now she can do it in her sleep.

It does not escape Sebastian how well practised the reply is. There is more than what she is saying. He'll have to remember to find out what it is. "It was most generous of you to dedicate yourself to the children," he compliments her, choosing that to be his response for the minute.

"Helping those children has been it's own reward," Martha says.

"Of cour..."

"Now what are all these people doing here?" a very loud voice breaks into every conversation.

All heads turn to see a well dressed man with short black hair and a well trimmed beard. The man of the moment, Tony Stark, has arrived.

Pepper, next to him, rubs the throbbing vein on her forehead. "It's your annual Halloween dinner Tony. You know where people come and speak. It happens every year...oh that's right. Normally you don't turn up!" she snaps.

"Well I turned up this year didn't I," Tony says, with that easy smile of his...that makes Pepper want to kill him.

"Rhodey," Pepper addresses the african-american man standing next to Tony. James Rupert 'Rhodey' Rhodes, formerly of the air-force and now head of Stark Industries security, including Tony's personal security.

"Yes Pepper," Rhodey says.

"In about 10 seconds you'll be needing to protect Tony from a grievous threat."

"And what threat would that be?"

"Me!"

Rhodey chuckles.

Tony pouts. "Aw Pepper. You love me really."

"The only person who loves you is your ego," Pepper fires off.

Tony grins, unabashed by the comment as he makes his way into the crowd, whose attention is now riveted to him...as normal for whenever Tony enters a room. Now that he was here the party could really get started.

* * *

_Author's Note: In the Ultimate verse Liz was mutant-phobic and I'd thought I would make her the same here. So Fantastic Four cameo; check. Ant-Man and Wasp; check. Tony Stark; check. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Amanda's parents meet the real Kurt and Tony Stark gets a surprise guest show up at his party._


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

**At the Institute...**

Ororo had to say that so far tonight had been relatively peaceful. The students weren't causing too much trouble...except for her having to separate Bobby and Roberto over an argument they were having about Cat Grant. Honestly Ororo had no comprehension what the girl was playing at dating the two boys at the same time...unless her aim is to sow discord. In which case she's doing a good job.

The only other irritant was Logan who still was avoiding her. True she hadn't gone out of her way up to this point to seek him out but that was exactly the reason she volunteered to stay and now he still avoids her even when it is just the two of them to care for the students.

The man was infuriating!

Right now she couldn't tell you where he was.

* * *

Logan was outside working in his bike. He figured if there was a crisis his enhanced hearing would manage to pick up on it. Otherwise he'll stay here away from Ro. He had been not looking forward to this night for days.

Seriously why couldn't Ro just say it was a one time thing and let them move on. That's all Logan wanted to do but hell no. She couldn't do that and there had been plenty of times she could have. It wouldn't take 10 seconds by his reckoning.

The woman was close to pissing him off.

Now it had dragged on so long Logan just knows she'll want to talk and 'share'. That's what women have to do. That's why he's avoiding her. He doesn't like sharing. Thanks to her he was caught in a bind. He wanted them to move on yet he didn't want the stupid long talk about his feelings.

God he needs a beer just thinking about it!

* * *

**At the Sefton Residence...**

Amanda and Kurt had to say dinner had gone amazingly well and now they were simply helping Mrs Sefton with the dishes.

"Zhat vas a delicious dinner Mrs Sefton," Kurt praises the older woman as he hands a plate over from the sink to her to dry. His holowatch had held up so far tonight although it did keep glitching occasionally. Luckily neither of Amanda's parents had noticed.

"Well it was so sweet of you to offer to do the dishes," Mrs Sefton says back, pleasantly surprised by now nice Kurt had been all evening. Many of her worries about Amanda dating a mutant had been lessened.

"Oh Kurt is very considerate," Amanda adds. "And he gets good grades too. And he has the nicest friends," she also says, trying too hard if anything to paint Kurt in a rosy picture.

"Yes but that leaves one issue doesn't it Amanda?" Mr Sefton reminds her as he stands at the doorway.

"Vhat issue?" Kurt asks, now very worried.

"Your powers Kurt. I know you agreed not to use them but we want to know what it is you can do in case it is a danger to Amanda," Mr Sefton says with a stern gaze.

"Daddy!" Amanda protests. "I told you Kurt isn't a danger to anyone."

George arches an eyebrow. "I'll be the judge of that," he lays down his view.

"Let us finish the dishes first," Margali tells her husband.

"That's fine. I have nowhere else to be."

Kurt groans. Oh God he is so dead.

After the dishes are done they all gather in the lounge. Mr and Mrs Sefton sit down next to each other while Amanda stands next to Kurt.

"Kurt why don't you tell us what it is you do precisely?" Mr Sefton asks.

"I, uh, teleport."

"Teleport?" Margali asks, clearly confused.

"Show them Kurt," Amanda says, a smile playing on her lips because she thinks it's amazing what Kurt does.

"Ok," Kurt agrees and he ports.

**Bamf!**

Kurt vanishes in his puff of blue smoke and reappears on the opposite of the room before he returns to Amanda's side.

Both of Amanda's parents are wide-eyed. "My, that was something," Margali says.

"I know right!" Amanda enthuses greatly. "Kurt actually passes through another dimension."

Both Seftons look at him. "Another dimension?" George asks.

Kurt nods. "Ja. I don't understand zhe science behind it but I open a doorvay in space-time, enter a parallel dimension for a few moments, before exiting somevhere else in zhis dimension."

"Is that safe?" the over-protective father in George wants to know, especially if Amanda has been teleporting around with the boy.

Kurt remembers the lizard creatures and the poisonous atmosphere for a moment. "I, uh, only spend a moment in zhe ozher dimension. In fact it is so quick I didn't know I vas doing it until a friend ran a few tests on me to understand mein powers. To me and anyvone travelling vith me zhey are not even aware of travelling through zhis ozher place. One moment you're here and zhe next thing you know you simply appear somevhere else."

"And he's been doing this for years without incident, right Kurt?" Amanda tries to make the point to her parents.

"More or less," Kurt qualifies it.

"What does that mean?" George demands to know.

"Vell I have to know vhere I am going. Either I must see it or know it by heart. If I don't zhere is a risk I might reappear inside a solid vall or somezhing."

"But you never do that," Amanda says.

"I try to avoid it...and I have limited range. A few miles at most and even zhat exhausts me."

"Teleporting puts a lot of strain on his body and burns up a lot of energy. You should see how much he eats," Amanda teases.

"Mandi," Kurt lightly protests.

"Is that everything?" Margali asks.

"Well..." Amanda starts to say.

"Well what?" George asks with a stern expression.

Amanda takes Kurt's hand into hers. She looks into his face and sees the worry. Amanda chooses to be the one to say it. "Kurt...was born different. Physically different. What you're seeing now is a hologram so he can go anywhere and not be afraid."

"Afraid?" Margali asks.

"I've been hunted, chased, called terrible names because I don't look remotely like vhat ozher people vould call normal," Kurt says and you can hear the hurt in his voice.

Amanda wants to pull him into her arms and comfort him. When telling her this he has even cried a couple of times. She can see how much it hurts him to be rejected.

"Will someone explain?" George impatiently asks. "If Kurt doesn't look like this what does he look like?"

"And why the deception?" Margali asks.

"It wasn't a deception!" Amanda instantly rejects that description. "I wanted you to get to know him as a person first."

"Amanda vas zhe vone who vanted you to know," Kurt defends his girlfriend. "She did not like concealing zhe truth from you."

"What truth?" George asks, getting slightly exasperated.

Kurt takes a breath and clicks the switch on his holowatch. It fizzles away to reveal his true fuzzy blue self.

The 2 elder Seftons gasp in shock. At their reaction the pain instantly comes to Kurt's face. No matter how many times he does this the initial reaction always hurts.

Now that the Seftons are seeing him they recognise Kurt easily from the tv but it was still completely different to see him up close.

"You're dating...this?" George asks her daughter, almost incredulous.

Amanda's face darkens like thunder. "I'm dating HIM! Not this! HIM!" she angrily responds to her father.

"Amanda don't raise your voice," Margali tells her daughter off.

"I bloody will raise my voice unless he treats Kurt with more respect than that! I didn't have to do this you know. I thought it important to be honest with you but if this is the reaction I get I'm sorry I didn't lie to you!"

"Amanda!" George raises his voice.

"I'm not retracting a word until you apologise to Kurt!"

Kurt stands there, caught, unable to move, uncertain what to do.

"I will do no such thing young lady," George tells his daughter.

"Why? Because Kurt's blue? Because he has a tail? Because he doesn't have 10 fingers and toes? Wow dad I didn't know we were the type of people that judged on appearance. Strange how that type of person drove us out of our last home. You should have fitted right in!"

"Amanda. Enough!" Margali commands her daughter. They had essentially been driven from New York by racist gangs. Therefore Margali can't believe what her daughter is saying about George.

"Give me one reason why?" Amanda demands.

"Because that's not how it is," Margali tries to make her daughter understand. "You have to see it is a shock."

"That doesn't justify calling Kurt a this! Kurt is the sweetest, kindest, most gentle and thoughtful boy I've ever met. He treats me nicer than any other boyfriend I've ever had and despite how he is treated for how he looks he still finds a way to enjoy life...and...and...and I love him!" it just comes out from her lips.

Amanda needs a moment to catch her breath. That was a bit of a rant.

Her parents are just shocked. They had never heard Amanda speak so forcefully like that. She was normally so shy and quiet.

Kurt looks at her wide-eyed in complete surprise at her confession of love. "Y-you do?" he asks in a trembling voice.

Amanda turns her head to look at him. "I, uh, this wasn't how I was planning to say it but..." she takes a moment to fortify her resolve, "yes Kurt. I love you."

Kurt's tail wraps around Amanda's waist. "Ich liebe dich auch Mandi," he murmurs softly to her. I love you too.

George and Margali are rendered into stunned silence. This could just be one revelation too many.

Margali eventually decides a grip of this situation must be made. "Amanda. Kurt. George and I need to discuss this...alone so Kurt I must ask you to leave."

"But mom!" Amanda protests.

Kurt is the one to placate her with his hand on her arm. "It's alright Liebe. Your parents are correct in needing to talk."

"Are...will you be ok?" Amanda asks out of concern for him.

"Ja. I vill be fine," he assures her.

Amanda kisses him, deliberately so her parents can see. "I'll talk to you soon. I promise."

Kurt smiles before he turns to her parents. "Mr Sefton. Mrs Sefton. Zhank you for zhe lovely meal. I hope ve can see each ozher again soon," he politely says his farewells before vanishing in his puff of blue smoke.

Amanda looks to her parents. "Let me guess. 'Amanda go to your room!'. That close?" she says a little snidely but she is beyond angry at her father especially.

"Amanda there is no need for that attitude," her father tells her. "It isn't helping."

"And yours is?" she asks back.

Margali can feel an enormous migraine approaching. "Amanda, please," she requests. "Let your father and I talk this out and then we'll talk, all 3 of us, about where we go. That sound fair to you?"

"I guess," Amanda supposes. With that she heads up to her room to leave her parents to talk it out but they have to let her keep seeing Kurt. She loves him. She can't bear the idea of not seeing him. Her parents have to see him as she does. They have to.

* * *

**Stark Tower, New York...**

The initial gathering was over and they had moved onto the speeches. Tony Stark had already been up and had the audience in stitches as he began the function. Pepper had been correct in saying Tony hadn't been to one of these in a long time. He doesn't know why not. It was enjoyable and the women in attendance was stunning. Even the teenagers from the Xavier place were pretty stunning. The redhead was supermodel material already...although she and her boyfriend seemed to be having issues. Tony could practically feel the tension between them. His guess is that they had a fight.

The one with the Goth make-up was already a looker under all that and would certainly be a stunning woman in a few years and her boyfriend practically worshipped her. His eyes would barely leave her even when greeting Tony himself. Tony got the impression that the boy was a reporter in training. Tony knows reporters and the boy acted like one. In fact Tony had to say he was quite good at it. In a few years he would be giving people like Tony nightmares with his laid back style that hid a sharp, probing mind.

There was the cute one in the pink dress and cute summed her up. Not the most physically stunning Tony had ever seen but she was bright. Tony would give her that much. He was actually amused by her quick fire questions about his armour. He may have to give her a job one day. He was certain she was already smarter than half the people who worked for him and her photographer boyfriend was at least as smart as she was as he asked questions too. Tony was good at reading people and he could tell though that what they had was new and in the early exploratory stages. They looked a cute couple.

Tony chuckles to himself at Emma Frost's reaction when he pretended he couldn't remember meeting her before and asked if she was the blond who left her erotic underwear down the back of his couch. Who did leave that underwear Tony truthfully can't remember. He is certain she was blond...or was she a brunette?...or a redhead? Anyway Emma had given him a glare in response he is pretty certain could cut through steel.

Tony has to have another chuckle at his not so subtle flirting with Susan Storm just to see if he could get a reaction out of Reed. Although if he thought he actually had a shot with her he would take it but she was painfully in love with Reed even if Reed was sometimes oblivious to her.

Tony had to say he was having fun...or he was until Pepper whispered in his ear about a surprise, uninvited guest. Tony sighs. He should have known that man would be back...oh wait. He did know because he's a genius.

Tony makes a joky excuse about his reasons for leaving that sounds shallow and right in keeping with his persona as he heads up to his office.

Watching Tony Stark go is Domino who has a furrowed brow. Why? Because she saw who the uninvited guest is as he arrived. She jokes a lot so people tend to forget she was being trained by Stryker for a purpose. Essentially to be an assassin but you'd be surprised how much that entails. It was quite broad. Stretched into spying and she just has a feeling she needs to find a way to eavesdrop on this little impromptu meeting Stark is having.

* * *

Tony reaches his office and walks round his desk and plants himself down in his chair. "I don't remember him on the guest list Pepper," he complains.

Pepper, who had accompanied Tony up, shrugs. "He's Nick Fury. What was I suppose to do?"

Tony smiles at her response and turns his attention to the grey haired man in the bomber type jacket and the eye-patch standing on the opposite side of his desk. "Let me guess. SHIELD needs my genius to solve the latest problem you've gotten way in over your head with."

"Is there a day you are ever serious Stark?" Fury asks, not amused by the attitude.

"Huh. Pepper is there a day in my schedule for being serious?" Tony inquires.

Pepper looks through his schedule on the pad in her hand. "Uh maybe in a month or two there might be a window."

Tony looks up at Fury. "Well there we go then."

"You two should take that act on the road," Fury dead-pans.

"You hear that Pepper. Fury thinks we should go on a tour."

"I want a raise then."

"I'll think about it."

"You really going to make me say it Stark?" Fury asks, assuming Stark knows why he is here.

Tony stops playing a little. "I thought I didn't meet your detailed physiological assessment to join your little team. What was it they said about me again? Compulsive behaviour? Self-destructive tendencies? Narcissistic? Doesn't play well with others?"

Fury just looks at the man.

"Ok so that last one was me," Tony admits adding it.

"Your problem Stark is you think no-one can touch you. That no-one is anywhere near your precious Iron Man armour. You really need to watch the news more often...oh wait you only watch it when it is about you."

"You got a point Fury?"

Fury reaches into his pocket and then throws Tony a memory stick. "Here. Play the video on that."

Tony plugs it into his computer and brings up the video on it.

"That was 5 months ago. The X-Men battling the Juggernaut," Fury explains what it is. In his head he is counting off the time. "Right about now...oh look what's that. That seems to be a man in a suit of armour doesn't it."

What it is is Lionel Luthor's appearance at the fight at the dam.

Tony frowns.

"Now don't blame yourself for missing it Stark. You were locked up in a cave when it happened but my point is you think you alone control that sort of technology, you don't." Fury takes the pick from between his teeth and points at the computer. "You'll find the schematics of that suit on there. We took them when we were cleaning up Luthorcorp."

Tony brings them up and his eyes flick through them.

"The technology exists and here's a truth, Stark, you won't like, someone beat you to it."

"Hardly," Tony says dryly. "Let us see what we have here. Powered by an unstable extraterrestrial element. A neural interface that causes psychosis. Yeah that's a real winning combination there," he says with his charming sarcasm.

"I never said it wasn't without flaws," Fury rebuts that. "My point Stark is, if you look throughout history, once one person makes a breakthrough it is only a matter of time before others do the same. You think you can keep all this bottled up where it can't harm anyone but that boat has sailed. The genie has been let out of the bottle."

"I didn't know you were such a big fan of clichéd metaphors."

"You may not be my number one choice for joining the Avengers," Fury admits and the psychological assessment backs this up. "But when my only other option is Lionel Luthor you look pretty good in comparison."

"Was that a compliment?" Tony asks. He turns to Pepper. "Help me out here Pepper. Was saying I'm a better choice than Lionel Luthor, who lets face it, wasn't the most stable man to begin with, was that a compliment?"

"You don't pay me to give opinions Mr Stark," Pepper says.

"Nice deflection," Tony praises her with a grin.

"Stark I don't need to list you the reasons why I could use you on the Avengers. I'm sure you have a list of at least 20 reasons drawn up in your head."

"30 actually," Tony corrects Fury.

"However many it is, what is important is the reasons you can't think of. The world is changing and so are the threats and you're going to learn sooner or later that you can't do this alone."

"Wow. It almost sounds like you care," Tony sounds surprised.

"I care about keeping the world from falling apart. If I can use you to accomplish that I will."

"Uh huh. Did you try that line on that guy claiming to be the Norse God of Thunder?" Tony wonders.

"How did..." Fury was about to ask how Stark knew he had approached this so called Thor but the smug grin on Tony's face stops him.

"He rejected you didn't he and then he took down an entire SHIELD squad without breaking sweat," Tony reiterates what happened. "In fact I don't even think he was trying from the footage I saw." Tony leans back in his chair and folds his arms. "So tell me what do you think he really is?"

"I honestly don't care but his powers are very real. That's what I do care about."

"But come on you got near enough to have done a scan or two. True your sensors aren't as good as mine...unless I sold them to you. Did we sell those to SHIELD Pepper?"

Fury saves Pepper answering. "Our scans couldn't make head nor tails of him. Whatever power he wields can't be recognised. For now I'm letting him be."

"Only because he kicked your ass and you don't know what to do with him," Tony teases.

Fury's good eye narrows. Stark's right of course. Whatever this Thor is for the minute SHIELD can't handle him but that is the point of forming the Avengers in the first place. "I'll let you get back to your party but think it over Stark...and oh you can keep the schematics."

With that Fury disappears into the shadows of the room and no doubt leaves in that stealthy spy manner.

Pepper moves round behind the desk next to Tony. "What are you going to do?" she asks him.

"Well I was thinking a few scotches and then you and I can go to my private island in the Caribbean and work on our tans," Tony says with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.

Pepper playfully slaps him. "Seriously Tony."

"Seriously?"

"Yes," she asks him to be for once.

Tony's expression sobers. "Seriously Pepper for once I don't know...which is weird. Let me tell you. I'm not use to not knowing something." Tony stands up and goes to look out his window at New York's skyline. "This...all of this was about stopping people getting hurt by my weapons," he says genuinely. "Now I've got everyone trying to mimic me. Hammer...Fury."

"Fury?" Pepper queries. She knows Justin Hammer has been trying to copy the Iron Man armour but Fury?

Tony nods his head at the computer. "What Fury left me. It was a message. He plans to build his own armour based off of Luthor's deeply flawed designs. He's leaving me a challenge. Join these Avengers of his and do something about that or don't and he'll build his armour anyway."

"Maybe this is the next step," Pepper suggests. "You do want to change the world Tony but even you can't do it by yourself," she points out.

"You actually want me to join SHIELD?"

"As you said Fury's going to build his own armour. I think you can do a lot more from inside than you can from without to influence things, cause mischief...you know be your usual charming self."

One corner of Tony's lip curve up into a lopsided grin. "Did I ever tell you Pepper that I'd be lost without you?"

"That's stating the obvious."

"How long until the speeches are over?"

Pepper checks her watch. "Another hour I would say."

"I'm going to read over those schematics and then I'll be back down before they're finished."

"You promise?"

"Pepper have I ever let you down?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Tony chuckles. "Trust me Ms Potts."

"Whatever you say Mr Stark," Pepper says back and starts to leave, sensing Tony wants to be alone. She stops at the door. "What about Fury?"

"Let him stew. He needs me more than I need him. He just doesn't want to say it. I'll give him an answer when I feel like it."

Pepper leaves and Tony sits himself back down and reads over the schematics in more detail. He hates to admit it but some of it is genius. It is also deeply flawed. The neural interface alone is so inferior to what he invented he is frankly insulted...and this meteor rock they are using for power...that's insanely unstable. Who in their right mind would use it. Well ok from what he knows Lionel Luthor isn't stable so that probably answers that.

Well if they added a mechanism to take account and correct the instability Tony supposes you could make it work but that would take a genius to invent it. Luckily he's around.

Tony leans back in his chair and looks up at his ceiling as his mind works through his options. Then he gets up and heads for his drinks' cabinet. Thinking makes him thirsty. He pours himself a large scotch and throws it back and then pours himself another. He turns round to go back to his desk...and finds a woman lying upon it face down, facing him, her chin resting in her hands, in a pose that allows Tony to get a nice view down her dress. A woman with bluish-white skin and a dark spot around her left eye.

She smiles flirtatiously. "Hi. So I got this invite to the party and I wondered if it was possible to make it a _personal _one."

The meaning is all too clear. Going to be one of _those _nights Tony can see.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

Outside the tower, hovering on a glider a distance away, stands a figure in green and purple. Below him on a rooftop are 5 'helpers' for this evening's activities. Anticipation gleams through the yellow lenses of the mask he is wearing. He starts singing a little ditty. "One, two, the Green Goblin is coming for you. Three, Four, he's going to blow up your door. Five, Six, you better prepare to sail down the River Styx. Seven, Eight, run but it'll be far too late. Nine, ten, the Green Goblin will laugh again."

The Green Goblin throws his head back and throws out his insane, cackling laugh, that soon everyone at the party will hear close up and personal. "HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

* * *

_Author's Note: And so the recruiting for the Avengers continues...and hey a Thor mention. New addition to the check-list, Green Goblin and 5 mysterious helpers; check. Well it isn't a party without an insane villain or 6 crashing it now is it? Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the 6 villains attack._


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

**Stark Tower, New York...**

The Professor is just coming to the end of his speech. He liked to think it was well received and that this night had gone quite well and that it would lead to some positive press for mutants in the media. There had been a couple of surprises...like seeing Emma Frost again. That...Charles hated how that ended when Emma walked out. 4 years plus and counting since she left and hasn't been back or spoken to him in that time. So far tonight that hadn't changed. Charles had also seen that Emma had had her usual effect on Jean who was close to popping a blood vessel. Jean also seemed to have had a fight with Scott because she had been ignoring him. Well the night would soon be over.

In the audience Kitty is leaning into Peter, resting her head on his shoulder as they sit listening to the Professor. He has his arm around her waist. She likes this...this coziness. Suddenly she feels Peter tense under her. "What?" she asks in a whisper.

"Spider-sense," he whispers back.

Peter had told Kitty about his ability to sense danger. "Do you know where?" she asks him as in where the danger is.

"No. I..."

There is an explosion as the door to the hall is blown open, followed by a loud cackling laugh as a figure flying on some sort of glider appears through the smoke and dust.

Kitty gasps at the grotesque appearance of the figure in green and purple.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Hello kiddies! Trick or treat!" he greets them with a wide insane grin on his green face.

"Flame on!" a voice shouts in the crowd as the Human Torch, alight, rises into the sky. "You picked the wrong party pal," Johnny says. He had recovered from whatever happened to him earlier although the embarrassment he'll be stuck with for life.

"Did I now?" the figure on the glider asks in amused tones and a twisted grin on his face.

Johnny forms a ball of fire in his hand, pulls it back...and gets hit by a huge surge of water like it is being fired from a hose as he falls from the air, through a table and is still getting drenched.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! You really didn't think I came alone did you?" the figure on the glider laughs.

Everyone looks to the destroyed doors where 5 others stand. The first thing that draws their attention is the well built blond young man whose arm is transformed into water as he drenches the Human Torch.

"Morrie!" MJ gasps in terror at seeing him again. She never ever wanted to see him again. Not after last time.

"Hydro-Man!" Peter exclaims.

"You know him?" Kitty asks Peter.

Peter rubs his face. "Unfortunately," he says morosely as he remembers their last fight and how much he hurt after it. "He's Hydro-Man aka Morris 'Morrie' Bench. After being exposed to some weird chemicals while out at sea with the navy he was given the ability to turn himself into water," Peter explains who this guy is to Kitty. What he isn't saying is that besides all that Hydro-Man also happens to have an unhealthy obsession with his ex-girlfriend; Mary Jane Watson. She had a thing for older guys at the time.

A figure in purple and black armour floats up next to the figure on the glider.

"Wizard," Reed recognises his foe.

"Richards," Wizard returns the greeting with a sneer. His real name is Bentley Wittman. A genius inventor who use to cater to the rich and powerful until he got bored and decided becoming a supervillian would be much more fun. At which point he invented the armour he is wearing and started calling himself the Wizard. When the Fantastic Four appeared he just had to defeat them so he formed his own group; the Frightful Four. He didn't succeed but he managed to escape to fight another day. This is that day. "You really didn't think you'd seen the last of me did you?" Wizard asks Mr Fantastic.

"Actually I was hoping," Reed admits although logically he doubted it.

"As you can see I have made new alliances," Wizard says, holding his arm out in the direction of his allies.

Reed can recognise a couple of the 3 remaining villains. They were 2 of the Frightful Four they met previously. Ben had kinda broken the android Dragon Man during the last fight. There was a tall Amazonian woman...and when Reed says tall he means over 7 foot. She has long red hair, with a golden headpiece holding it back, green eyes and is dressed in a two piece red and gold costume. Red vest top with gold trimming that covers her right arm but leaves her left arm bare as it does her midriff. Red pants with a gold lighting pattern running down the sides and gold coloured boots. She wears protective metal bracelets on her wrists. Wrapped around her right wrist is her weapon of preference; a chain with a ball on the end. She is called Thundra and claims to come from a 23rd century where the United States is ruled by a matriarchal society of Amazon-like warrior women who are all engineered to possess immense strength and durability and despite her size she is incredibly agile and fast. Thundra is a great warrior. Even if Reed was sceptical about the whole alternate future timeline aspect of her claims she fought like no-one he had ever seen. She all but defeated the Thing during the last encounter which, for anyone who knows what Ben is capable of, is no mean feat.

Then there was the other villain Reed met previously; the Trapster aka Paste-Pot Pete aka Peter Petruski. He was a bald man dressed in a black toughened vest and brown trousers. There was a tank on his back with two hoses with nozzles at the end which were used to fire a special kind of glue he invented that once set is all but indestructible and uses it to stick his foes solid.

The last member of these 6 villains was one both Peter and Clark recognised. A huge man in a grey animal themed suit.

"Rhino?" Clark queries with a puzzled brow.

"Ah thought he was in jail," Rogue whispers to Clark.

"So did I," Clark whispers back, hence the puzzled brow.

"Well now I think it's time we really made this a party," the figure on the glider cackles.

"And who are you exactly?" Scott asks, his voice stern, his body tense, primed for action.

"Oh how rude of me," he says, almost apologising for his lack of manners in not introducing himself. "You may call me the Green Goblin...and oh, here's my card!" he yells as he produces a pumpkin shaped object from behind his back and throws it. It explodes in mid-air releasing some kind of green gas, making everyone choke and their eyes water apart from the villains who had been given an antidote to the gas beforehand.

The Wizard wastes no time in releasing a purple energy discharge from his power gauntlets(his own invention too just to boast) striking Mr Fantastic. Reed cries out in pain as the energy crackles over his whole form and he slumps to the ground, a flat rubbery mass.

Thundra releases a warrior's cry as she runs and leaps at the Thing. "Time for your ultimate defeat Benjamin Grimm!" she vows.

"Oh boy," Ben grimaces at the memory of his last fight with Thundra as the large, powerful woman ploughs into him knocking him down.

The Green Goblin releases more of his little gas bombs, all the time laughing in merriment at the chaos around him.

"Kitty," Peter coughs.

Kitty coughs a little too. "Go," she tells him. "I'll cover for you."

Peter smiles a little and kisses her gratefully on the cheek. It was nice having a girlfriend who knew what he had to do now. He dashes off through the crowd and gas to find a shady spot to change.

"Of all the days not to bring the costume," Clark mutters, through his coughs, in complaint at himself but forgive him if he never expected all this.

"Go sugah," Rogue tells him through her own coughing.

Clark smiles and gives her a quick kiss. "I'll be 5 minutes," he promises before he dashes off into the green smoke and vanishes from view. A few moments later a black and white streak can be seen exiting the building at supersonic speed.

"Scott!" Jean shouts through a cough.

"Jean can you reach the others?" Scott asks her, coughing himself.

Jean nods, knowing he means reach them telepathically.

"Tell Kitty and Rogue to concentrate on getting people out of here. We need to create a space," Scott instructs.

Jean telepathically does that.

Meanwhile Rhino is stomping his way through the crowd throwing helpless innocents and tables around.

"I really must insist you decease from that," Beast says sternly with a raspy cough.

Rhino laughs amused at the gumption of whoever said that. He turns and his gaze falls upon the blue furred man. "Oh you're one of those mutants. I've been wanting to face one of you," he says eager for the fight.

Beast undoes the tie he was wearing. He knows that in raw strength terms the Rhino was stronger than he but he most likely had the edge in agility and probably quick thinking.

"Prepare yourself for the Rhino's charge!" Rhino bellows as he lowers his head and charges in at Beast.

* * *

Far above in the office of Tony Stark, a hidden bed had been revealed and two figures lie in it, a tangle of limbs, embracing that oldest rhythm of humanity.

Suddenly there is a tremor. "What was that?" Tony asks. Tony of all people is stopping for a moment.

Domino grabs his face in her hands. "Just me," she cockily says and engulfs his lips with hers and the two resume their act without another moment of concern.

* * *

Back down in the hall Susan raises a shield around herself and Reed as she tries to protect him as he recovers from the Wizard's attack. The Wizard floats over her. "I should have known Richards would need a woman to protect him," he snorts in a chauvinistic manner.

Susan's eyes narrow as anger flares up within her.

"Small note here Susan, I've adjusted my gauntlets' discharge to match the frequency of your forcefields so you'll find them quite ineffective," Wizard boasts.

Susan can't be sure whether that is true or not but it is a possibility she supposes. She readies herself when suddenly a crimson red beam smacks into the Wizard sending him flying. "How's that for ineffective?" Scott asks him as he replaces his glasses on his face properly.

Emma makes a face at the awfulness of that retort as she coughs out the lungful of gas she accidentally breathed in. She is silently bemoaning the fact she has been caught up in this. Can't these people find some other party to crash. If she could breathe enough to concentrate she would turn their minds into pudding.

* * *

The Trapster raises his weapons only to find them suddenly clogged by two bony spikes.

"And Auntie O says I need target practice," Evan lightly criticises his relative, as he grins at how good a shot that was.

"Oh nuts," the Trapster says just before his nozzles explode, covering him in glue, trapping him in his own adhesive...him and everyone near him within a good 10 feet, including Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne.

"Oh my god, my dress!" Janet shrieks in horror.

"Interesting. This is a very impressive adhesive compound," Hank remarks as he take in his new prison.

"Are you seriously complimenting the stuff we're stuck in?" Janet asks him in disbelief.

"Well you have to admit it is impressive."

"Uh no Hank. I don't have to admit it," Janet says as she struggles to get free. "Think if I shrink down I could get free?" she inquires from her genius boyfriend.

"I doubt it," Hank says. "The adhesive seems to adjust to the size of whatever it is contact with," he says through an initial assessment.

"You mean...we're stuck?" Janet asks him, in horror.

"Extremely so," Hank says, sounding remarkably calm about it.

Janet huffs. She should be helping out, not standing here stuck like a fly in a spider's web. "I hate to say it Hank but I think you were right. We should have politely turned Tony's invite down."

"I wasn't aware there was doubt about that."

Janet gives him a severe glare. "You are so sleeping on the couch tonight Henry Pym," she vows.

* * *

Jean, meanwhile, steps next to the Human Torch and raises a TK shield around him and herself against Hydro-Man's attack. "You alright?" Jean asks Johnny.

Johnny shakes his head and water sprays off his hair. His suit for the night had been vaporised as soon as he 'Flamed on' revealing the blue uniform with the little 4 on the chest he wears and happens to be fireproof. His eye catches the hot redhead. "Where have you been all my life?" he asks.

"I have a boyfriend," Jean instantly shoots him down, although that boyfriend was so in her bad books at the moment, but he is still her boyfriend.

Johnny sighs. "The gorgeous ones always do," he complains. He raises his left hand and snaps his fingers a few times. "Come on, come on," he mutters at his inability to start a flame. Finally he gets a small flame to appear on his thumb. That's it. "I need some space," he tells Jean.

Jean stands up and pushes her TK shield towards Hydro-Man and steps away from Johnny.

Johnny stands up. "Alright you walking puddle. Lets see how you match up when I'm not taken by surprise," he challenges, extremely annoyed at being ambushed as he was. "Flame on!"

Johnny takes to the air, gracefully dodging all of Hydro-Man's attacks or Jean blocks them for him. He returns fire...literally.

* * *

As all this goes on the Green Goblin glides high above all their heads, letting off more bombs, keeping his gas filling the air, almost as if he is waiting for something. As the fight between the heroes and villains breaks out beneath him he laughs some more...until a glob of white sticky goop covers his mouth.

"You know that laugh is really starting to annoy me," Spider-Man says as he swings into action and sticks to the high ceiling.

The Green Goblin rips the webbing from his mouth. "Spider-Man! At last!" he says as this is whom he was waiting for.

"So tell me, gruesome, who in their right mind attacks the home of Tony 'Iron Man' Stark while he holds a party where like a dozen superheroes were invited?" Spider-Man asks because this made no sense to him. Only a complete nut would even consider it...which may answer Peter's question for him.

"I do...and here's my contributing speech!" the Green Goblin yells as he throws a pumpkin bomb at Spider-Man.

Peter's spider-sense goes crazy and he gracefully dodges the thrown projectile which impacts the ceiling blowing out chunks. He fires a large web-net to catch them before they drop on top of the Kents who were with the Professor who happened to be directly beneath.

Spider-Man swings at the Goblin who glides to the side out of harm's way. Peter sticks to the wall. "So you know you remind me of someone. Flew on a glider, wore a stupid mask, had the same theme going in ordnance. Now what was his name again? Hob, Hoby...oh right I remember, Hobgoblin."

"That pretender!" the Green Goblin screams. "He was nothing but a fraud, a phony, a pale imitation of a Goblin! I'm the real Goblin. The only true Goblin! The Green Goblin!"

"Aw did I hit a sore spot? Here. Let me hit another one!" Spider-Man says as he swings into the Green Goblin's midsection, knocking him off his glider, as Peter takes advantage of the momentary distraction he had managed to conjure up. There must be some history between this Goblin and old Hoby.

The Green Goblin crashes through a table as he hits the floor while his glider flies around aimlessly.

Spider-Man swings down to the ground as the Goblin picks himself up. He throws a punch only to find it caught easily.

"Impressive," the Green Goblin remarks before he slams a kick into Spider-Man's chest sending the webslinger flying back until he hits a table and tumbles over it, managing to roll over and land on the floor in a crouch.

Spider-Man springs up and uses the table he tumbled over to launch himself airborne. As he nears the Green Goblin, suddenly, a blinding light surges from the villain's gloves. Peter covers his eyes as he sees spots. His spider-sense flares but he can't move in time to avoid what he thinks is a kick to his chest sending him back.

A few moments later Peter's spider-sense flares up again and he blindly leaps as he hears gunfire. Working on instinct he fires a webline in the general direction he thinks it will stick and swings up as he desperately tries to get his eyes to stop seeing spots. Before he can his spider-sense flares up once again. There is a whooshing sound as something with a rocket motor brushes past him. He can feel the heat. An explosion, more heat, concussive blast hitting him sending him through the air and a very groggy Peter vaguely feels something tie around him tight before he is yanked away.

For anyone watching what they see is the Green Goblin carry Spider-Man away, him tethered to the back of the glider by some kind of metal cable.

Kitty sees this and pauses for a moment in helping this elderly man with grey hair and moustache who had been knocked over. She bites her lower lip in worry about Peter.

"I'm sure he'll be alright."

Kitty turns her attention to the man she is helping. "I...what?"

"Doesn't take a mind reader to see your worried expression."

"Well...I...uh," Kitty stammers, worried she may have given away her connection to Peter.

"Hey I'm worried too. All us Spidey fans worry about him but we all know this is what he does as with great power comes great responsibility."

Kitty looks at the man curiously for a moment and then helps him to his feet. "You're a Spider-Man fan?" she queries.

"Yes. Some days I can almost feel like I know what does through his mind and know that no matter what people say about him he will always do, in the end, what is right. After all that is what heroes do."

"Yes. Yes they do," Kitty agrees with a smile now pulling at her lips because Peter is a hero. That's why she is his biggest fan as well as his girlfriend.

"Heroes also need someone to stand with them even when they try and push that someone away in a wish to protect them. Takes someone special and stubborn to not let themselves be pushed away so don't let him do that."

"Huh?" Kitty asks because it almost as if this guy knows.

"Oh don't listen to the ramblings of an old man. May I ask the name of my saviour?"

"Um...Kitty. I'm Kitty Pryde."

"Thank you for the rescue young lady."

"Oh it's like nothing. It is sort of my job," Kitty says modestly. "What's your name?" she asks the man as she escorts the man out of harm's way.

He smiles pleasantly. "Stan Lee."

* * *

Jean, meanwhile, is forced to take her attention off the fight with Hydro-Man to catch the debris that the Green Goblin's missile caused. Seriously what kind of callous nut fires off a missile inside this packed and confined space. Ok it wasn't as packed. As they held off the villains Kitty and Rogue were getting people out.

Suddenly Jean is knocked to the ground by a geyser of water. Hydro-Man, his entire bottom half now water, surfs over the ground, his face angry. He is about to turn his fury on Jean when he spots _her_. "Mary Jane!" he says with an enormous smile.

MJ's whole face turns to terror. "Y-you stay away from me Morrie! I told you last time I want nothing to do with you!" she says backing up.

A ball of fire impacts Hydro-Man, vaporising part of his body.

"You heard the lady!" Johnny shouts as he swoops in between the pretty redhead and the man of living water.

Hydro-Man cries out in pain as part of his body turns to steam. "You irritating little firebug!" he yells angrily at the Human Torch. He rises up on a fountain of water to tower over everyone. "Did you know that I can control all the water around me?" He closes his eyes and suddenly the sprinklers turn on.

"Oh hey!" Johnny complains as he tries and shields himself. He hates the water.

At Hydro-Man's commands the water surges around the Human Torch until he is trapped in a sphere of water. "How long can you hold you breath?" he asks, with a sinister look.

Then suddenly Hydro-Man feels...cold?

Hydro-Man looks down as his body starts to freeze. The last image he sees is of some guy in red and blue who isn't Spider-Man.

Superman blows out his freeze breath until every last bit of Hydro-Man is frozen solid. At which point Johnny falls out of the sky and Clark catches him. Johnny coughs and splutters water up. "You alright?" Superman asks the Human Torch.

"I hate water!" Johnny says passionately. It is like since he gained his fire powers he also gained an irrational dislike of water.

Clark cocks an eyebrow, places the Human Torch down in a chair and zips over to Jean and helps her up.

"What took you?" Jean asks him, looking a little miffed at him.

"The building security insisted on a full body search. I guess villain attack is just not a good enough excuse to allow me to skip it," he jests with that goofy grin of his.

Jean can only shake her head and reluctantly smile with him. Clark has one of those infectious smiles.

Clark looks around and sees Scott struggling with the Wizard despite the aid of the Invisible Woman, Beast barely holding his own against Rhino and the Thing really struggling against the Amazonian woman. Kitty and Rogue were helping get people out, including his parents and the Professor so that lifted a worry off of Clark's shoulders. He quickly assesses the situation. "You help Beast, I'll help the Thing and contact Evan to help Scott," he decides.

"Shouldn't I help Scott?" Jean queires.

"Don't take this the wrong way Jean but he has the Invisible Woman there and she can practically do what you can with telekinesis."

Jean frowns but can't argue that Clark is correct. "Where's Domino?" she asks.

"Uh...not here," Clark says, unable to see her. "I'm sure she's fine. We can find her after we stop these guys."

Jean had to agree with that assessment. Domino could look after herself. Jean runs over to help Beast while sending a telepathic message to Evan. Clark zips off to help the Thing.

Thundra smashes the ball on the end of her chain in to the Thing's face, actually chipping off some of the orange rock his body is composed of, as she knocks him dazed to the ground. "You are a worthy adversary Benjamin Grimm," she compliments him. "But you are always held back by your one weakness of being a man," she says in what are chauvinistic tones. She whips the ball back to finish the Thing off only to find it caught.

"You know if you are not going to play nice we just can't let you have nice toys."

Thundra's head whips round, her face a mask of promised violence...and then her eyes widen when she spots the symbol on the chest of the man who caught her weapon. "Superman!" she exclaims with a growing smile of excitement at the prospect of fighting him. "I was not aware that you were around this early in this timeline. In my time, 250 years from now, you are legend and when I defeat you I will become a legend. The greatest ever warrior of the United Sisterhood Republic."

Superman whistles. "Wow...that's...actually not the craziest thing I have ever heard which may go to show how I badly need to find a new vocation."

Superman yanks at Thundra's chain snapping it. She throws what remains aside. She places one hand in the other and cracks her knuckles and repeats the other way round. "I need no weapons. I will defeat you with my bare hands. I will defeat the ultimate symbol of male power and prove once and for all women are superior," she declares her intentions.

"Oh geez is this a female equality thing because I was actually raised to be very respectful to women," Superman points out.

Thundra smiles, a gleam of anticipation at facing the ultimate challenge in her eyes. "Equality Superman? No. There is no equality because it is fact that women are the superior gender. My name is Thundra. It is important this is known so that all who learn of this day may quail at the mere mention of my name."

"Quail?" Superman queries. "Isn't that a type of bird?"

"You dare mock me?" Thundra says, incredulous that anyone would dare do so to her.

"Not really. I leave that to Spider-Man."

Thundra lets out her warrior's cry and charges at him.

"It's never easy," Clark mutters to himself. He grabs a table cloth off a nearby table and side-steps Thundra wrapping her up in the white sheet as she passes and kicking her away. "Look I get some people like to see the battle of the sexes play out literally but couldn't we resolve this over some tea and biscuits and a nice game of scrabble?"

Thundra growls as she flexes her arms and rips the sheet she is wrapped in to pieces.

"No. Not a scrabble fan I see. Battleships? Clue? Hide and Seek...which, not to sound boastful, I am awesome at."

"Silence!" Thundra booms. "Cease your prattling. I expected a great warrior to confront me not some babbling child," she chastises him.

Superman points at himself in a manner as if he can't believe what she is calling him. "Great warrior? Me? You're kidding right. I have guilt pangs when I accidentally step on an ant."

Thundra strides up to him and attacks only to find all her blows deflected off. Her frustration grows. "You insult me," she says through a narrowed irritated glare. "You hold back," she accuses him which is what is angering her so. She wants him to fight her properly. "I see I must induce a reaction," she concludes must be her course of action to provoke and anger him.

Thundra flips up a metal tray used to carry the drinks on with her foot into her hand. Her eyes gaze around the room when she spots the girl with brown hair and a white stripe within it. She smiles slyly, recalling her knowledge of Superman from history. She takes the tray and and flings it like a frisbee, with all her might, at the girl's neck.

Rogue, who had been aiding people out, never saw it coming. She only felt the gust of wind. Her head turns to find the tray millimetres from her neck, caught in Clark's hand. She looks up at his face and the scowl on it would make anyone take a few steps back.

Clark could do the maths in second. The tray flung at that speed, spinning, would have sliced Rogue's head off. He crushes it to a ball as his eyes glow menacingly red as he glares at Thundra. "How dare you," he says in a dangerously low tone of voice, biting back the urge to yell in anger at Thundra's callous act.

Thundra smirks at gaining the reaction she desired. "Ready to take me seriously now Superman?"

Clark tosses the crushed tray aside and steps forward to confront the titan-haired woman. Oh yeah. Now he's ready.

* * *

Scott lifts his glasses and releases a crimson blast from his eyes that perfectly intercepts the blast the Wizard sent at him after he stepped in between the villain and the Invisible Woman.

"I have no issue with your kind mutant. If you had stayed out of my way and simply allowed me to finish off Richards then there would have been no need for all this," the Wizard tells him.

"Yeah. I'm going to have to go with no and that's not going to happen," Scott says back.

"Suit yourself," the Wizard replies, before he flings several small metallic discs in Scott's direction. Scott manages to shoot all but one of them which sticks to his chest. Next thing Scott knows is himself flying upward, unable to control himself.

"What the...?"

"Anti-gravity discs," a groggy Reed Richards explains, rubbing his head. Wizard must have altered the energy discharge of his gauntlets to a more specific frequency that affects his form because he can't remember it hurting this much last time.

"Ah Richards, good. You're awake," the Wizard says, pleased by that. "I would hate for you to miss the moment I destroy you!"

Scott reaches for his glasses.

"I would not advise that," the Wizard says to the leader of the X-Men. "You are essentially weightless and as Newton pointed out everything has an equal and opposite reaction."

If Scott fires his blasts the force will catapult him across the room.

"Hey buddy. Catch!" Evan yells as he flings a series of spikes at the Wizard.

The Wizard manages to shoot them all down but it gives Susan an opening she hasn't had before now and she grabs the villain in an invisible forcefield...or more correctly his gauntlets. She yanks them off.

Evan generates one spike out his wrist and takes it into his hand. "Hey Cyclops. Some advice; don't move!"

Scott's eyes widen. "Spyke! Wait a..."

Evan doesn't wait and throws his one spike. Scott closes his eyes and says a silent prayer or 3 for his safety. He hears a fizzling sound, opens his eyes and finds Evan has managed to hit the disc dead centre. Scott starts to fall. Susan catches him in a forcefield. Scott lifts his glasses and hits the Wizard dead on with a full blast sending the villain spiralling into the wall, cratering it.

The Wizard falls down to the floor and groggily gets to his knees where he finds a woman in white standing over him looking down with utter contempt at him. "Dreadfully pathetic," she says in her superior tones. Now that the Green Goblin is gone and the gas has thinned she can concentrate more and she turns her hand to diamond and punches the Wizard across the face, shattering the HUD shades over his eyes. His eyes roll into the back of his head and he collapses unconscious.

"Well that was liberating," Emma Frost quips.

* * *

Meanwhile Beast had been having a much harder time dealing with Rhino. The large man was very strong and his hide robust. It amazed Beast he wasn't a mutant but he had read up on how it was the result of an experiment involving the very suit he is wearing. It always annoyed Hank when science was used to such unethical ends.

Hank had learned painfully he couldn't match Rhino for raw strength and was relying on the fact he was more agile and quick to keep his foe off-balance until he could figure out a means to disable Rhino.

Rhino manages to finally catch the large hairy mutant with a blow as Beast had tried to somersault over it. He sends Beast tumbling to the floor before making a charge at him...only he suddenly feels like his legs are snared within something and he trips over, landing face first.

Beast looks up to see Jean hovering a few feet off the floor and smiles graciously at her assistance.

Rhino slams his fist into the floor in anger and glares with deadly intent at the floating redhead. "I don't know how you did that but you'll pay!"

"Will we?" Jean asks sounding sceptical. "You'll have to get a hold of us first but tell me which one of us is real?"

Rhino blinks as suddenly there are several Beasts and several Jeans all around him as Jean deceives him with a telepathic illusion. He stands up and doesn't know which one to strike at. The multitudes charge at him and Rhino fights the illusions. If he could see himself he would see himself fighting nothing.

Beast charges in and hits Rhino with a flying kick staggering the huge man backward. Jean aids by lifting a table or two and flinging them at him. It gets Rhino right beneath the huge chandelier in the hall. Jean looks up and her eyes narrow in concentration. The roof cracks around where the chandelier is fixed before it gives way. The enormous and heavy glass and metal light fixture crashes down perfectly atop of Rhino's head dazing him enough for Jean to give him a final mental nudge into unconsciousness.

Rhino lies there...and snores loudly.

Jean lands gently on the floor as Beast steps to next to her, rubbing several sore spots he knows are going to be severe bruises by tomorrow. "Thank you Jean," he appreciates deeply her aid.

"No problem. Once he was dazed it wasn't too hard to get into his head. He's not...um actually all that bright. I'm trying to avoid saying his mind is simple," she says not wishing to be insulting about Rhino's intelligence.

Beast chuckles lightly at Jean's politeness.

* * *

A clubbing blow from above almost rattles Superman's bones. Who this woman really is and how she is so strong Clark hasn't a clue. Now he's pretty certain he is stronger but the woman fights like no-one he has ever seen. Even Logan would be hard pressed to compete with her in both skill and intensity. He is also a little off put by how damn tall and big she is. She has nearly a foot on him and for once Clark feels kind of small in comparison.

As Thundra presses on her attacks it takes most of Clark's speed and skill to block the blows. She spins a kick round and Clark grabs the ankle and stops her inches from his head. He yanks and spins her round and round before sending her flying over a table.

Superman inhales deeply and unleashes his freeze breath.

Thundra sees the icy cold blast coming and uses the table she was toppled over as a shield as ice forms all around her. When it is over she picks up the whoosh of someone moving at superspeed. A smile comes to her lips. She is loving this challenge. She breaks the table out of the ice formed around it and swings it perfectly into the superspeeding Superman hitting him right in the jaw as the table shatters to pieces. He is staggered but for a moment. A moment is all she needs as she rises and advances quickly. A fist aims right at his temple...and impacts solidly into his hand. His eyes look at her, narrowed and glowing dimly red.

A knee impacts into Thundra's torso followed by a blow to her face. A chop to her side, hitting a nerve cluster before zipping in behind her and kicking her in the kidneys hard enough to send Thundra tumbling forward to the ground.

Superman walks forward to put an end to this, guilt eating at him for hitting a woman but she just keeps pushing and pushing him and he needs to end this as soon as possible. Logan taught him some holds that put pressure on the nerves. One even reminded Clark of the Vulcan nerve pinch. He turns Thundra over and before he knows it finds his neck caught in the vice like grip of her legs.

Thundra grins. "You are an excellent challenge. Just as I knew you would be," she says with a rush of excitement as she flips Superman over and he skids along the floor.

Superman looks up to find Kitty staring at him. She had just been still trying to aid people out when Clark slid along the floor next to her.

"Uh, Superman, I think you can stop like playing with her," Kitty remarks.

Superman scowls. "Who's playing?" he asks back incredulously as he gets to his feet.

"You serious?" Kitty asks with a puzzled expression.

"Yes I'm...phase!" he suddenly yells and Kitty reacts on instinct.

Thundra comes charging through Kitty and slams her shoulder into Superman's gut, lifting his feet off the ground and she keeps charging right through a solid wall and then another and then another and then through the glass front of the building until the two end up outside.

Superman slams his elbow into the join of Thundra's neck and shoulder 3 times before she drops him. She wastes not a moment to slam a series of blows to his torso before landing a haymaker. Clark shakes his head and waits for her to come to him. He's figured out part of the way she is making this so difficult is that she continually presses the attack, never giving him a moment to think. He needs to turn that fact around to his advantage somehow.

Thundra moves forward. Superman tries and strikes her. For someone her size she shows extreme agility to bend under the blow, slither around behind him and wrap her powerful arms around his waist.

Superman then experiences that wrestling move the German Suplex as he is lifted off the ground backwards and driven head first into the ground hard, his head burying into the road before he collapses down. He lies there face down, dazed. Next he finds his head caught in a good old fashioned head-lock.

"Yield Superman. Yield to your better," Thundra demands.

"Yeah. Not going to happen," Superman replies as he grits his teeth and pushes himself up to his knees. Then in a burst of strength he grabs Thundra around her waist, lifts her up and performs a side-suplex upon her, smashing her down into the street, breaking her hold upon him. He starts to move only to receive a powerful kick to his face followed by another and another and another until he falls down on his back, dazed once again.

_'Seriously who the hell is she and how is she so strong?' _Clark once more asks himself. Next thing Clark finds is Thundra straddling him across the upper part of his chest, using her knees to pin his arms down.

A triumphant smile plays on Thundra's lips. "This is where men like you belong. Beneath me," she says with more than a little chauvinism.

Clark's mind clears a little and he looks up and up at the tall, powerfully built, woman. "You know you should be glad Spider-Man didn't hear you say that. I just know he has a good 50 or so quips at a comment like that."

Thundra grabs Superman by his hair, lifts his head and looks down upon him...as if she is really looking down at something inferior to herself. "You know nothing of the fate men like you will condemn this world to. The war of the Overmen will ravage this world and leave it in ruin. In the aftermath women will take over and restore peace and order as we are the only ones who can. I came back in time when the Overmen existed solely to prove the superiority of women over the weaker sex...which is you."

"Ok even if I go with I don't think you're crazy, you obviously never did your research on me."

Thundra arches a sceptical eyebrow. "Oh?"

"If you did you would have known to pin me face down," Superman points out mere moments before his eyes glow red and his unleashes his heat vision upon her. The force knocks her flying off and she sails all the way across the street and smashes into the building opposite, cratering the concrete.

Superman's hand goes to his head. "Ow!" he whines because when he blasted her she pulled some of his hair out. Clark gets to his feet. Normally he's very cautious about using his heat vision for obvious reasons but having fought Thundra he figured she was durable enough to withstand a moderate blast.

Thundra rises to her feet, a little slowly, showing that took something out of her. Her top is scorched black but otherwise she looks fine. She laughs joyously.

Clark groans. One of _those _days.

"I haven't had this sort of challenge in ages. Even Benjamin Grimm failed to match you," Thundra declares, the rush and thrill of the duel going through her warrior's blood.

"Well that's a little harsh on Mr Grimm don't you think," Superman defends someone who is a hero to Clark.

Thundra makes a move to resume this fight.

Superman raises a hand. "Ok just stop one minute," he requests. Clark doesn't have time to keep fighting her. At the rate they're going they'll be at it all night and he needs to find Peter, whom it had not escaped Clark's attention had vanished along with that Green Goblin guy. He has a thought about how to stop this. "You said you're a warrior?"

"My sisters and I are all warriors," Thundra confirms, cautiously eyeing him in case this is a deception of some sort.

"And defeating me will bring you great prestige and honour?" Superman guesses.

"Yes," Thundra says with relish at the idea.

"Except it won't," Superman argues. "Not as much as you think at least."

"What do you mean?"

"I may not know a huge amount about myself but I do know one thing. I am nowhere near my physical peak so you may defeat me Thundra, here and now, but it will be you defeating a child and not a man in his prime."

Thundra blinks as his words sink in. "You are absolutely correct Superman," she agrees with his assessment.

"It had to happen sooner or later," he jests.

A smile actually plays on Thundra's lips. "This combat is over," she declares. Then she touches the bracelet on her left wrist and a circular portal opens in the air in front of her.

_'Portals? Why is it always portals or teleports?'_ Clark asks himself about how often villains use that escape...although there is something about Thundra that makes Clark think that calling her a villain is too simplistic.

"This combat is over," Thundra repeats before amending, "for now but we shall meet again Superman when I deem you to be at your prime and on that day you will be humbled. You will be humiliated and your defeat will be glorious," she says with rapturous anticipation of that day.

"Well something to look forward to."

Thundra laughs. "Ha! There is a warrior's heart beating inside you," she says as a compliment. She then steps into the portal and Clark lets her go because stopping her would take too long.

"You know I actually wasn't be serious about that whole looking forward to it," Clark mumbles to himself as the portal closes up and long after she could possibly still hear him. He sighs and places his hands on his hips before the flash of bulbs from the nearby paparazzi breaks him out of that. A flurry of questions soon get fired at him. He...doesn't have time for that. He looks inside Stark Tower with his x-ray vision and spots that his friends and the FF have everything pretty much under control now.

That leaves Clark able to start looking for Peter. He blurs off along the street before leaping upward and landing on a rooftop. He closes his eyes and listens. "Come on Spidey. Make one of your jokes," he requests so he can get a fix on him. Clark filters out the extraneous sounds one by one until...his eyes snap open.

There!

In a blur Superman is gone.

* * *

**Several minutes earlier...**

Eventually Peter's head stops ringing long enough for him to focus on where he is right now. Right now he is being towed through the air by a crazy guy who must somehow be related to Hobgoblin yet detests the guy. Peter sympathises. He doesn't like Hoby either. Peter tests the metal cable holding him and finds he isn't breaking it. Must be some sort of superstrong alloy.

"Ah! Back with us are you?" Green Goblin asks as he spots Spider-Man's struggles.

"You know I'm pretty certain you need a permit to fly over New York and somehow I doubt you passed inspection."

A garish grin comes to the Green Goblin. "You'd be surprised what people will permit especially when holding a pumpkin bomb under their nose."

"So any particular reason I'm here? Not that I'm not enjoying the view but the in-flight movie sucks and where is the complimentary bag of peanuts?"

"I have big plans for you Spider-Man. After all why do you think I went through all this effort to attack a function where New York's elite would be. It was all just to lure you out. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist 'saving the day'. Heroes...so predictable," he criticises with a shake of his head. "I set this whole thing up, sacrificed my _allies, _just to get you in my grasp and now I'm just going to take us somewhere where we can have a private chat."

"Yeah. Sounds fun but doesn't solve my peanut issue," Spider-Man complains. "Seriously what kind of shoddy airline you running here?"

"Keep chatting away all you want Spider-Man but it won't work. I've been studying you. I know exactly what you're doing."

Peter is trying to get a hand free so he needs to keep the big lug talking and distracted. "You've been studying me? Gross! I've feel like that poor frog I once had to dissect in class and you know the guilt just won't go away over that one."

The Green Goblin chuckles and turns his attention back to more on where they are heading. "You should be thanking me Spider-Man. After all I removed the 3 biggest thorns in your side."

"3 biggest...you're the one who set up Tombstone, Doc Ock and Silvermane!" Spider-Man works out.

The Green Goblin laughs in triumph at that.

"And Kingpin?"

"Oh him too. The trouble with people like them Spider-Man is that they think no-one can touch them so they never see their downfall coming...but you're different. You're just like me. That's why you get the honour of living so you can hear my proposal."

"Proposal? Wow I'm flattered but I'm going to have to say no. I'm not yet ready to settle down with that someone special ya know."

"You speak like you have a choice," the Green Goblin says with a sinister grin.

Peter gets a hand free just as they go over the George Washington Bridge. He fires a webline and snags the main cable. _'Yes!' _he mentally cheers himself. The line snaps tight and the whole glider veers suddenly until it crashes down on top of one the towers. The Green Goblin goes tumbling to the ground and Peter rolls to a stop.

Even stopped the gliders engines are still going. Peter runs over and very carefully leans into the flame. He has to get this just right. Just close enough for the heat to soften the metal and not turn him into crispy, well-done, spider-charcoal. Millimetres in it and...there! He breaks free.

"NO!" the Green Goblin shouts in denial.

"Oh yes and lets try this little tangle again shall we?" Spider-Man asks as he leaps at the Green Goblin and they end up rolling around on top of the tower. The Green Goblin kicks Spider-Man away and Peter is winded for a moment. This Goblin, unlike the Hobgoblin, has super-strength because Peter more than felt that one.

Peter's spider-sense goes crazy and the Green Goblin fires some kind of electrical blast from his glove. He rolls out of the way and flips over the next discharge. The Goblin reaches into the bag over his shoulder and flings several bat-shaped objects.

Razor-bats. Peter remembers them from Hobgoblin. Peter's agility is put to the maximum but he manages to avoid being hit only for his spider-sense to flare again as another pumpkin bomb explodes near him, sending him flying.

The Green Goblin charges at him but Spider-Man is back to his feet and they end up, hands locked, grappling for supremacy but the Green Goblin is at least as strong as him. In their struggles they end up toppling over the edge and sliding down the main cable.

"You may wish to give up now," Spider-Man suggests as he grips the cable on all fours. "I can stick to this. You can't."

The Goblin is there, kneeling down. "Thanks for the offer Wallcrawler. Here's my reply!" He fires more of those electrical discharges from his gloves and Spider-Man somersaults backwards head over heels down the cable to avoid them. It is all to buy the Green Goblin some time and space. He gets his remote for the glider out and summons it. It swoops down from above and he leaps onto it. "Advantage Team Goblin!" he proclaims.

"I don't think so!"

The Goblin looks behind him as a figure clad in red and blue stands atop the tower. Superman.

"Advantage Team Spider!" Spider-Man shoots back with a grin under his mask. "By the way what kept you?" he asks Superman.

"First off there is no way we're calling it Team Spider," Superman rejects that, "and second off you won't believe what I had to go through to get here. Piece of advice; avoid superstrong redheads because they pack a wallop," he says rubbing his jaw which he swears is still aching.

"Oh lookie here. A pair of Comedians. You guys should take this act on the road and last off the Green Goblin always has the advantage!"

Spider-Man sniggers. "Yeah right pal. Look, that guy up there," he points at Superman. "Virtually invulnerable," he describes Superman as.

"Perhaps he is but the people below us are not!" Green Goblin shouts as he fires a missile from underneath the glider aimed directly at the roadway below.

"NO!" Superman shouts as he dives off the top of the tower and for once his shooting off like a missile when he tries to fly is good for something as he accelerates right into the path of the actual missile which explodes on impact with him. A second later he is falling out of the smoke.

As Superman was leaping so was Spider-Man right at the Green Goblin. Intentionally trying to kill dozens of people definitely put this guy way up in Peter's bad books.

The Green Goblin is ready for him, as the razor-bat behind his back indicates and as soon as Spider-Man is in range he slashes with it, cutting the webslinger right across the chest. He then boots Spider-Man hard off his glider and takes off into the night sky.

Spider-Man tries a webline to snag the glider but misses.

"So long Spider-Man! We'll meet again!" the Green Goblin promises. He soars off into the sky, seeing the need to withdraw now that Spider-Man's similarly coloured costumed friend has shown up. He's not that crazy to see he can't beat them both...not without a much better understanding of this so-called Superman's weaknesses first. The Green Goblin soars off back to his hideout, this night seemingly a failure since he failed to get Spider-Man in his possession as was the whole point of the plan. Not that that was what he told his 'allies'. He sold them some other sob story about gaining their varying revenges...or he paid them a lot of money to join the team. In his hand he still has the razor-bat he slashed Spider-Man with. He brings the razor-bat in his hand in front of his eye, its blade smeared with the crimson red liquid that is Spider-Man's blood. The Green Goblin's eyes then light up as an idea suddenly strikes him and a satisfied smile comes to his face as if he has somehow managed to get what he wanted after all.

Back at the bridge Peter lets himself fall for several seconds before firing a webline and swinging down to the roadway where Clark crash landed. He lands and runs over to his friend. People have stopped and gotten out of their cars but are keeping a distance. Peter touches the prone figure on the shoulder and rolls him over onto his back. Clark's eyes are closed and his costume is partially scorched but Peter can't see any obvious injury which is a relief. It is also kinda of amazing. He has seen Clark shot at before but to see him take something that would have blown Peter to pieces without a visible scratch is entirely different. "Superman. You alright?" he asks, just to make sure.

Superman groans. "No...but I'll live," he says glumly as his eyes flicker open. Spider-Man helps him up to a sitting position. Clark is a little dazed by the explosion and takes a minute to regain his bearings. "He got away didn't he," Clark assumes for the fact Peter is here and the Green Goblin is not.

"Fraid so. This nutso is going to have to go into the recurring villain category. Any chance you remembered to x-ray through his mask?" Peter asks, because then they would at least know what he looks like under that garish mask.

"Lead lined costume," is Clark's reply, because he did try to look.

"Sooooo?"

"I can't see through lead," Clark explains.

"Ok either he scouted you way ahead or it's a happy coincidence on his part."

"Since I don't advertise that fact it must just be the way costume was designed. For what I could see I think it is like a form of armour so the lead lining is for his protection from...I don't know, radiation or something?"

Peter cocks his head to the side. When he was tangling with the guy the costume did feel quite thick, like it was designed to be protective, so he guesses Clark's speculation is possible. It's not unlike Hobgoblin's costume actually from what Peter recalls. They must go to the same tailor. Goblins R Us or something.

Clark spots Peter's injured chest. "Are you ok?" he asks with concern, pointing at the vicious looking slash.

Peter looks down and gingerly fingers the wound. "I've had worse. I guess this costume is for the bin though," he says remorsefully. The costume doesn't make itself you know which means lots of sowing for him.

Clark gets to his feet with Peter's help.

"Next time just shoot the missile," Peter advises.

"I needed to absorb the energy of the blast so it couldn't harm anyone," Clark counters that argument which is why he didn't shoot it down with his heat vision. By throwing his body in the way it took a lot of the energy and reduced the risk to innocent bystanders.

"Ok. Good point," Peter concedes. As a science geek he could understand the physics behind that argument.

"Thank you," Clark says as he dusts himself off.

"So...beat up by a girl huh?" Peter asks with an amused sounding voice, lightly teasing Clark, knowing the only redhead in the group of villains was that mountain of a woman.

"She was many things. Girl isn't one of them. She would eat you for breakfast," Clark counters Peter's teasing.

"I would give her indigestion," Peter proclaims.

"You are kind of stringy looking," Clark gives his jokey assessment before he rubs his still slightly ringing head. "Seriously though it was disconcerting. I'm not use to fighting someone that much bigger than I am. I guess I can now appreciate how you feel everyday," he says with a smirk, making a joke at Peter's diminutive stature compared to himself.

"Well at least you didn't get almost blown up, tied up and dragged halfway across New York behind a glider by a guy who wanted to make me a 'proposal'," Peter retaliates with, while mock shuddering at the word 'proposal'.

"Well at least you didn't get your hair pulled out," Clark complains, rubbing at the spot.

"Oh my god! She resorted to hair pulling! She's pure evil!" Peter jokily declares.

"And she got away. Some kind of portal...which is so annoying." Ok so Clark's not mentioning he sort of let her get away...but he is going on a gut instinct on that, that it won't turn out bad.

"Tell me about it," Peter agrees about how annoying it is when the villains escape.

"We should get back before we're missed," Clark points out.

"Yeah," Peter agrees but before he leaves he takes one last look in the direction the Green Goblin vanished. He's going to have to keep an eye out for him because if what Gobby said about being the one to set up KP and the other 3 was true then he was going to big trouble in the future as he tried to take over their criminal operations. Peter will need to speak to Captain Stacy about this as well but that's for another night because, as Clark said, they must get back before they're missed.

With that Spider-Man fires off a webline and swings into the air with Superman zipping along the ground as the two teen heroes make their way back to Stark Tower.

* * *

_Author's Note: A few people requested a Stan Lee cameo and I decided on sure, why not, so there we go. Luckily Peter only got away with a scratch in the end. Sure the Green Goblin has some of his blood but it's not like he plans to clone Spider-Man or anything. I mean it's not like that has ever happened. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Amanda's parents make their decision, Logan and Storm finally have it out and rest of the fallout from this little fracas._


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

**The Sefton Residence...**

Amanda had been pacing around her room for an hour. She was so nervous she had bitten all her fingernails practically down to the quick. Then she hears her parents call on her to come down. Amanda makes her way down and tries to judge the expression on her parents' faces but it's hard. They've got their poker faces on.

"We've discussed this Amanda and come to an agreed decision," her mother announces.

Amanda's heart beats furiously.

"We will allow you to keep seeing Kurt..."

"YES!" Amanda yells in triumphant, happy beyond words that they have given their permission.

"On condition," her father's stern voice flattens her joy. George wasn't entirely happy with the decision made but Margali had pointed out the alternative would hurt Amanda and he didn't want that so they had come to a solution that was acceptable even if he still had grave concerns about allowing Amanda to continue seeing this boy.

"What condition?"

"We want to see this Institute and talk to Professor Xavier to make sure you are not in any danger by seeing Kurt," her father lays it out.

"Uh...well I guess I can understand that," Amanda concedes. Although that means her chances of continuing to see Kurt relied on the others at the Institute behaving when her parents go. Amanda mentally cringes slightly knowing at least some of the antics that go on there. "Although it won't be tonight. They're at that Stark party in New York," she points out in case they think of doing this immediately. That'll buy her time to inform the others and to get them to promise to behave.

"They are?" Margali asks and both she and her husband have surprised expressions at that.

Then on the tv, which had been muted while they talked, breaking news of a supervillain incident at Stark Tower. Amanda's parents both fix her unhappy looks.

Amanda's spirits fall into her shoes. She better hope there is a good explanation for that or she is facing a mountain to climb to persuade her parents to allow her to keep seeing Kurt.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Ororo has had enough. Seriously. Logan is...is...oh she is so mad at him right now. Thunder cracks in the heavens in response to her mood. All night he's been avoiding her. Even when Kurt came home depressed Ororo had to deal with that alone. It seems it had not gone as well as hoped for with the Seftons.

Ororo had done her best to cheer him up but it got interrupted by her having to deal with the others and where was Logan? Nowhere. That's where.

With a moment of peace Ororo had determined to confront Logan. She didn't have to think too hard on where he might be and she was right. Working on his bike, empty beer bottles lying around. "Drinking is not the solution to everything you know!" she snaps in an irate tone.

Logan turns his head, puzzled by her tone. "Sure it is," he contradicts her.

Ororo growls. "You are a pigheaded, rude, arrogant..."

"Whoa there a minute Ro," Logan interrupts her tirade. "Where do you get off telling me that?" he asks, because he is not going to take it from someone who has been avoiding him all night. He was pretty steamed about it but had chosen not to blow up on her which was awful magnanimous of him. He's killed people for less.

Ororo strides forward. Logan stands up to face her. Ororo slaps him across the face hard.

Logan looks at her in shock that she did that. "What the..."

The obvious swearing that was about to come next never does as Ororo slaps him again.

Logan growls, desperately trying to keep his temper in check. "Ro ya better leave now," he warns her. In response her eyes narrow into a glare Logan would be proud of. She raises her hand back again only Logan catches it in a solid grip. "What is your problem?" he almost roars at her.

"YOU!" she spits out furiously. "I volunteered to look after the children so we could talk but you chose to avoid me!"

"You're the one avoiding me!" Logan fires back.

"You impudent man!" Ororo states, sounding very much like a Goddess talking down to a mortal.

"Oh spare me your highness," Logan says mockingly.

Ororo eyes spark with lightning. "Unhand me!" she demands.

"No. Ya want to talk. Fine. We'll talk. We screwed. It happened. Get over it."

"Oh that is so typical of you."

"What does that mean?"

"How many women have you been with since I've known you that you just screwed and walked away from?"

It's actually a little odd hearing Ro say the word 'screwed' Logan must admit. "So what? Ya want a repeat performance? Well I guess I can't blame you for that," he says with an arrogant smirk.

"Oh please if you think that's going to work on me you are beyond stupid!"

"What?"

"Your little rude, chauvinistic act. It may work on other women to drive them off. It won't on me," she insists.

"Ro what do ya want from me?" Logan asks because he just doesn't know.

"You! You stupid man! I want you. That's what I want to talk about. I'm attracted to you but only the Goddess knows why." Ororo had thought and thought about it and decided that somehow she really was attracted to the stupid man and what she wanted to talk about was them trying a relationship.

Logan blinks. "No."

"What?"

"No, Ro. You listen to me good here. You don't want any part of me."

"That's my decision."

"Ro...you don't know who I am. Hell I don't know who I really am. I could be the worst monster who has ever lived for all anyone knows."

"I don't believe that."

"Then look at my enemies Ro. You can judge a man by his enemies. You think Sabretooth is the only one. There's Stryker, Deadpool and who knows who else from Weapon X. There's the ones I racked up working for SHIELD. I could spend a week listing them and each and every one of them will use anyone close to me to destroy me...and that's the ones I can remember. Who knows what the ones I can't are like."

"That's..." Understanding suddenly dawns in Ororo's mind. "That's why you never have a serious relationship isn't it? You're protecting them."

Logan nods to confirm that.

"Logan," Ororo starts in a softer tone, the sting of her anger having been taken out. "I can look after myself in case it escaped your attention...and you think you're the only one who has had a hard life?" she asks him, her gaze more vulnerable and haunted than Logan has ever seen it. She's usually a mask of serenity and calm.

Ororo summarises a little of her life. "I lost my parents as a child. Vivian and I grew up on the streets of Cairo as thieves. We were both used and manipulated by perhaps the most obscene telepath that exists on this planet. I have done...things that no-one should have to so if you think anything you can say can scare me off you are sadly mistaken. The only answer I will accept that shows we can't work is that you look me in the eye and say you feel nothing for me and that us sleeping together was a mistake."

Logan releases his grip on her arm. He knew vaguely her life hadn't been a cakewalk but he never knew the details. Hell he didn't want to know. He's not the kind of person to care all that much really. He turns away from her and reaches for another beer from the storage cupboard on the wall.

"That's not an answer," Ororo points out in reference to Logan retreating to drink.

"Says you," Logan retorts as he pops the lid and takes a long cool drink.

Ororo folds her arms across her chest. "I still want an answer," she tells him.

"I don't need this you know. I already have a daughter I don't know what to do with and now you dump this down on me," he complains.

"You're not doing anything wrong with Rogue," she tries to assure him.

"We ain't exactly close."

"Closer than you think actually. You're both just terrible at expressing your feelings. Like father, like daughter."

Logan looks at her and sees the light playful smile on her lips that shows she's making a joke.

"I'm serious Logan. You're not doing anything wrong with Rogue. She's not the type of person you can push. When she's ready she'll come to you. All you can do is make sure that when she does you're there for her. You should learn from Clark. That's what he did and look at them now."

Logan makes a face. "Ro I would rather not. You don't know what's it like having to smell what I smell that shows what they get up to."

Ororo snorts with laughter. "Teenagers having sex. Oh the world must be ending," she jests with mock horror.

Logan shakes his head.

"I think Martha mentioned once that no parent probably likes to imagine their little girl having sex Logan. The fact it makes you uncomfortable is normal," she shifts back to being more serious and sympathetic of Logan's plight.

Logan drinks more of his beer.

"We still have not resolved us."

Logan gives Ro a look. "Look what do you want me to say. You're a beautiful woman Ro. There ain't a man alive who wouldn't be drawn to ya. I'm no different."

"I already worked through the possibility it was merely lust Logan and it occurred to me I like spending time with you whenever we do."

"You must be the only person who has ever said that."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Us."

"Still don't think it is a good idea."

"One date."

"What?"

"You give it one date. You and I go out and if there is truly nothing between us by the time it is over I will drop this and we can go back to being friends," she proposes.

"You ain't going to accept any answer but yes are ya," Logan can tell by the determined look on Ro's face.

"See. You know me so well. Besides I did promise you awhile back to share a beer with you."

Logan drinks more of his beer and thinks over her proposal. Perhaps if he can show her what he is really like she will get this stupid idea out of her head. Logan can't see how they can possibly be compatible in any way and once she sees it that will be the end of this. "I have one condition," he says.

"Such as?"

"I decide where we go and what we do. You want to date then you have to see the real me and be able to accept it."

Ororo can see he is challenging her. "Done," she says. Challenge accepted.

* * *

**Stark Tower...**

Luckily Reed, from his previous encounter with the Frightful Four, knew how to dissolve the glue so many had been trapped in. He watches with a little satisfaction as the Wizard is dragged off by the police while Susan moans about Johnny taking all the credit as he flirts with every female reporter here.

Tony is having to deal with the police, since it is his building, when he pauses for a minute and turns to Rhodey and asks his so-called head of security, "So 6 super-villains crash my party and where were you?"

"That guy on the glider stunned me," Rhodey explains. They had stormed the entrance lobby and next thing Rhodey knew was being hit by something like an electric shock.

"Why am I paying you again?" Tony asks, with a little smirk that shows he really isn't angry at Rhodey but is only teasing. Although Tony will be upgrading the tower's security systems after this.

Peter and Clark had managed to get back into the gathering without being noticed only to endure the inevitable police questioning. The villains had been carted off. Hydro-Man in the back of a deep freeze truck to keep him frozen solid until he can be put in his special cell.

Kitty, upon spotting Peter, runs up to him and hugs him, missing the slight hiss he makes as she collides with his chest. "Are you like alright?" she asks him. She was deeply worried when he was dragged off by that lunatic on the glider.

"That was my question for you," Peter replies.

Kitty fixes him a look. "Um hello. Didn't we have this discussion already?"

"Yep but you're my girlfriend. It's my job to worry no matter what you can do."

Kitty's expression softens into a small smile. "Even if I like suddenly developed super-strength and invulnerability?"

"Sure although I would rather you didn't surpass me because then I'd have to trade in my man-card and become the girl of this relationship," he jokes.

"Well you do have the hair for it," Kitty jokes back, ruffling his adorable brown hair.

"Oh god you're planning to braid it or something aren't you?" Peter says in mock horror.

"Nah...maybe a simple pony tail...is that blood?" she asks, pointing at the red stain on his shirt.

Peter pulls his jacket closed. "It's just a scratch. It's nothing. Gobby got lucky," he tries to dismiss the seriousness of the injury.

Kitty looks at him concerned. "Do-do you get hurt often?"

"It happens Kitty. You know that surely."

Well yeah Kitty did but back at the mansion there was always Mr McCoy and the infirmary. "You...you should come back with us and have Mr McCoy look at that," she thinks.

"Nah. It'll be fine really," Peter insists.

Kitty remembers those words from the man she helped about being stubborn and not letting Peter push her away. "I don't recall making a suggestion Peter. You need to like have that looked at," she says with a very determined look in her eye. "Besides if you don't agree you'll find I'll just nag you constantly until I break your will to live."

"Clark is right. You are evil!"

Kitty punches him on the arm.

Peter rubs it. "Ok. Ow," he whines.

"Ok?" Kitty queries at what he means by that ok.

"Yes. Ok," Peter concedes defeat.

Kitty smiles. She takes his hand into hers and interlocks their fingers and gives him a squeeze. "It's just because I care," she whispers softly about why she is being so insistent.

"And that is the best reason," Peter whispers back before planting a kiss on her cheek.

* * *

"Ya have been hanging around Peter too much," Rogue says to Clark in low tones.

"Say what?" Clark asks back, clearly confused about where his girlfriend's mind has gone to.

"When ya were fighting tha redhead on too many steroids ya were bantering with her," Rogue points out.

"Uh huh. I see. And this couldn't just be how I am normally?"

"Clark ya never do that in training."

Clark shrugs. "Logan would never tolerate it," he points out. "But you are making an assumption on incomplete information. You've never seen what what I do when I go out at night so how do you know that I don't naturally just banter with crooks?"

Rogue looks at him oddly. Clark joked and, don't get her wrong here, she likes his jokes but the full out bantering she witnessed tonight she has never seen in training or on an X-Man mission. Then again Clark is right in that she has never seen him when he goes out at night or what he does.

Clark rubs his chin. "I'm telling you I can still feel that Thundra's punches."

Rogue stands on her toes and kisses him on the chin. "Ah'll kiss it all bettah when we go home," she promises.

Clark smiles as his mind imagines that. He looks at her, looking her over. "Are you ok? You didn't get hurt?"

"No. Missed out on all the action though," she says in a small complaint.

"You helped get people to safety. That's important."

"Ah know," Rogue says. Doesn't mean she doesn't wish she had helped more. Sometimes she thinks her powers aren't all that helpful when they need to be taking the offensive.

"Besides I would hate to see your dress ruined. You look so amazing that would be a crime," Clark compliments her.

"Ya silver-tongued devil ya," Rogue remarks with a smile and a playful elbow into his side. The sound of someone's loud voice catches her attention. Her head turns and she spots the Human Torch looking quite agitated as he says something to the Thing. "What's got his grits all fired up?"

"Uh apparently he's unhappy that Spider-Man and Superman stole some of his thunder," Clark reports what his hearing can pick up.

"Ya serious?"

"Well I'm paraphrasing but essentially yes."

"Ya see now ah'm not sorry at all ah played that trick on him."

"Hello my fine students!" a cheerful voice silkily interrupts as Domino slides in next to her sister, a huge smile on her face which, if her skin was pink, you would say was glowing with colour.

Rogue places her hands on hips and looks more than miffed at the fact Dom only makes an appearance now. "Where have ya been?" she demands to know.

"Ask your boyfriend," Domino replies, pointing at Clark...or more accurately the expression on his face.

Rogue looks and sees Clark has wrinkled his nose. "What?"

"I...really hate having a super sense of smell," Clark complains and Domino grins wider.

"What?"

Clark leans down and whispers in Rogue's ear what his nose had determined.

Rogue's head snaps round and she looks at Domino in disbelief. "Ya slept with Tony Stark!"

A large satisfied grin adorns Domino's face. "Wasn't a whole lot of sleeping involved. None actually."

Rogue closes her eyes and shudders. "Don't need ta know that Dom." She raises a hand to her head. "No wonder Iron Man nevah showed up. He was 'occupied' with ya," she has just worked out.

Dom shrugs. "From what I can see you guys handled it. Besides I had my reasons for doing this."

"Lahke?"

"I'll explain when we get home but trust me it was all for a good cause...and not just because I hadn't gotten any this year...which I hadn't."

"Oh gawd. TMI please," Rogue begs Dom to stop.

Dom smirks at Rogue's discomfort. "Come now sis do I need to explain to you about a girl's needs. We don't all get lucky enough to find a boyfriend with unlimited stamina you know," she teases Rogue further and gets Clark's cheeks to flush with colour too.

"Unlimited might be an exaggeration," Clark says and then wonders why he is saying it since this is a conversation he doesn't wish to have in a public place. Hell it's not a conversation he wants to have full stop.

"As good as. I'm guessing you wear my little sister out long before you are anywhere near done."

"Oh stop, please, before ah drain ya!" Rogue threatens.

"Oh go ahead but then you'd get all my memories of me and Tony and this little thing he does..."

Rogue clamps her gloved hand over Domino's mouth and glares. "Sister or not ah have no compunction in hurting ya Dom."

Domino laughs and removes Rogue's hand. "I'm just messing with you. I'll stop," she says. "Although it really was an interesting thing," she murmurs.

Rogue screams in frustration.

* * *

"_Interesting evening wouldn't you agree Emma?"_ Shaw asks her telepathically so they can't be overheard as he and she wait for the police to let them go home.

Emma looks terribly uninterested. _"If that's your description who I am to say otherwise."_

"_Come now. Didn't you enjoy meeting up with your old friends?" _Shaw asks her.

Emma looks at him with a look of disdain. _"I was not friends with them. I am not friends with anyone!" _she insists strongly.

Shaw thinks Emma doth protest a bit too much but doesn't think it loud enough for her to hear. _"Selene wants to use your team soon to confront them," _he informs her.

"_You're mentioning this now? Here?"_ Emma asks, wondering what his game is. _"And why do we care what Selene wants?"_

"_Selene and her newly returned daughter. They weren't forthcoming with the details but apparently Superman is a key to a source of great power."_

Since the Hellfire Club exists to take such power for itself Emma supposes she can see why the interest. _"So why aren't we just going after Superman?" _she asks why they just don't go for him directly. Her Hellions could take him. She is certain, especially with the new recruits she has.

Shaw shakes his head disapprovingly. _ "Come now Emma. Anyone who has even studied him in passing would see how powerful he is. Taking him down involves isolating him from any sort of support mechanism first. That means the X-Men with whom he is allied and then we go after him."_

Emma considers Shaw's plan. _"Perhaps a start might be to lure the X-Men in. Pretend to reach out to them. I have already made a start on their leader Cyclops."_

Shaw smiles. _" As ever Emma you never disappoint."_

"_I would certainly hope not. The day I do is obviously the day I must kill myself."_

Shaw chuckles. _"So you shall reveal the existence of your school and your students and attempt to convince Xavier you have decided a rapprochement is required and once the X-Men lower their guard..."_

"_My Hellions will take them, leaving Superman all alone."_

"_It would be helpful if you could get some of his secrets from Volcana," _Shaw mentions.

"_She is a very guarded person. Remains so and I still cannot bypass Xavier's mental blocks."_

"_Not like you Emma. You've had her in your possession for weeks," _Shaw says, disappointed in the lack of progress Emma seems to be making.

"_And if it was anyone but Charles Xavier I would have broken through the blocks by now but as much as I despise the old fool I recognise his power. If we want what Volcana knows any time soon she has to chose to tell us."_

"_I wonder what her reaction will be when you tell her that you are reaching out to her old friends."_

"_Hard to say." _And Emma wonders why Shaw is so interested in Volcana. He didn't ask about her students' reaction. He asked specifically about Volcana. It makes her curious as to why.

"_Make the approach to Xavier soon," _Shaw advises. _"Selene is not known for her patience."_

"_Of course my King. Hellfire burns eternal."_

"_Hellfire burns eternal."_

* * *

It is, of course, important to cooperate with the police fully. That means it takes a long time before the X-Men can start making their way home. Kitty never lets go of Peter's hand to make sure he doesn't try and worm his way out of getting medical attention.

What everyone notices on the drive back is the tension between Scott and Jean who sit with a deliberate space between them.

Upon returning to the mansion there are the inevitable barrage of questions because what happened is on the news as soon as they enter the lobby.

"So Clark. Saw you getting cosy with the redhead. Nice," Bobby compliments him with a thumb's up.

"What are ya on about Drake?" Rogue wants to know, not looking pleased.

Bobby brings up an image on his phone and shows it to Rogue. It is the image of Thundra straddling atop of Clark. The press would have recorded the fight inevitably.

Rogue's head snaps round to look at her boyfriend for an explanation.

"What? She knocked me down and pinned me," Clark explains innocently. "Besides 5 seconds after that I was hitting her with heat vision and slamming her into a concrete wall."

Logan grabs the phone, much to Bobby's complaining, and looks at the image. "I thought I taught ya better than that," he complains at Clark. Honestly the kid needs to practice much more in his hand to hand stuff.

"Hey give me a break. You never saw her fight. She was better then you," Clark defends himself. "And she beat the Thing in the 5 minutes it took me to come home, get my costume and get back to New York," he continues in his defence.

"You met zhe Thing?" Kurt asks excitedly at hearing that.

"Yes. Nice guy...and Kurt. I'm sorry. I never asked how your evening went," Clark suddenly realises.

"It's...vell..."

"Well what?" Rogue asks, interested in knowing.

"Zhey didn't forbid me from ever seeing her again but...but...zhey vant to come over to zhe Institute and talk to zhe Professor and meet everyvone to see if Amanda is in any danger by dating me," Kurt explains and you can hear how nervous and in much of a panic he is about that. Amanda had phoned him a short while ago and told him of her parents' decision.

"Hey that's not so bad Kurt," Clark points out. "Well until they meet Kitty and then all hope is lost," he jokes.

Rogue rolls her eyes at another one of his hits on Kitty.

Ororo, meanwhile, is checking up on her friend. "Are you and Jonathan unharmed?" she asks Martha.

"Oh yes. Fine," Martha assures Ororo. "At least physically."

"I am not sure I understand."

"I...bumped into my once upon a time fiancé," Martha confesses with an expression that demonstrates how awkward that was.

"You were engaged? Before Jonathan?" Ororo asks, clearly surprised by this.

"I...lived a life I don't enjoying thinking about Ororo. I was someone else I didn't entirely like. In many ways Jonathan saved me from that. It's been almost 20 years since I last spoke to Sebastian and frankly if it's another 20 years or longer before I ever see him again I won't be complaining."

There is obviously a lot there going on emotionally for her friend. One day Ororo must see if she can get Martha to unburden herself but not tonight when it is obviously raw.

"So did you and Logan talk?" Martha asks in a sudden change of topic.

"We did," Ororo confirms.

"And?"

"I got him to agree to a date which I believe he thinks he will use to scare me off, push me away. He is mistaken on that. When I set my mind to a task I see it through."

"Well I hope it works out for you Ororo," Martha says sincerely. "God only knows he could use a woman like you to set him straight."

"Isn't that what what all women are for? Setting men straight."

Ororo and Martha share a laugh at that.

* * *

Eventually they get through the sea of questions and the X-Men gather in the Professor's office to discuss the evening's events apart from Beast and Kitty. Beast was treating Peter's injuries and Kitty wouldn't leave his side. There is a general summary from everyone of what their perspective was and their actions during the evening and finally they get onto Domino.

"Ok Dom. Spill it," Rogue tells her. "What were ya really up to with Stark?"

"What?" Jean asks. There was just something in Rogue's tone that made her ask it.

"She slept with Stark," Rogue states it.

Jean's eyes go wide and looks at Domino. "Y-you..." she stutters in disbelief.

Domino shrugs with a satisfied grin. "Did the horizontal tango, the dirty deed, rocked the casbah. Yep...but for good reason."

"I so don't want to be hearing this," Logan complains.

"Even if it involves Nick Fury?" Domino asks back.

That gets Logan's attention. "Fury?"

"He was there and they had a little meeting and he gave Stark a memory stick." Domino reaches down under her dress and pulls out a small black memory stick from where she hid it. "Here's a copy," she says as she throws it down on the Professor's desk. "And it is really better you don't ask how I managed to distract Stark long enough to get that," Dom advises. Her implication being sleeping with him was exactly how she distracted him.

The Professor decides to take Domino's advise, doesn't ask and simply picks the little plastic stick. "Did you manage at all to have a look at what's on it?" he asks.

"Not really. I was 'busy'...but from what I overheard Stark and Fury talking about it's mostly about that armour Luthor had. Fury wants Stark to try and fix the flaws or something so he can build his own little armoured powered force."

Logan growls. "Fury," he says it like he is swearing.

"They also talked about some sort of team. I did get a brief glance at the name from the data. The Avengers Initiative."

Logan laughs mirthlessly.

"Care to enlighten us Logan?" Scott asks, since Logan's reaction implies he knows something about this.

"It was an idea I heard being touted around when I worked for SHIELD. A group...an elite team of super soldiers to 'avenge' the wrongs of this world."

"Super soldiers?" Clark asks. "Like Captain America?"

Logan nods. "Exactly like him. SHIELD has been trying for decades to recreate and perfect the formula but as you recall from that stuff with Magneto and Rebirth they never managed it. Failing that the alternative that was proposed was to recruit a team of 'unique and special' individuals to form that team but since this almost certainly involved recruiting non-military people Fury had a hard time getting it approved."

"However the public reveal of mutants may have changed the mood music in Washington," Charles speculates.

"That's possible," Logan concedes. "And if Fury is recruiting Stark to join then we're going to have a big problem very, very soon."

"The stones," Clark whispers with guilt. SHIELD is after the stones and that means this brings closer a full scale conflict with them and their own little superpowered team now.

"Nothing has changed Clark," the Professor says, heading off what he feels Clark will say. "The reasons you must gain possession of the stones first remain. Neither Magneto nor SHIELD can have them. This just makes it more pressing for us to find them first."

"Yeah. Slight problem there is being we're at a dead end," Evan points out. He may not be the most academically inclined person but from the times he has helped he knows that they're completely stuck in the search for the stones at the moment.

Sadly Clark couldn't argue with that. They were at a dead end and unless some new clue comes up he...he isn't sure what he'll do. He may have to go to Jor-El and admit his failure and Clark cannot imagine the consequences of that.

"Is there anything ta do about what SHIELD is doing?" Rogue asks.

"We cannot stop them instigating whatever policies they choose to," the Professor says. "They are a government organisation and we must respect the law. Ideally I would prefer to have a good relationship with SHIELD but circumstances simply won't allow it at the moment. All we can do is try and keep informed on their activities and keep ourselves as prepared as possible for all contingencies."

Domino finishes retelling everything she overheard and soon after that the meeting breaks up so many tired people can get their sleep, let this sink in and in the morning they will discuss it further and make decisions about how they respond.

* * *

Later Hank wanders into the Professor's study where he finds Charles sitting alone in the dark apart from one lamp on the desk. Hank plops himself down in a chair.

"How is young Mr Parker?" Charles asks.

"The cut wasn't too deep. I cleaned up the wound and dressed it before Clark took him home."

"That's good."

"He has many scars," Hank mentions about Peter and it concerned him how someone so young has that many. Peter had been reluctant to discuss it making his usual jokes to wash off concern. Kitty had looked surprised at seeing the scars...or she may have been ogling Peter's physique. Hank isn't sure.

Charles sighs. "I guess we don't give much thought to what someone like Peter must endure alone. We always have you and an infirmary to treat people."

"I guess this brings us back to the decisions we have yet to make about who to invite to the Institute and who not and not being able to help everyone."

Charles knew he was procrastinating a little on that but how do you pick who needs the most help or whose powers might be the most useful to the team. "We will have to decide soon especially with what it is we are facing. We need more numbers. By now Magneto must have an army. SHIELD is attempting to create armoured powered agents and forming it's own superpowered team. The mutant hate groups gain followers and influence every day and then there is Sebastian Shaw."

"Shaw?" Hank inquires with loathing in his voice. He hadn't heard that name in a long time. Wished he had never had to ever hear it again.

"He was at the party tonight. I guess you didn't see him."

"No. I did not...but we can't be surprised. He is a man of great influence."

"Too great," Charles laments.

"You know something don't you. Something about what Shaw is up to."

"Shaw and his Inner Circle...we can't destroy them Hank. We tried once and look at the price we paid," Charles says with great sadness.

Hank feels the same sadness over those events.

"However I did manage to arrange a method of keeping track of his activities. If I couldn't be rid of him at least I could know what he was doing and prepare myself should he turn his attentions back to my direction."

"What method?" Hank wonders.

"I have an informant within the Inner Circle," Charles confesses for the first time which is a complete shock to Hank. "And before you protest Hank about the danger she volunteered."

"Who is she?"

"Sage."

"Tessa? I thought she left swearing never to speak to you again," Hank recalls the day Sage walked out in the aftermath of that last horrific clash with the Inner Circle.

"A performance for appearances sake," Charles explains. How else was she to infiltrate the Inner Circle unless they believed she had truly forsaken him.

"That was almost 20 years ago. She has been doing this for all that time?" Hank asks, almost astonished that Tessa could keep it up for so long...or maybe not as he recalls her nature.

Charles nods. "Yes. She chose in many ways to sacrifice what could have been her life to work her way up the organisation. It is a debt that cannot be repaid."

"What position does she hold?"

"Currently she is Shaw's personal assistant."

Hank's blue furry eyebrows rise. "That's close to him. Closer than I would have thought possible. Either she is very convincing or have you considered the alternative?"

"That she has been corrupted?"

Hank nods.

"I worry about it but I have seen no sign that she has whenever we meet. Tessa's will is indomitable as you will recall."

Hank does indeed recall. "Charles after what happened...we all tried to wash our hands of the Inner Circle. Accepting we couldn't destroy them. Instead we were destroyed by them. Yours and Magneto's friendship was lost along with the use of your legs. I...that was the day I started using my suppression serum so I could return to a normal life. Why did you not let it go?"

"Because I couldn't. If I did nothing, Hank, that would betray the memory of the friends we lost. I knew one day I would form another team of X-Men and that Shaw would eventually turn his interest back to me. Ignoring me for the last 20 years has no doubt been his way of showing his contempt for me and how insignificant I am in his view."

"But no longer," Hank can guess.

"No. For some reason, Sage couldn't give me a full one, Shaw has turned his interest back to us. They're coming Henry. Soon. From what Sage told me it will start with Emma."

"Emma?" Hank queries, not familiar with that name.

"Frost. Did I mention her to you?"

"I believe you did. Former student. Walked out after...her brother's death was it?"

Charles nods. "She always felt I was too passive in my approach. She ended up linking this philosophy to her brother's death as in if my rules had allowed her to use her powers in a more aggressive fashion she could have prevented it. There were a lot of other words I won't repeat before she walked out. That was over 4 years ago. In the time that has passed she inherited her family company from her father. I'm fairly certain she somehow altered his will to accomplish that. That brought her to Shaw's attention."

"She's a member of the Inner Circle?"

"White Queen which is impressive for only a few years membership. From what Sage says Shaw favours her greatly which explains her rapid rise. She also set up a mutant school of her own just to spite me although as far as I am aware she does not know I know all this about her which gives us the advantage when Shaw comes."

"He's going to use Emma and her students against us," Hank surmises.

"Believing I don't know that behind it all is him. It won't be a direct attack at first. You know how the Inner Circle works."

"They will seek to undermine and divide us. Try and lure some of us to their side. Weaken us from within essentially."

"I won't allow it Hank. Not this time."

"Then you need to tell the students what they are about to face."

"I will. Not today though. When Emma comes, which she will, it is better there are no stray thoughts for her to pick up on. We will let her play her hand and then I will tell them everything."

"**We** will tell them everything," Hank corrects Charles. He was there too. He has to take responsibility for also keeping the Inner Circle a secret all these years. A dread forms in his stomach because Hank knows this will get very bad. It always does when the Inner Circle is involved. All he can hope is that they don't make the same catastrophic misjudgments they did 20 years ago and that they survive the storm that is coming.

* * *

Rogue lies in her bed, almost asleep, when she feels the bed dip and strong arms wrap around her from behind. Lips gently kiss her shoulder. "Hey," her boyfriend whispers to her.

"Hey," she whispers back, happy that he's here to keep her company.

Clark just got back from dropping Peter off home. "Some night huh," he remarks.

"Tell meh about it."

"So I believe someone promised to kiss me all better," he teases.

Rogue smiles and rolls over to see the pouty expression on his face. She kisses him on the lips which evolves into a slow, exploration of each other's mouths. When they stop Rogue asks, "What was tha story with that woman anyway?"

"Not sure. She said she was from the 23rd century."

"Oh wow that's not crazy or anything," Rogue rolls off her sarcasm.

"I wouldn't call her crazy," Clark objects to that description.

"Why not?" Rogue asks, puzzled by why he is defending the woman.

"I looked her in the eye and there wasn't insanity in there. A lust for battle like Logan gets certainly."

"Clark she claims ta come from tha future," Rogue reminds him of what she thinks backs up her claim that the woman is crazy. "Ah know we live in a world that resembles science fiction half tha tahme but ah don't think tha craziness stretches ta tahme travel."

"I never said she wasn't delusional just not crazy. There is a difference," Clark defends his claim. "Besides she'll be back. She promised to return to finish humiliating me or words to that effect and maybe we'll get the true answers then."

"Ah can't believe ya let her get away."

"That's not exactly what happened," Clark defends himself. On the news it had shown Thundra's escape and Clark essentially standing around allowing it and he had been forced to explain his decision during the meeting down in the office. "I told you why I did it. It would have taken far too long to keep fighting her when I needed to go find Peter."

Rogue supposes she can understand Clark's thinking. He isn't a violent person so talking his way out of a fight fits in with his character. "What was that she vanished into?" she asks.

"Some kind of portal...although God only knows where she got that sort of technology from. I didn't think Earth was advanced enough. Then again I said the same thing about the Sentinels didn't I?"

"As ah recall, yep."

"You were right. We live in science fiction."

"There was doubt ah was right?" Rogue questions that with her usual sassiness.

Clark laughs and kisses her. "I love you," he says with deep emotion.

"Ah love ya too sugah," Rogue returns it with the same emotion.

Rogue snuggles into Clark's form as he wraps a protective arm around her. Sometimes it is just nice to lie together. Clark soon feels Rogue's body slip into the total relaxation of sleep. He will eventually drift off for a couple of hours of his own slumber, just not right now. His mind is too active as he replays the night's events over and over in his head. He really hopes he didn't make a mistake over letting Thundra go.

Clark can't help but wonder who she really is though and where she went.

* * *

**Greater Miago(Milwaukee-Chicago), 250 years from now...**

The energy within the circular structure of the Chronogate fluctuates mere moments before Thundra strides out into the facility that holds the device. She is met by two guards and her chief scientist in all the Republic, a trusted friend named Kara. They are all dressed similar except for the colour. Kara's uniform is silver while the guards dress in greys. The guards are armed with long spears and swords holster to their hips. Like all women of this time they are tall and powerfully built. They all bow their heads in Thundra's presence.

Kara steps forward to greet her ruler. She has blond hair and blue eyes and had been named after a great female hero of an earlier time, who was now an icon within this society, due to the fact she bore a resemblance to that Kara. "Welcome back Matriarch," Kara says in reverence using Thundra's title as supreme leader of the United Sisterhood Republic.

"Kara," Thundra greets her comrade warmly.

"Are you injured?" Kara asks at the black scorching upon Thundra's top.

"A trifle," Thundra dismisses it.

"You were in battle," Kara can deduce. "Was it Benjamin Grimm once again?"

"No. Much better," Thundra says grinning. "It was Superman."

Kara audibly gasps. "I-I was not aware he appeared so early in the timeline."

"Neither was I. It does not matter."

"Were you victorious?" Kara desires to know. Just because she's a scientist doesn't mean that the warrior's spirit doesn't beat in her heart.

"I halted the battle before a conclusion could be reached."

"May I ask why Matriarch?"

"Because he was only a boy. When I defeat him I want it to be the man I meet in battle."

"Of course Matriarch," Kara says in complete understanding. There is no glory in defeating a child, even a male one.

Thundra lifts her right hand, which is closed in a fist and opens it. Within are several dark strands of hair she ripped off Superman's head. She strides over to Kara and holds the strands out. "Superman's hair. I want his genetics analysed," she commands.

Kara takes the strands as if they were something not to touched. As if holding the hair of the ultimate symbol of the hated male species would contaminate her. "May I ask to what purpose?"

"Superman is the most powerful man who has ever lived yes?"

"According to our historical research that is an argument that can be made," Kara will admit.

"We must think of the future. To completely subdue the insolent male tribes that remain free on this world it will take one stronger than I. My trips through time have allowed me to understand this. Imagine if Superman's strength was added to our genetics."

The possibilities flash in front of Kara's eyes as she imagines the next generation of warriors that could be created. "I will attempt this...but it may be difficult," she cautions. "We don't have much data that has survived from the 21st century on Kryptonian physiology...and I am almost certain we will require more than a sample of his hair later."

"Then I will retrieve more later. I just want his DNA studied for the moment...and my own."

"Your own Matriarch?" Kara questions, clearly confused by the request. "Your DNA is perfect. As flawless as the day you emerged from the birthing pod."

"The future Kara. I think of the future. I am not immortal. I know this. I desire a daughter to inherit my position one day. Can you think of a better father than Superman?"

"F-Father?" Kara says in shock. They don't have fathers. Men in their society are merely slaves and nothing else as they should be. The citizens of their great Republic are grown in birthing pods where they are engineered to be the perfect warriors.

"I want you to find a way to make me compatible with Superman," Thundra states her desires.

"Matriarch...is this wise? Many will not accept it." The idea of producing children that way...ugh. It's almost unthinkable.

"Kara. The birthing pods fail more and more every year. We cannot repair them. When the last one breaks we will have no choice but to resort to procreation through sexual reproduction for our species to continue," Thundra bluntly states the position of her society. The pods are left overs from earlier times and the resources and technology to repair them no longer exists. Destroyed in the war of the Overmen. "As leader I must show the way forward our people will need to take. Besides I think I would much enjoy the method of extracting more DNA from Superman," she says with a salacious grin.

Kara hides a look her face is desperate to pull. She hopes that was her Matriarch making jest but it is hard to tell. She does not 100% agree with what Thundra is proposing, despite her Matriarch stating the dire truth of the state of the future of their species, but she will do as asked. She holds the curly dark strands of hair up in front of her eyes. Here now, within those thin strands, possibly lies the salvation of the sisterhood...or it's end.

* * *

_Author's Note: There is a past between Xavier, Shaw and the Inner Circle which will be expanded on soon. A First Class of X-Men so to speak. As for Thundra, in the comics she ended up fathering a daughter with the Hulk, using the strongest man who ever lived to create a more powerful daughter to follow her. Essentially I'm just substituting Clark for the Hulk in that desire. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Rogue starts to suspect something is off about Cat Grant leading to the question; who is Cat Grant really?_


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

**Bayville High...**

A couple of days into the new week and for once things weren't too bad. The way the X-Men assisted at the party actually got them some positive press. Hopefully they could keep the message the media put out positive for awhile.

Right now Amanda is looking for someone in particular in the halls before classes start. She finally spots him. "Clark!" she calls out.

Clark stops, turns, smiles and waves at her. "Hey Amanda. What's up?"

"Can I have a word?" she asks as she pulls him to the side...or more accurately Clark lets her pull him.

"Is something the matter?" Clark asks, concerned by her obviously agitated state.

"You know my parents are coming round to the Institute this evening right?"

"Kurt mentioned it, yes," Clark can confirm.

"I...I want it to go really, really well so I sort of need to ask you a favour."

"I don't think I'm permitted to throw everyone else into the sea Amanda."

"What?"

"Well if I throw them far away no-one can mess it up can they?"

"You're joking right?"

Clark chuckles. "Of course I am. It wasn't obvious?"

Amanda shakes her head.

Clark sighs. "Sorry. Been hanging around Rogue too long. She's really good at not looking like she is joking...or she really isn't joking. Honestly I'm still trying to work out which it is."

Amanda smiles a little bemused but shakes it off. "No I sort of...can you fix it..." she lowers her voice to a whisper, "so Superman shows up?" she requests.

"Why?" Clark asks back at a whisper while checking that no-one is listening.

"Because you saved us from getting car-jacked remember and I thought seeing you might put my parents in a more open minded perspective."

"Uh...isn't that cheating a little. Don't you want them to accept Kurt as is?"

"Course I do. It is just...I love him Clark. God I do and please, I can't bear the thought of not seeing him again."

The desperation and passion on Amanda's face makes Clark crack. He could never bear to upset any girl. "Ok...but nothing big," he lays a condition down as in he is not going to do something over the top just to make a good impression on Amanda's parents.

Amanda throws her arms around his neck and hugs him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she enthusiastically says, grateful to him.

Clark smiles, pleased to be able to help.

The moment is interrupted by raised voices engaged in an argument. Both Clark and Amanda turn to the direction it is coming from.

"Does that sound like Bobby and Roberto to you?" Amanda asks.

Clark groans. "It is Bobby and Roberto," he can confirm with his infinitely better hearing and x-ray vision. "This is getting out of hand," he complains as he rushes down the corridor and round a corner to where Bobby and Roberto are nose to nose and he can see their powers flickering on the verge of being used which they are not allowed to do at school. It was part of the agreement that allowed them to keep attending. He puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles real loud.

Bobby and Roberto actually wince.

Clark marches up to them, looking stern. "What is going...no scratch that. I know what is going on. You're arguing about Cat again aren't you."

"He started it!" Bobby and Roberto accuse the other while they point at each other.

"Ok look, you two said when this started you could be civilised about it or words to that effect. What happened there?"

"It's his fault!" the two boys accuse the other at the same time.

Clark rolls his eyes. He had promised himself to stay out of this but that isn't an option right now. "Look from the start I didn't think this was a good idea but decided it wasn't my business. Now it is clear this cannot go on because if it does...how long until you destroy your friendship?" he asks them.

Bobby and Roberto share a look.

"Is that what you want?" Clark asks them.

"Well...no," Roberto says.

"I guess not," Bobby says.

"Then I think it is time you talked to Cat and sorted this out once and for all. A decision has to be made. I think you can both see that." Or Clark hopes so anyway.

Neither Bobby nor Roberto can argue against that.

"Alright. We'll bring it to an end," Roberto agrees to do.

"Yeah," Bobby agrees. "We'll talk to Cat."

"That's all I'm asking. Thank you," Clark says grateful and relieved at them agreeing to try and bring this to an end.

The bell ringing for class signals the start of the day.

* * *

Lunchtime that day finds Bobby in the office of the school newspaper chatting to Cat about what Clark said. She is in fact sitting in his lap.

Cat smiles and kisses him on the lips first off. "Ok. I think I can understand. Clark likes people to get along. He's sweet in that way. He's a boyscout but sweet."

Bobby grins goofily at the kiss he is getting. This is oddly his most serious relationship since his powers manifested. Odd in the sense he is sharing her with Roberto. "I'm not sure I'm happy with you calling Clark sweet," Bobby says.

"Don't be jealous," Cat gently teases. "First off you're sharing me and second Clark has a girlfriend. What kind of girl do you take me for?"

"Sorry," Bobby apologises if he was implying something. "And the sharing thing is why I'm here."

Cat sighs a little. "Don't take this the wrong way Bobby, you're a great guy, but it is not as easy a decision as you might think."

"Ok I'm not sure how to not take that the wrong way," Bobby points out, making a little pouty hurt face.

"Is Roberto that bad a person?"

"No...but he's not that good a person either. Not as good as me anyway."

Cat giggles lightly. She throws her arms around his neck and blows lightly in Bobby's ear. "Well my decision might be easier if you were willing to be more open Bobby," she whispers in his ear sounding very much like a temptress.

Bobby squeaks, "Open?" He clears his throat. "Open? How?"

Cat looks like she is thinking that over for a moment. "Well I know people like Paul, Taryn and Amanda have seen more of the Institute than I have. I mean if we're going to take this more seriously shouldn't I be fully a part of your world. At least as full a part as they do."

"I guess," Bobby says, not sounding very sure of that, although she has a point he supposes.

"Why don't you think it over but don't take too long," she advises. "I mean to be fair I have to make this same offer to Roberto. It's up to which one of you is the more willing to be serious."

"Ooh that's not fair. Me and serious...we don't get along," Bobby jokes.

Cat giggles again and kisses Bobby. "Just think on it," she requests.

Bobby smiles and moves to kiss her back. Loud coughing interrupts the moment. Both Cat and Bobby turn to see Rogue standing there, an indescribable expression on her face.

"Hey, um, Rogue," Bobby says. "Something the matter?"

"Ah was just looking for Clark. Ya seen him?" she asks since he never showed up to meet her for lunch.

"Not since this morning."

Rogue frowns. It wasn't like him to not at least leave her a message. Just as she thinks it her phone beeps. She pulls it out and sees it is a text from Clark.

_Big fire downtown. Can't make it for lunch. Sorry. Make it up to you. Promise. Love you._

_CK._

Rogue smiles a little. She guesses this is what is she gets for dating a wannabe superhero. Yes she said wannabe superhero. It always gets Clark fired up when she says it and a fired up Clark is fun.

* * *

The end of the school day finds Roberto now sitting in the school paper offices with Cat Grant on his lap discussing what Clark said this morning.

"Well as I said to Bobby I get where Clark is coming from," Cat says to Roberto.

"Bobby got here first?" Roberto asks, not sounding nor looking pleased at that.

Cat shrugs with a smile that tries to say it doesn't matter. "Who got here first isn't important Roberto," she tells him. "You're wanting the same thing he wants. Me to choose."

"Like it's a choice," Roberto mutters arrogantly. On one side there is him and on the other there is Bobby. It's no contest in Roberto's opinion.

"Come now. Shouldn't I at least let him down gently? You don't want his feelings hurt that badly do you?"

Roberto sighs. "I suppose not," he concedes. He isn't that much of a douche.

"Well I will let him down if you're willing to show me you're serious about us. I mean I'm not breaking his heart if I'm just going to be another notch on your belt."

"There aren't that many notches...I mean what belt? I'm not familiar with that phrase. Is it an American thing?" he asks, pulling the act of the confused foreigner in a strange country, who doesn't understand.

Cat looks at him before stroking his face and kissing him, letting it drop. "What I mean is sure you're a great, great guy Roberto but a girl needs a showy gesture once in awhile from her guy to demonstrate his feelings."

"I can do showy," Roberto insists.

"I'm sure you can. The bare minimum I want Roberto is that I want in."

"In?"

"Like Paul, Taryn and Amanda. I still feel like an outsider to your world despite my efforts to try and humanise you and your friends through my articles. I don't need a decision right away but think on it? Please," she requests with a flirtatious look.

"I'll think on it," Roberto promises.

Cat smiles and kisses him.

Loud coughing interrupts. Cat and Roberto look as once again Rogue finds herself walking in on something she would rather not have. _ 'Why does this always happen ta meh?' _she asks herself.

"Let me guess. Looking for Clark?" Cat supposes.

Rogue nods.

"Not here. Sorry. Haven't seen much of him today actually."

"Well thanks anyway. Ah'll leave ya two ta whatevah y'all are doin," she says, making haste her escape. Rogue closes the door and blows out a breath. She then turns and looks at the door with a suspicious gaze. That Cat Grant...what she said to both Bobby and Roberto. Something is up there. Rogue has this feeling.

"Rogue?"

Rogue's head snaps round to find Clark standing there. "There y'all are! Ah've been lookin for ya."

"Sorry. Principal Kelly was giving me his 'Be more objective' speech again about my articles in the paper," Clark explains. When Kelly says 'Be more objective' Clark had realised that translated to 'Stop giving mutants a fair hearing and berate them damn you!' or words to that effect.

Rogue rolls her eyes. Kelly was such a dick. Treated mutants like dirt on his shoes. Only the school board's diktats kept him from expelling the lot of them.

Clark places his arm across Rogue's shoulders and they start to head home.

As soon as they exit the school building Rogue asks a question. "Clark how well do ya know Cat Grant?"

"Pretty well. Why?"

"Because there's something ah don't lahke about her. There's something..." she struggles for a descriptive word. "There's something...ah don't know...off about her."

"Rogue are you jealous I spend time with her?"

"NO!"

"Then what?"

Rogue explains the two conversations she overheard. "She's playin' them Clark," she says in relation to Bobby and Roberto. "Ah don't know what her objective is but ah know when someone is playing with people. She's playing them off each other ta try and get something."

Clark stops. Rogue looks at him and sees his eyelids are shut but can see his eyes moving underneath. Rogue gets mildly annoyed. "Y'all are not listening ta a word ah'm saying are ya?"

"I heard every word," Clark replies, his eyes still shut.

"Then ya don't believe meh?"

"I believe you believe what you're saying."

"Clark...what are ya doin?" Rogue asks, because his eyes are still shut.

"Replaying every conversation and every word I've exchanged with Cat to see if there is a pattern."

"Ya...ya can do that?" Rogue queries, not knowing he could do that.

"Yes. I pretty much have perfect recall. If you want I could tell you exactly how many times Kitty has said 'like' and 'totally' since I came to the mansion."

"Ah'll pass, thanks but why are you doing this?"

"Because you think something is up and I'm checking."

"Just because ah say so?"

"Of course. You're my girlfriend," Clark says as if it self-explanatory.

Rogue's face bursts into an enormous grin. See this is why she loves him.

"But if you're wrong I'll expect an apology to Cat."

And this is why she hates him.

"But I think you might be onto something," he reports as he works through his memories.

"How? What do ya remember?"

Clark opens his eyes and looks at Rogue. "It's more the things she doesn't say. When you replay them all in a row it stands out more."

"What doesn't she say?"

"Remember she didn't come to Chloe's birthday party because she said she had some family issue to deal with?"

"Yeah."

"That's the only time she has ever mentioned her family even vaguely. She has never mentioned her parents or any siblings. In fact whenever I raised anything along those lines she changed subjects."

"Maybe she just doesn't lahke her family?" Rogue proposes.

"Possible but she's attending school Rogue. She must be living with some relative but she's never made one mention. Heck even you grumble about Logan and you aren't exactly the most talkative person in the world when it comes to personal matters."

That was true Rogue must admit.

Clark's brow furrows. "You know it just occurred to me."

"What did?"

"When Cat approached me to write for the paper and I mentioned that Principal Kelly would object she said she would take care of it but never said how and how is the question isn't it. Considering how anti-mutant he is how did she persuade him to allow me to write. As Principal he can shut the paper down if he wanted to yet here am I writing my column about life at the mansion."

"Do we confront her about it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"We have no evidence Rogue. I'm not doubting what you think but we need hard evidence that something is truly off about Cat Grant before we accuse her of anything. Otherwise we'll look like jackasses."

See this is why Rogue loves being in a relationship with Clark. If it was her she would already been storming back into that office and demanding answers and risk looking like an idiot. He's the calm restraint to her short temper. "So what's the plan?"

Clark cocks an eyebrow. "I'm a reporter Rogue."

"And?" she asks.

"I go investigate Cat."

"How will ya start?"

"Her school record. It will have her full name, address, parents' names, her previous school before she moved here."

"Address? Have ya nevah been ta her house?"

"Nope. Don't know where she lives in fact. It's another of those things she has never mentioned." Clark takes Rogue's hand. "Come on," he says to her.

"Where are we going?"

"Outside the school records room. I can scan them with my x-ray vision."

"Couldn't ya just get Kitty ta hack inta tha computer records?"

"I will but the thing about computers is that they can be hacked into and altered. Paper copies are a might harder to do that with. You get both and then look for discrepancies between them...and you can actually thank Cat for teaching me that one," he says with a wry smile at the irony.

They soon reach the wall outside the records room. Clark pulls his glasses down to the end of his nose and peers over the top of them as his eyes flash electric blue. It takes a few moments scanning through records.

"How do ya do it? This scanning thing?" Rogue wonders.

"I've learned I can peel back layers. In truth even though I call it x-ray vision it's not an accurate description. I just don't think MRI vision sounds quite as cool."

Rogue snorts out a laugh before her brain registers something. "Wait...does that mean you can actually just see through clothes?"

"I would never do that," he swears. Ok except when he's on red kryptonite. Thanks to that he knows exactly where Chloe's birth mark is. If she ever finds out how he knows that she'll kill him.

"That's a yes," Rogue realises.

Clark sighs. "Yes it's practically possible for me to do," he confesses. "But I don't," he reaffirms. "In your case I don't really need to do I. My silver tongue does all the work for me," he says with a little bad-boy smirk.

Rogue puts her hands on her hips, not looking pleased. "Well it sure as hell won't beh working tonight. Ya can sleep in your own dang bed."

Clark really should just know when not to make a joke. Maybe he has been hanging around Peter too much. He continues with his work. "Huh. Cat's middle name is Jane. I never knew that," he reports from reading her record.

"Focus Clark. Ya get what ya need?"

"Yeah. I've got it."

"Next step?"

"Want to drop in on Cat's house?" Clark asks her. "Or do you want dropped off at the mansion 1st?"

"No. Ah'll come with," she decides.

Clark looks around and checks no-one is watching before he picks Rogue up bridal style and the two vanish in a blur. It's a shady spot in a park in the suburbs Clark brings them to a stop. "This is the closest I can get without risking being seen," he explains as he places Rogue down.

From the park it is a 10 minute walk to a nice pretty house. Garden and white picket fence and all. It was so clichéd and homely Rogue felt like retching. She and Clark slowly walk by, not stopping as that would arouse suspicion. His eyes glance over, scanning the house at speed.

"See anything odd?" Rogue asks.

"Yeah. No sign of anyone else living at the house."

"What?"

"There's only evidence of one person living there. Only one bedroom is used. Only one closet has clothes. There's only enough food for one person. It's how a single person would live I guess."

"Only in a family sized house?" Rogue queries.

"Must be for show...and you should see the security system the place has," Clark adds from what his eyes can see.

"Sophisticated?"

"It's on a par with the mansion and we order the stuff the military uses."

"Who tha hell is she ta have that?"

"That's a very good question," Clark says in a extremely serious tone. "It also means I won't be breaking in there any time soon to get answers. I can't see a way round it without setting off the alarm."

"Maybe ya could ask Dom or Logan," Rogue suggests. "They might have some experience."

Clark shakes his head in disbelief at one thing. "I still can't see Logan as once being a spy. I mean he isn't exactly subtle...or I have just watched too many spy movies and have the wrong impression."

"Nope. Ah agree with ya. Ah can't see it either."

Clark and Rogue keep walking along.

"So what will ya do now?" Rogue asks his next step.

"Ask Kitty to help me have a look at Cat's electronic signature."

"Her what?"

"Chloe explained it to me once. We all leave an online record. If you buy something from a shop it keeps a record of you. Your online searches are stored by the company whose engine you are using. There is a trail of almost everything you do that can be pieced together if you know how."

"Ok that's kinda givin' off 1984 vibes," Rogue says in reference to the famous novel.

"Welcome to the digital age," Clark says sarcastically.

"Now ah feel lahke ah shouldn't have bought that new smart phone," Rogue mutters.

Clark leans over and kisses her on the temple. "Sorry about that."

They walk on further down the street. Clark glances back at Cat's house silently asking the question, _'Who are you Cat Grant?'_

* * *

**Later at the Institute...**

Amanda stood with her parents at the door, nervously twirling her long hair around her finger while they waited for it to be open. She can't believe her parents really think this is necessary.

The door is opened by an woman with red hair.

"Hi Mrs Kent!" Amanda greets her warmly.

"Amanda," Martha returns the greeting with a warm smile. "These are your parents?"

Amanda nods. "George and Margali Sefton. This is Martha Kent," she does the introductions.

Handshakes are exchanged and Martha invites them in.

"So you're here to judge whether it is safe for Amanda to date Kurt?" Martha queries from them, her tone a little sharp.

"Judge is such a strong word," Margali tries to mediate that.

"But accurate. You'll find I'm not one for mincing words Mrs Sefton. In which case my opening point would be that these are some of the finest people I have ever known...and this comes from a run of the mill human whose son happens to also be dating a mutant."

George feels he is instantly on the defensive. "We just want to get the...the lay of the land. This whole thing with mutants is new and there's what they say on the news. We just want our daughter to be safe."

"I can certainly understand that but as someone who knows Kurt very well I know he would do everything in his power to keep your daughter safe. Now. I've said my piece. Charles' view was that I give you a tour, you meet the students and then you can discuss whatever you wish with him."

George and Margali share a look. "That sounds fine," George says.

Martha then leads the Seftons on a tour. The word had been spread around beforehand for the students to be on their best behaviour...as they should be whenever they have guests. The lower levels are not part of the tour for obvious reasons. One look at the Danger Room would probably have Amanda's parents banning her forever from returning.

They meet Jonathan tending his farm, getting it ready for the approaching winter. It was deep into autumn now. Around were a few of the students helping out. Primarily Sam and Paige at the minute.

The meeting with Hank was a little tense and awkward in the same way seeing Kurt for the first time had been. It eased a little when Hank pointed out they had met before when he was a teacher at the High School. The Seftons could remember how nice a man he was.

They meet Paul and Taryn who had been roped into helping Amanda's cause...ok roped is too strong a word. When they heard what was happening they volunteered to be there and be two extra humans showing no fear or worry about hanging out with mutants.

As the tour draws to an end and Martha escorts the Seftons to meet the Professor, they have to admit at being surprised by how normal in reality all the students are. How...human essentially. Margali noticed it for the first time in Kurt's unusual yellow eyes when they met him again just how much humanity there really was in him.

As they near the Professor's study the two adult Sefton's gasp as a figure walks out of the kitchen with a snack in his hand, biting into a sandwich. He stops and blinks before swallowing. "Mr and Mrs Sefton," he greets them. He looks down a little. "Amanda."

Amanda grins like a goof while mentally remembering to thank Clark later. "Hi, um, Superman."

Margali and George take several moments to look the figure over his his red boots, blue pants, blue jacket with the red S on the golden shield on his chest. "Y-you remember us?" George asks.

"I remember everyone important I save," Superman replies. Clark had once saved the Seftons from a car jacking and this is him keeping his promise to Amanda for Superman to show up.

"W-we're not important," Margali says.

Superman looks at her kindly and says with gently sincerity, "Everyone is important. Every single person matters."

"What brings you here?" George asks.

That's the question Martha is asking with a single raised eyebrow as in what is 'Superman' doing here?

"Even though I don't live here the Professor is kind enough to allow me to come over whenever I wish...and raid the kitchen," Superman jokes, holding his sandwich up to illustrate.

Amanda giggles at that.

"Why don't you live here?" George asks.

"I'm not a student nor a teacher nor an X-Man. They are my friends and allies. This Institute has a particular function in helping mutants understand their powers and their place in this world. I have my own path to follow. There always comes a day when a child leaves the nest and walks their own path. As parents I think you can understand that."

The Seftons could see that. One day, as much as they didn't like to think on it, Amanda would leave home and stride out on her own.

"May I add you have done a wonderful job with Amanda. She's a wonderful person and Kurt is lucky to have her."

"I'm the lucky one,"Amanda insists.

"That was going to be my next line."

"Oh. Sorry."

Superman chuckles lightly and shakes his head. "Don't apologise. It is not necessary. Well I should leave you to get back to your tour. I should go. There are always people who require my aid especially with this so-called Prankster around lately," he mentions. By the way Clark so didn't come up with that name but there was this guy committing crime related pranks...yes really. Clark seems to attract all the lunatics since he started this hero gig. Anyway this Prankster was causing all sorts of mischief around Bayville lately and Clark hadn't caught him yet but he was on the case. He looks to Martha. "Mrs Kent. A pleasure to see you as always," he says, for the act.

"And you Superman. You are always welcome here," Martha says back, maintaining the act while mentally noting to wring out of Clark what this is all about.

"Mr Sefton. Mrs Sefton. Amanda," he says as his farewells before he blurs off, kicking up a gust of wind.

George and Margali look at their daughter.

"What?" Amanda asks.

"You know Superman?" her father asks her to explain how.

"Well I bump into him occasionally when I'm visiting Kurt," she explains that off.

"Perhaps we should continue to the Professor's study," Martha proposes.

They soon reach the office where chairs and refreshments are already laid out in preparation. The 3 Seftons sit.

"How did you enjoy the tour?" Charles asks them in friendly tones.

"It is certainly an interesting place you have here Mr Xavier," Margali says.

Charles smiles kindly. "Yes. That's certainly one term to describe it. I believe if Logan was here he would make a remark about how that is why he tends to take long bike rides," he says in light humour. Charles brings his hands together and places them on his lap. "I understand your worry for Amanda. I worry about the safety of all my students."

"The incident at Stark Tower didn't help," George points out sounding rather unkind.

"Daddy!" Amanda protests. "You saw the news. The X-Men helped protect all those people."

For once the news media had been slightly more positive about them after that. Charles thinks Tony Stark somehow did it.

"May I point out Mr Sefton that the 6 people responsible for that attack were not mutants. They were human," Charles feels he has to say. "My mission is, and always has been, to try and promote peace between humans and mutants. Sadly there are others, both mutant and human, who would rather see us at war with each other. This Institute is to teach control of their powers and their use in aiding a troubled world. Everyone here believes in that goal. I would not tolerate the presence here of anyone who would deliberately endanger the safety of others. Can I 100% guarantee Amanda's safety? Can you? Can anyone?"

The Seftons glance at each other. They had to concede that no, not even they can 100% guarantee their daughter's safety.

"Now if you still have any remaining questions I am willing to answer them," Charles offers.

* * *

Rogue is in her room trying to do her homework when there is a knock on the door. She slides off her bed and opens it to find Logan standing there, looking kinda nervous. "Is something tha matter?" she asks him.

"No. Why?"

"Logan ya look more nervous than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Ah hate ta burst a bubble...actually no ah love ta burst a bubble, that ain't normal for ya."

Logan frowns. "You can blame Jon-Boy for this."

"Mr Kent? Why?"

"He said I should talk to you."

"About?" Rogue asks, having little to no clue what is going on.

Logan takes a breath. "Look, ya heard me and Ro are goin' out tonight right?"

Rogue nods while she folds her arms across her chest. "Yeah," she confirms she has heard Logan and Storm are going on a date.

"Well Jon-Boy said I should ask if you're going to have a problem with that."

Rogue blinks. "Me? Why would ah?"

"Because you're my daughter."

Rogue instantly becomes uncomfortable looking.

"Look I know I'm really not good at this and probably shouldn't have needed someone else to tell me to come see ya and ask but I'm here now and if you have a problem just say it."

Rogue half looks up to the side so he can't look into her eyes. "Ah don't have a problem."

"Be honest with me kid."

Rogue scowls. "Ah told ya, don't call meh kid," she snaps at him.

"Got a reaction didn't I."

"Ya are tha worst parent evah," she says with a glare.

"Probably," Logan concedes, with a tiny smirk.

Rogue's scowl softens. "Look ah don't have a problem."

"Truthfully?"

"Yes. Ah lahke Ms Munroe and...and if ya lahke her too then by all means date her," Rogue gives her permission. She can't think of any reason to have issue beyond it being slightly creepy to think of her father dating.

"Thank you," Logan says softly. "Are we...good?"

Rogue smiles a little at how silly that sounds coming from Logan. "Yeah. We're good. Go," she waves him off. "Go and have a nice tahme...dad."

Logan just looks at her. She has never called him 'dad' before. It's strange sounding yet nice at the same time. He can't help a small smile in response. Maybe this whole being a parent thing isn't so bad after all. Although he can't promise Ro a nice time since he is trying to scare her away but even in that case Jonathan had been right in saying he needed to speak to Rogue. Now that's one problem dealt with he just has to work his nerves over on his actual date and that annoying part of him that is saying he shouldn't be doing this to Ro. The quicker he drinks that part of him into silence the better.

* * *

The Seftons only have a few minor questions left and once answered things really are at the decision point. They ask for Kurt to be present. The Professor sends the telepathic summons. A few seconds later there is a knock on the door and Kurt sticks his head in tentatively.

"Come in Kurt," the Professor beckons him.

Kurt nervously wanders in, holding his tail as he does when he is nervous. Amanda is nervous too. She didn't know what her parents were thinking. Her mother was the more open to the idea Amanda knew. Her father's thoughts were a complete mystery and in the end that meant the decision really rested on him.

George looks at Kurt with a stern unreadable gaze. "I can see that you and your friends aren't like the media describe you...so I will allow you to continue dating my daughter."

Amanda leaps up and makes a little squeal of joy as she does so. She rushes round and hugs her father round his neck. "Thank you daddy!" She then goes and hugs Kurt and they share a little kiss.

"Don't get overexcited Amanda," her father cautions. "Should anything ever happen to you, Kurt here, won't be able to teleport far enough away from me," he says, being deadly serious.

Kurt gulps before looking Mr Sefton in the eye. "I assure you Mr Sefton I vould never let anyvone or anyzhing hurt mein Liebe." In response to saying that Kurt's tail protectively wraps itself around Amanda's waist.

"I will hold you to that," George vows.

After that there is not much more to say. The elder Seftons leave with Amanda staying for awhile longer with her boyfriend...whom she loves and now has her parents' permission to date. If that is not a reason to go do some serious making out then nothing is.

After saying bye to her parents Amanda walks hand in hand with Kurt back inside the mansion where they find Logan pacing about the lobby.

"What's up with him?" Amanda asks at a whisper.

"He's going out on a date vith Storm," Kurt whispers back.

"Really?" Amanda sounds surprised by that. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know. It happened zhat night I vas at your house zhat zhey arranged it."

"I guess they could be a cute couple," Amanda supposes if she stretches her imagination a little.

"Shh," Kurt begs her. "He'll hear you," he says in fear of Logan's reaction.

Logan heard her alright but he's too worked up to do something about it. Ever since he left Rogue his nervous energy had been building up. Why the hell did he let Storm talk him into this he has no idea...but it's one night. She'll see him as he really is and run a mile just like every other woman he can remember dating. That way she'll be safe. Logan fiddles with his old beat-up leather bike jacket a little as his nose catches that familiar scent of Ororo. It's easy to tell it's her. She smells like her name. She smells like the fury of a storm all bottled up.

Logan turns his head and mentally groans. He had told Ororo to dress 'down' and she had. Really she was actually in jeans and a patterned top covered by a plain blue jacket. Problem is she is so gorgeous even dressing down doesn't hide her ethereal beauty.

"Are we ready to go then?" Ororo asks him with her silky smooth tones and her eyes full of excitement, looking forward to this. She was not a woman to back down from a challenge, which Logan had set this up to be and he was going to find that she is a woman who was not easy to scare away. Besides she had challenged him to say he felt nothing and he couldn't do it so they had already crossed a line in admitting there was a mutual attraction between them. Now they just had to take the next step.

"Yeah. Lets get this over with," Logan mutters with absolutely no enthusiasm for whatever this night holds.

* * *

_Author's Note: I thought I would make a passing mention of one of Superman's villains, in this case the Prankster, to show even if I don't write about everything Clark gets up to he does have his own problems being Bayville's protector outside what he and the X-Men face. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The investigation into Cat continues and Logan and Storm's date._


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"Who are you Cat Grant?"

"Will you like stop asking that?" Kitty complains at Clark.

"Sorry," Clark says as he realises he probably has been asking that a lot. He was down in the computer room with Kitty as she worked her way through Cat Grant's life in between his trying to find the Prankster. He seriously needs more hours in the day.

Kitty sticks a candy bar in her mouth, bites a piece off and chews.

"Thank you for all this Kitty," Clark says gratefully for her aid.

"No problem," she says between chews. "Whoever they are they're good but you're right that something is off about Cat...which by the way I am like really upset about. She was the only one who shared my love of shopping."

"Who are they?"

"Don't know but they did all the usual stuff. Gave her a birth record, school attendance, the works but it's the more active data you have to scrutinise."

"Like?"

"Credit card records for example. Phone records is another. Neither of those exist for Cat beyond 5 months ago...and really these days? Who hasn't had a phone since they were like 5?"

"The start of the summer," Clark summarises when that was.

"That is when Cat Grant came into existence I'm like thinking."

"Still leaves the question of who is she really?"

"Can't give you that answer."

"The answer is probably in her house that has more security than this place."

"It was that good?"

"To the human eye no-one would notice but I could see it all. I couldn't see a way in without setting it off which would alert Cat or whoever she is that we're on to her which we don't want just yet."

"Ah my little grasshopper you still have much to learn," a voice from behind says.

Clark and Kitty look behind them as Domino stands in the doorway leaning against the frame dressed in her usual black X-Man uniform.

"Rogue told me about your little dilemma," Domino goes on to explain.

"And you can help?" Clark inquires.

"My time with Stryker wasn't all fairground rides and cotton candy," Domino answers that with, sounding a tad bitter about it all still. "All security systems have vulnerable points. Your little blue eyes, as gorgeous as they are, don't know what to look for. Also there happens to be the girl who can walk through walls," Dom points at Kitty. "And shorts out anything electronic."

"Which could backfire because she might set it off," Clark argues back. The way Kitty shorts stuff out isn't exactly a precise science.

"Um hello," Kitty says. "I'm like sitting right here. Can we not discuss me in the 3rd person?"

"Sorry Kitster," Domino says. "My point is you are the most likely person to be able to get in and shut it off...with my guidance of course and Clark's sharp eyes. That is if you are willing to help."

"Are you kidding?" Kitty asks with a cocked eyebrow. "Of course I'll help! This will be a great story to tell Peter on our next date!" she says with much excitement and enthusiasm.

Clark rolls his eyes. "Next date I have to drop you off to," he complains. "Kent Taxis at your service," he adds with a sarcastic flare. "And I don't even get paid!"

"Oh come on. You love me really," Kitty insists as the reason he does it

Clark takes a moment to think before shaking his head. "Nope. That's not it."

Kitty frowns angrily at him which on Kitty comes off as cute rather than scary.

Domino chuckles at the pair of them. She doesn't understand how they fell into this squabbling siblings like routine but it sure was damn funny. She walks over to the two teens. "Back on subject. Clark can you sketch a plan of everything you saw in that house?"

"No problem," he assures her.

"Good. Once you've done that we'll sit down and plan what we are going to do out," Domino decides. "Despite my powers I prefer not to leave anything to chance with this."

Clark agrees to Domino's plan as does Kitty. The 3 get up and start to leave so Clark an go sketch his plan.

"So how do you think it is going?" Kitty asks as they walk along.

"How what it going?" Clark asks her.

"Cha! Logan and Storm obviously," Kitty says like it should be obvious.

Clark sighs and rolls his eyes. "Kitty sometimes things are better left alone. Believe me I know too much as it is."

"What does that mean?" Domino asks, curiously.

"I have superhearing and x-ray vision, Domino, along with a sense of smell as good as Logan's do you really want me to answer what it is I see, hear and smell around here?"

"Yes!" Dom insists. The gossip monster inside her needs to be fed.

"Well tough. I'm not saying. I respect people's privacy...and that includes Logan and Storm up to a point."

"What point?" Kitty asks.

"Rogue," Dom guesses as in even if he wanted to he can't ignore it completely because he is dating Logan's daughter.

"Oh yeah. How is she taking it?" Kitty wonders.

"Quite well. I think, maybe, she is starting to come to terms with the fact Logan is her father although by tomorrow I could be saying the opposite."

"Can't blame her for that," Domino sympathises and understands being in a not dissimilar position herself. "It can be creepy to think of yourself as the product of Logan's loins."

"EW! Dom!" Kitty protests at that image.

Clark makes a small face of revulsion. "For once I agree with Kitty and that is not how it happened. I thought we agreed you and her were probably grown in some kind of artificial environment."

"And that is better?" Dom questions with an arched eyebrow about how that image of her and Rogue's creation is better. '_Yeah the floating in a glass tube scenario is soooo much better,' _Dom sarcastically mutters in her head.

Clark shrugs. "It is what it is. For all we know I could have been made exactly the same way. I pretty much accept I was at least engineered in some fashion."

"How do you know that?" Kitty wonders.

"My DNA is too perfect...too flawless to be natural. It had to be, minimally, tweaked to achieve that."

"And it doesn't like bother you?"

"What is there to bother me? I know I'm an alien. Therefore it occurred to me that how I came to be might not be the same way as humans come to be. I keep telling Rogue this; It doesn't matter about how any one of us came into existence. It is what you do with your life that matters, the choices you make...and ok I've made some stinkers in my life but, hey, that's all part of life's grand adventure."

"Good philosophy," Dom compliments him.

"Thanks. Look did that thought bother me in the past? Yes, because I didn't want to be different from everyone else but my decision to come here was about the fact I realised I had to stop pretending to be something I wasn't. Now I'm not saying that was easy. It wasn't. Believe me you don't want to do what I did to reach that point. What you need is someone there always willing to listen and understand which brings me saying that you need to have patience and give people time. Rogue always needs both."

Kitty wonders if that whole patience and time thing applies to Peter as well. She knows there is lots he doesn't talk about with her, call it woman's intuition as to how she knows but the point is she does. Peter talks and talks but he never says anything. "Well I'm like still going to wonder how it's going," she says in relation to Logan and Storm.

"Kitty I would be more surprised if you stopped," Clark says honestly.

Domino snorts with laughter while Kitty's eyes narrow in annoyance. Honestly Kitty could not tell you why she considers Clark to be a friend.

* * *

**Mary's Bar and Grill, Bayville...**

When Ororo had first glanced upon Logan's favourite watering hole she had raised an eyebrow but said nothing. In fact it was almost as she pictured Logan's favourite place to drink as matter of fact. The whole aesthetic of the place matched him.

When she sat down at the bar next to him they had been met by a rather plump woman in her 40s who Logan obviously knew well.

The head waitress/bartender/owner Mary Smith had looks at Logan with a sly grin and gets a glare back from him. "This is better than your usual company," she remarks.

"Oh and who is his usual company?" Ororo asks, with a coy look at Logan.

Mary opens her mouth but Logan never lets her speak. "No-one. She's joking. I come and sit here by myself and drink. Ain't that so Smith?" he challenges her to say otherwise.

"That's what I meant," Mary says with a too innocent grin.

"Just get me the usual," Logan orders.

"And your guest?"

"The same," Ororo says.

Mary goes and pours two beers. Logan twitches nervously and tries not to go rip a new one on the regulars who are undressing Ro with their eyes. Logan knows what they're doing. He can see it in their gaze. Hell he can practically smell it.

Mary returns with the beers and slides them to her two patrons.

Ororo picks up her glass. "Should we toast?" she queries with a playful smirk.

Logan looks at her.

"Lighten up Logan. I mean you do know how right?"

"Course I do."

"Really? Have never seen it...unless we're counting all those times you lock yourself in the Danger Room for hours getting blown up and cut to pieces."

A feral grin comes to Logan's face. "That's just my release mechanism. It's either that or I murder those kids in their sleep."

"Was that a joke? With you it's hard to tell," Ororo dryly remarks.

"Ro trust me it ain't hard to tell when I'm deadly serious...emphasis on the deadly."

"If you think I'm going to judge you on the fact you have killed people in the past you're mistaken. What matters is the fact that you made a deliberate choice to not be that person any more."

"It's not because I'm a good person ya know. It's my way of sticking it to them...to the guys at Weapon X. Every day I'm not what they wanted me to be I'm beating them."

"You never give yourself enough credit."

"You never see me as I really am."

"You're right. I don't. I see you as the man I believe you can be...but is that a bad thing Logan that I can see potential in you?"

"It's leaving you open to a big disappointment because I can't live up to it."

"Yes you do. Every day."

Logan doesn't know what to say to that. He drinks his beer. This night was already not going as he envisioned.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

In theory it sounded easy. Set down criteria on how to choose students...except it wasn't easy. It was incredibly difficult. As a compassionate man Charles wanted to be able to help everyone but knew he couldn't. He had always known that. It use to be easier when there were fewer mutants in the world.

Now with the exponential growth of the mutant population he faced the dilemma of who to pick to join the Institute. They needed...

Charles stops. The other night he had said to Henry they need greater numbers to counter all the threats that they faced and that was true but it had been said in error. Numbers alone isn't the point. They have to be the right people.

Just then the phone rings and he answers it. "Charles Xavier speaking."

The person on the other end responds, "Hello Charles. It's...it's Emma Frost."

_'And so it begins,' _Charles says in his head. He forces some surprise into his tone of voice. "Emma! It's...it's been a long time I must say this is a surprise. We didn't part on the best of terms."

"Yes I must apologise for my vulgar language at the time. I was young and uncouth. I can assure you it is a phase I have grown out of."

"You have no need to apologise Emma. You spoke in anger and grief. I understood."

"Most magnanimous of you."

"So what prompts this phone call?" he asks, although he knows.

"That is something I wish to discuss in person with you if that is possible."

"Certainly. I would be delighted to see you again. I know we never got a chance to speak at Tony Stark's function."

"Yes well that's what happens when 6 crazed villains crash a party isn't it," she says with her usual sarcastic flare.

"So where and when would you like to meet?"

"I am still in New York. Business issues. You'll thank me not to go into detail. It is hideously dull most of it. That will take me to the weekend to wrap up so how about I simply come to the mansion this Saturday?"

"Saturday should be fine," Charles agrees. "Any particular time?"

"Well I must have my facial, manicure and pedicure done first so lunchtime?"

"I will have a meal prepared for us to speak over."

"Sounds delightful."

"Then I shall see you then."

"Indeed. Farewell Charles."

"Until then, Emma."

The phone call ends...yet Charles knows their problems are only just beginning.

* * *

**Mary's Bar and Grill, Bayville...**

It had taken a good hour but Ororo had finally gotten Logan to relax. He and she were engaging in a game of pool and she was finally starting to see the real him instead of the front he had attempted, poorly, to put up tonight. "Five Ball. Side Pocket," Ororo says just a moment before she pockets it.

Logan looks bemused if anything as he puffs on his cigar. "Where did ya learn to play like that?"

Ororo smiles lightly. "Upset you're losing? That's what you get for letting me have so many shots."

"And people say I ain't a sportsman."

Ororo smiles wider. This is what she means by saying she has gotten him to relax. He's actually speaking to her in a light-hearted manner.

"Seriously though Ro. Where?" he asks because it is strange how comfortable she looks in this kind of place. Like she fits in where a woman with her grace should never be.

"I was a thief Logan and bars are easy marks. Drunk patrons don't notice when you pick their pockets," she explains as she sinks the 6-ball. She elegantly glides around the table. "Anyway that means I spent a lot of time in bars having to blend in so I played a lot of pool."

"Ro...you wouldn't have been old enough," Logan points out.

"They weren't the type of establishments that cared too much. In fact I've been in places that make this look like paradise by comparison. Besides by the time I was 15 I could pass for older and get in, no questions asked. I blossomed young you might phrase it."

Ororo bends down and misses her next pot letting Logan back in but it isn't a long stay as she had left the cue ball in a bad position for him. He misses.

"Well we can see Rogue certainly never inherited her skills from you can't we. She's good," Ororo jokes.

"I don't think pool skills are inherited Ro."

Ororo mentally works out the shot on the 7-ball. "You ever watched her and Clark play each other?"

"Once. Damn scary how good they are."

"Rogue loves the challenge. You can see it on her face," Ororo had observed. "Clark, I think, is good because his mind works out the angles and calculations in his head, probably within seconds."

"Perhaps but I think there is more to it than that."

"What do you mean?"

"Kid comes off as a boyscout, sure, but we both know he has a darker side to him." In other words Logan thinks Clark's pool skills came from playing. Call it a hunch but he has seen pool sharks and that one time he did watch Rogue and Clark he could see they both had that certain way of playing that pool sharks do.

"As do we all," Ororo says in reference to having a dark side as she bends down and pots the 7-ball by bouncing it off 2 cushions. It was a shot a professional would struggle with.

"Damn," Logan mutters impressed.

Ororo smiles at his comment and moves round to make the simpler final shot on the 8-ball. She pots it, winning the game. "I win," the African woman announces proudly.

"Yeah. This time. Next time I'm kicking your sweet behind."

"Bring it on," Ororo dares him with her own little feral grin.

Logan pulls his cigar out of his mouth and grabs his beer. He drowns the last remnants of it before he racks the balls back up. "How 'bout you break this time?"

Ororo shrugs and breaks the rack.

Logan bends down and aims up a shot. "I think you're wrong by the way."

"About?"

"You don't have a dark side."

"Certainly I do," she contradicts him with certainty in her words. "You don't spend time around the Shadow King without developing one," she says solemnly. She wasn't angry. More regretful of a past she wasn't proud of.

Logan pots the first ball "The Shadow who?" he asks.

"The telepath I mentioned. His name is Amahl Farouk but he was known in the criminal underworld as the Shadow King. I guess it was suppose to sound intimidating. My sister and I were part of a whole gang of street children he controlled although I believe we were only a minor part of the enterprise he ran. With his power I suspect his influence ran up to very high circles."

Logan stands up and wanders around the table to the next shot. "What happened? How did you end up in this country?" he asks her something he has never asked her before.

"Charles. He was on one of his adventures when he came to Cairo and ran across me and my sister. I'll spare the details but eventually that led him to confront Farouk. They engaged in psychic combat and Charles defeated him. Afterwards he brought my sister and I back here with him to this country."

Logan chews that over. "When was this?"

"Oh 15 years ago for all it matters."

"That doesn't make sense. I'm pretty certain Chuck was in his chair by then," Logan says from what he knows.

"He was...sort of. It's complicated."

"Uncomplicate it."

"Do you know who put Charles in his chair?"

"Never asked."

"It was Magneto, the day their friendship ended."

"Chuck told you this?"

Ororo nods. "Some of it. I get the impression much of it is too painful for Charles to wish to talk about in detail. Besides severing Charles' spine Magneto also left him behind something which kept him out of that chair for a few more years for periods. Some sort of magnetic clamps attached to the spine. They were designed to help people with spinal injuries. An attempt to show how mutant powers could be useful. Created when Charles and Magneto were friends. However only Magneto could recharge the devices so as soon as the charge ran down..."

"Charles was stuck in his chair," Logan can deduce the rest.

"Egypt was a last hoorah of a sort. He had used the devices sparingly for a few years. That adventure used up the last of the devices' charge."

Logan shakes his head. "I still can't imagine Chuck as this idealistic adventurer," he says unable to picture it.

"I don't think he was as idealistic by that point. This was after him and Magneto had gone their separate ways. In fact, if anything, I can remember a deep sadness about him."

Logan bends down for his next shot. "I never knew all that," he admits.

"Did you ever ask?"

Logan looks up with an expression that says it all. He isn't the type of person who asks about stuff like that. He returns to the shot and misses.

Ororo smiles mischievously. "Tsk. Tsk. You sure you've played this game before?"

Logan had to say she was cute when she was being playful. He also can't help but have more admiration and respect for her after hearing her story. This Farouk guys sounds like a piece of bad news that Logan would have no guilt over gutting. Yet there she is graceful, kind, charming, serene. It says a lot for her inner strength. "You tell this story to everyone?"

"About my past?"

Logan nods.

"If they ask I don't lie but I do not volunteer it either. It can be hard to explain...especially since now I am suppose to be a role model and teach children about how wrong it is to steal and lie."

"Yeah. That's kinda my view on my life too."

"Yes it is," Ororo says with a strange smile. That proves to her they do have things in common. She bends down. "Left corner pocket," she indicates where this one is going and proceeds to do just that.

"You're killin me here Ro."

"Well if you wish we could try another game. How are you at tiddlywinks?" she asks with a playful spark in her eyes.

"Not funny," he says gruffly.

"Yes it is. You just lack a...what is it called again? Oh yes. A sense of humour," she jokes dryly.

Logan growls. Infuriating woman. Worse part is his instincts aren't pushing him away like he wanted. The more they spend time here together getting to know each better a bit better the more his instincts are pushing him to get closer to her. "Doesn't that mean your sister had already had the Porcupine by the time you came here?" he works out, the thought just suddenly striking him.

"Evan? Yes," she confirms. "His father was working in Egypt when Vivian met him. Viv fell in love with him despite herself trying to keep him away from our world. He was there when Charles saved us. It's...a long story Logan and perhaps the details can be saved for another night," Ororo decides not wishing to spend their entire 1st date retelling that story. It's not 1st date material.

Logan makes a small grunt sound that means he isn't really bothered about hearing it...although he can't help but be a little curious to hear the rest of it one day.

Just then 6 thugs, for lack of a better term, enter the bar. All wearing those FOH armbands.

"Oh terrific," Logan mutters.

"Logan. Remain calm," Ororo advises. They don't want to start something.

The 6 FOH guys walk up to the bar and order drinks. Once they have them one of them walks up to Logan. "I know you don't I."

"I don't think so bub. I think I would remember someone who smelt like yak urine."

Ororo shuts her eyes and shakes her head. That's not the right thing to say when you're looking not to start to a fight.

The guy's 5 friends now surround Logan.

"Yeah I do know him. You're one of those mutie freaks aren't ya?" another one says.

Logan grins wolfishly. It had been awhile since his last fight and nothing would make him happier than knocking the hell out this mutant hating garbage.

"This bitch your girlfriend?" another one asks in reference to Logan.

"She's one of those freaks too. I recognise her!" another one says.

Ororo wished this could end peacefully. She feared that was unlikely knowing this type of person as she does. She could see the unreasoning hatred of her and Logan in their eyes.

"That's it. We're taking this trash out. Respectable places like this aren't for your kind," the leader of the group decides.

"Mary!" Logan calls out. "Your insurance paid up?" he asks.

"Try not to put up my premiums too high Logan," Mary requests, knowing there is no way Logan isn't going to be fighting these guys.

"No promises."

Ororo can see where this is now inevitably heading. "Logan, be gentle," she requests, not seeing any point in stopping him but not wishing to see even these sort of people permanently harmed in a way she knows Logan can easily do.

"Can't promise that either but they'll live to see another day."

"You threatening us freak!" the leader of the group gets in Logan's face.

"Nah. You're too dumb to understand when you're being threatened," Logan says with a deliberately insulting tone.

"We are going to take you ap..."

The leader never finishes that sentence as Logan head butts him and metal skull meets normal human skull. Because Logan is kind of short he hits the guy square in the nose breaking it and blood flows freely as the guy lies on the ground.

"Get him!" another one shouts and 3 jump Logan while the other 2 move towards Storm.

Ororo remains calm as they draw closer, despite the menacing glares she is getting. "Please move back. I am more forgiving than my friend but it has its limits," she calmly warns them.

The two guys pull knives out. "Don't think so mutie bitch."

Ororo can see these men must be taught manners. She tightens her grip on the pool cue she still has in her hand. In a swift motion she uses the cue to disarm one man and then she swings it in one fluid motion upward into his jaw sending him reeling down to the floor.

The other man moves to attack her but as light as the wind Ororo spins out of the way of the blow and the man sails past. She brings the cue and slams it into the kidney area of the man, before spinning it round skilfully across her shoulder and slamming it into the side of his head and down he goes.

Ororo then is forced to duck out of the way as a man goes flying over her head and lands on the pool table, which breaks under the strain. She looks at Logan who is already down to the last thug who he has lifted up his jacket.

"You're just lucky my lady friend is here bub. Otherwise you would be discovering what your guts look like."

"I'm not afraid of you!" the man angrily shouts.

"That right huh?" Logan asks with an evil grin. He brings his left hand directly under the guys chin and pops the two claws on the end so they bracket the guy's face. "I have a third claw. Guess where that one is and what it will go through?"

"Logan," Ororo chastises. "Put the deranged thug down please?" she asks pleasantly.

Logan does so only for the wind to pick up instantly around the man who starts spinning round and round in a mini twister of Storm's concocting which then blows him out through the door until he lands on the ground outside. Before he can recover he finds his pals being dumped atop of him.

Logan dusts off his hands. "Take my advice," he says with a severe scowl. "Don't come back here or you'll find me in a less generous mood," he gives the only warning he will give.

"Logan. Most of them are unconscious," Ororo points out.

Logan shrugs and walks back toward her.

Ororo shakes her head at him and smiles. "Well you certainly know how to show a lady a good time."

"You...really mean that don't ya?" Logan asks, befuddled at the almost glow of amusement of Ro's skin.

"Of course. I told you, you couldn't scare me away. Besides I found that a nice way to unwind even if it was a little short in duration," she complains about the fight not lasting longer.

Logan laughs in disbelief at the fact she seemed to actually enjoyed that.

Ororo then sighs. "They seem to get more numerous every day that passes," she says in reference to the membership of mutant hate groups. It saddened her rather than angered her.

Logan stops next to her. "Welcome to the world Ro. It sucks."

Ororo leans over and kisses him. Her hand rises up to his cheek and gently turns his head more toward her and he doesn't resist. When it is over she says, a little breathless, "It doesn't completely suck if you have someone to share it with."

"Guess, thanks to these jerk-offs interrupting us , I owe ya another date."

Ororo strokes his cheek. "You don't owe me anything and if that is your way of asking me out again it needs work."

"Beats my usual way."

"Which is?"

"You. Me. Motel room," he says somehow with a perfectly straight face.

Ororo gives him a curious look as her lips quirk slightly. "If that is your usual way I'm surprised you've ever dated anyone," she lightly critiques.

"Actually I'm usually cruder than that but since you're a lady I'm choosing polite terms."

"So this mean you've changed your mind about us?"

Logan sighs. Part of him still wanted her as far away from him as possible but he couldn't give her the condition she wanted of saying he didn't want her. He did. More so after spending the night with her. "I'll give it a shot and that is all I can promise. On the plus side you already know what awaits you when I get you back to bed and how great it is."

"Such modesty!" Ororo exclaims in jest.

"Ah. Ya know me Ro. I'm all about modesty."

"It's going to take more than one date to get me back there. Just to warn you."

Logan grins wolfishly. "I'm the Wolverine darlin'. Half the fun is the chase and the hunt."

"You'll find me a challenging prey," Ororo warns him.

Logan grin grows wider. The bigger the challenge the bigger the reward at the end. It seems Ro understands him better then he thought. This should, at the very least, be interesting.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The investigation into Cat Grant continues as Emma arrives for her lunch with Charles._


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

**At the Institute...**

"So what precisely is tha plan again?" Rogue asks Domino as they stand outside the mansion this chilly Saturday November morning.

"Easy. We know Bobby, Roberto and Cat are meeting up this evening to sort out their little threesome so while she's busy Kitty gets inside her house, bypasses, or if necessary disables, the relevant security using my knowledge and Clark's eyes and we have a look around and see if we can find out who she really is."

"Ok. Ah see. That being tha case what's with tha van?" Rogue asks pointing at the white nondescript van Domino had picked up in the last couple of days.

"What? You've never watched any spy movies? It's our secret spy van! Spy vans are cool!" Domino says with all the enthusiasm of a little child.

Rogue gives herself a face palm. "Ah can't believe we're related," she mutters.

Domino wraps an arm across Rogue's shoulder. "You know you love me really little sis."

"Can ah get back ta ya on that?"

The back door to the van opens and Kitty steps out. "All the equipment seems to be working," she reports from her checking it all. There is a kind of excited nerdy gleam in her eye at how cool this van is. "Although I have like got to know where you get a spy van all totally tricked out like this?" she asks.

Domino shrugs. "I know a guy," she replies vaguely.

"How?" Rogue wants to know.

"I was 20 years old before Stryker came looking for me Rogue. I did have a life before him."

"Ya nevah talk about it."

"There isn't much left to talk about. Stryker made sure no-one would miss me. There's nothing left of that life for me to go back to even if I wanted to...which I don't. My life is here now with you guys," Domino says in a flat tone which shows how she doesn't want to talk about it.

Domino doesn't want to talk about her past. Something she has in common with Rogue. Rogue guesses that proves they really are sisters.

* * *

Later that day an expensive looking white sports car pulls up at the mansion door. The car's door opens and out steps Emma Frost dressed in jacket, top underneath, pants and boots, all in white and all sinfully expensive. She had decided to 'dress down'. It is all about making an impression. Life is all about presenting a certain impression of yourself to others. Anyway she is here to make Charles think she is here to heal the wound and lure the old fool and his precious X-Men in to where exactly Emma wants them.

Emma takes a moment to acquaint herself with the mansion. She could see the differences with her memory but that isn't surprising. It was blown up and rebuilt after all.

Emma strides elegantly to the door and rings the bell. Several moments later it is opened. Emma arches a perfect eyebrow at the appearance of the one who opened the door. "Seriously Logan you're still wearing that old wife-beater?" she critiques Logan's clothing choices.

Logan's eyes narrow. That voice, that attitude...he sniffs the air...that scent. "Frosty?" he queries in complete surprise.

"Oh that nickname never gets old," Emma sarcastically complains with a roll of her eyes. "And seriously we're still doing the sniffing? Have you ever heard of violation of personal space?"

"Oh yeah. It's you," Logan confirms to himself. No-one else was ever this cutting.

Emma brings a pleasant but still rather cold smile to her face. "Of course it is. How are you doing old man?"

Logan gives her a small glare at that. "What brings you here?"

"Charles never mentioned I was coming for lunch?"

"You're his guest?" Logan inquires. The Professor had said a guest was coming but never gave a name. Now why didn't Chuck say who it was is a question Logan will be asking at some point.

"Yes. I am. Now are you going to invite me in or have me forgotten your manners along with your past?"

Logan growls softly at the stab at his missing past. "This way," he says gruffly. He is surprised that she is Chuck's guest. He remembers when she left...hell you couldn't miss the way she left. Emma's voice has quite some carry on it. You could have probably heard her all the way in Canada. Point is there was a lot of anger and vulgar language involved. The kind of anger and hurt that usually means you don't come back, especially in Frosty's case since, even back then, she was the sort of person who never let a grudge go. When Frosty resented ya she would resent ya for life so what is she doing back here having lunch with Chuck?

Emma follows Logan in silence, her eyes, ears and telepathic senses taking in everything around her. As they pass a few of the students Emma suppresses her smile at the all too obvious hormonal thoughts in regards to her from particularly the boys...although there is one or two she picks up from at least one of the girls. Emma is use to it. They should hear what goes through her students' minds about her. Positively R rated.

Logan leads Emma to a small dining room which hadn't been used often in recent years. There the Professor is already waiting.

"Emma. So good to see you again," Charles greets her warmly.

"I'm sure," she replies dryly.

"Thank you Logan," Charles says to his friend in gratitude.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever," Logan says, still clueless about what is going on as he turns and leaves.

Emma rolls her eyes at Logan's 'eloquent' use of language. "I thought you would have bought him a dictionary by now," she remarks.

Charles actually smiles a little wider. "I see your wit hasn't lost its cutting edge."

"I certainly hope not. A world without me to point out people's flaws is unthinkable."

Charles stretches his hand out at a chair opposite him across the small dinning table. "Please sit. Lunch will be here shortly."

Emma sits herself down, as always holding herself in complete poise.

"So I must ask what made you decide to contact me after all this time?"

Emma takes one moment before giving her answer. "It started when I saw the X-Men on television battling the giant robots. It got me to start rethinking over my time here, the current situation regarding mutants and of our future. When I saw yourself at Stark Tower it crystallised in my mind a thought I had been having that whatever unpleasantness existed between us in the past must be laid down if we are to provide a future for our kind."

"I am pleased to hear you say that Emma. The future is important but what sort of future is it you envision?"

"Not Magneto's if that is what you're asking. A world ruled by that man...I think I may just have to kill myself if that ever happened."

"I certainly would hope you would never choose to deny the world your charming wit and intelligence Emma by ending your life."

"It would be a tragedy I agree," Emma says in rather haughty tones.

At this juncture Martha enters with lunch and serves it out to Emma and the Professor. Charles thanks her and she departs leaving him and Emma alone once again...as he would prefer so Emma can't pry into anyone's thoughts. He is making sure she doesn't try to do so.

Teacher and former student begin their meal while continuing to talk.

"I'm a little surprised," Emma says.

"At?" Charles queries.

"That you would have humans stay here."

Charles can hear a sliver of bigotry in her tone but decides not to call her out on it. "I fight for a world where humans and mutant live together in peace as equals Emma. Why would it be a surprise that I would have a few to assist me?"

"Humans despise us."

"A small minority only. After all when you were having your nails and face done this morning I'm going to guess it was a human who did that."

"Well of course humans have their place."

And Charles can guess where Emma thinks that place is. Beneath her. "Your language concerns me Emma."

"I am not Magneto, Charles. I'm not looking to engage in some wasteful, pointless war but if our kind is to survive we must be prepared to be more proactive in dealing with the threats against us," she states her belief.

"We've had this debate before," Charles points out because this is what Emma was saying before she left.

"I know that and it is still my belief. However..."

Charles arches an eyebrow. "However?"

"I will not change my belief and you can expect me to continue to argue for it. However, if we are to survive, we must bring as much of mutantkind together as possible into a united front. Therefore I am willing to look past our differences and work together for the greater good."

"I am pleased to hear that. May I ask you to elaborate how you think we should do that?"

"Certainly. As I said my views have not changed and I set about creating the means to pursue them so I have set up my own mutant school."

"I'm flattered," Charles says, implying she copied him.

Emma almost can't keep the scowl off her face at that comment. As if she did it to flatter him. Senile old fool. She simply carries on saying, "I call it the Academy of Tomorrow as children are our future, our hope for tomorrow, after all."

"Appropriate. What is it you propose Emma?" Charles asks.

"An alliance between us and our schools and our respective students. We can do more together than apart."

Charles lets her stew for several moments while he continues with his meal. As usual Martha's cooking was excellent. "I, of course, wish to see mutants united in a common cause, Emma. I, therefore, would hope you and I can find a way to bridge our differences," he says, playing along and keeping all options open. He has to balance this carefully in making Emma think he doesn't know why she is really here.

"Excellent. That being the case I propose a start is for myself to invite you and your X-Men to my Academy outside Boston and for our students to meet. That would give the two of us a further opportunity to work out the details of our partnership."

"Well obviously I will need to discuss that with the X-Men first before I can give you a definite answer," Charles cautions, which gives him a way out, should the students not agree with what he is doing after he has talked to them and informed them of everything.

"Naturally," Emma says. "Also I would like to extend my invite to your ally; Superman."

Charles doesn't need to fake a surprised expression at this request. "Any particular reason?" he asks. "Superman, whilst a friend, is not a member of my Institute."

The reason is of course because Selene wants Superman captured so Emma needs him in a place where she can study him and see if he can be persuaded or tempted over to her side. If Selene deems him important than Emma must have him. For her response to Charles, Emma shrugs and tries to play it off as not very important. "Idle curiosity mostly. You only need a rudimentary understanding of the x-gene to see he is unusual but if he refuses my invite that's his choice and changes nothing over my offer of an alliance."

"Well Superman comes and goes. His visits can be infrequent and unpredictable. I can't guarantee I'll see him to ask but if I do I will certainly let him know of your generous invitation," Charles tells her while wondering what Emma's true game is at making that invitation specifically for Superman.

"As I said. Idle curiosity. Not important to our aims."

"So do you have a date in mind for us to visit?"

"Whenever you feel it is suitable. I am returning to my Academy tonight and will be there for, most likely, the next few weeks without needing to leave. There is no immediate rush for an answer beyond the need to address the situation facing mutantkind as soon as possible." Emma reaches into her purse and pulls out a small white card. She holds it over the small dining table. "My personal number," she explains what is on the card. "When you decide, call me."

Charles takes the card and smiles politely. "I'll make it as swift as possible," he promises her.

Emma waves that off a little as if it doesn't matter when it most likely does. Shaw was correct. Selene has little patience. Emma returns to her lunch. She and Charles engage in some banal small talk but it is simply to pass the time. The important part of the conversation is over and so far Emma has to say it went more or less as she expected. She completely believed Charles would accept her offer as she knew Charles would not pass up an opportunity to try and reconcile. He was that foolish to think she could be 'changed' or 'see the error of her ways' or some other such crap. He would agree to come to her Academy. Emma was certain of that and that would be the beginning of the end for the X-Men.

* * *

After the lunch is over Emma makes her departures. Charles waves her off from the entrance of the mansion. He rests his hands in his lap and contemplates his next step as her car speeds off through the gate and out of view.

"So...was it as you expected?"

Charles looks to his right as Hank comes to stand next to him. "Yes. Emma invited us to attend her academy."

"Trap?"

"Too early in proceedings I believe. More likely the beginning of trying to lure us in and get us into a vulnerable position. I haven't heard any word from Sage that says otherwise and I'm certain Shaw will personally direct it the day we are suppose to be taken down. What concerns me is that Emma made a particular invite to Superman."

"You think Shaw might have an eye on Clark?"

"Possible. Clark's power is such that it would interest the Inner Circle. His heroics were always inevitably going to draw attention eventually."

"Then it is time to tell them the truth," Hank insists on telling the students.

"It is," Charles absolutely agrees. "First, though, I need to go to the bank and get something from a security deposit box I put away for safe keeping."

"What?"

"The truth of the first class of X-Men."

* * *

**Bayville Suburbs...**

As night falls a certain nondescript white van pulls up to the kerb a couple of streets away from the house of a certain Ms Cat Grant. They weren't so stupid as to park right outside the place. Didn't need to when Clark could easily spy on the place from here.

The gang of 4(Clark, Kitty, Domino and Rogue) had become 5 when Domino had realised Kurt's teleporting powers would be useful and he was never going to turn down the chance to be a spy for the evening. They were just waiting for Cat to leave on her night out with Bobby and Roberto so were sharing stories as they sat in the back of the van, all dressed in dark clothing to blend into the night better.

"So like finally caught that Prankster guy huh?" Kitty asks Clark. It was in the paper this morning along with a photo of the Prankster being carted off to jail.

"Yep. Thank God. If I had to put up with one more stupid prank I swear I would have lasered him to pieces," Clark says in relief he finally tracked Oswald Hubert Loomis aka the Prankster down. This was obviously a guy who spent way too much time in his basement making his arsenal of trick items to commit his prank related crimes...or is that crime related pranks? Oh well in either case it's over.

"I cannot believe vhat you did to zhe Human Torch," Kurt says in disbelief to Rogue who was retelling what she did that night to him.

Rogue smirks and shrugs. "He had it coming. Ya should hear his thoughts and then ya would agree with meh."

Domino has a good long laugh a she remembers that bit with the Human Torch through the buffet table. That was hilarious. Even Clark chuckles a little. It was funnier now than he had thought it then. "Only Kitty gushing over Tony Stark was funnier," Clark lightly jabs.

"I like did not gush over him!" Kitty insists, an annoyed expression over her face.

"Ok. I'll take that back," Clark decides. "It was Janet Van Dyne you gushed over."

"I..." Kitty pauses and cocks her head to the side. "Ok I may have gushed over her a little," she concedes, "but she makes like the most totally awesome clothes."

"Who went inta a full fangirl squee ovah tha Thing Clark?" Rogue asks him.

"Now you're blatantly exaggerating. I did not squee over the Thing," Clark argues. "I don't squee over anything...and I really need to step saying squee. It's not even a real word."

"Sure it is," Kitty insists.

"Who's the writer here?" Clark asks back. "And who has memorised the dictionary?"

"You memorised it?" Domino asks, looking slightly bemused.

Clark shrugs. "Photographic memory and perfect recall. Once it goes into my head it never leaves."

"That sounds more like an eidetic memory," Kitty argues.

"Could well be I suppose," Clark is willing to concede.

"How come no-one is asking me about what I did that night?" Domino complains.

Rogue gives her a look. "Because we all know what ya did and we would all rather not think about it. Ah don't need images lahke that in mah head."

"Hey my whole night wasn't Tony Stark you know. I met celebrities. Real life ones and you all know why I did what I did with Stark."

Rogue looks to Clark whose gaze turns to her for a moment and he shrugs as if to say just let Dom talk.

Rogue sighs and rubs her head. "Ok Dom. What did ya get up to?"

Domino grins. "Well let me see here. First off I..."

"She's leaving," Clark interrupts her reporting Cat is leaving her home. "And sorry for interrupting you," he apologises to Domino.

Domino sighs. "Always. I always get interrupted. With my luck you would think I would catch a break but no," she mutters in complaint. She slips into professional mode. "Check on your ear pieces," she says to Kurt and Kitty. She speaks into the microphone of the communicators. "Testing, testing. 1, 2, 3...how are you hearing me?"

"Good," Kitty and Kurt say in response.

"Alrighty then! Kurt you know what to do," Dom says, taking charge.

Kurt nods. Kitty offer out her hand which Kurt takes and they vanish in a puff of blue smoke. The 3 left behind cough and wave the smoke away.

"That's worse in a confined space. Next tahme make them leave tha van first," Rogue complains between coughing fits.

"Noted," Domino croaks as she tries not to choke.

Kurt and Kitty reappear on the roof of Cat's house. It was one place where the security did have a hole since it did not take into account a girl who could phase into the attic. Kitty does exactly that with her and Kurt. "Alright. We're inside," Kitty reports at a whisper.

"Fire up the laptop and let us see what signals we can pick up," Domino orders over the comm link.

Kitty pulls her laptop out of the bag on her back. She sits down cross-legged with the computer on her lap and fires it up. "How's the data link?" she queries.

Back in the van the laptop's signal is being transmitted and they can see what is on the screen. "Looks good," Domino reports back.

Kitty gets to work at what she does best. "Her Wi-Fi has crazy levels of encryptions on it," she soon discovers.

"Can you break it?" Domino wants to know.

"If I had like a month maybe. This...isn't going to work this way. I'll need to try to break into her own computer manually," Kitty concludes.

Back in the van Domino looks to Clark. "Where is Cat's computer?"

"One of the bedrooms has been turned into an office. Get Kitty to go 5 feet to her left and she'll be right above it."

"Did you hear that?" Domino asks Kitty.

"Yeah. 5 feet to my left." Kitty starts to move.

"Her other left!" Clark says urgently and can be heard by Kitty.

"Oops," Kitty says sheepishly. She and Kurt move the other way. "How's that?"

"One pace forward and she'll be right above it," Clark can report.

"What's the security like for this room?" Kitty asks as she takes that solitary pace.

"We think there's motion sensors that cover the door and window. Phase directly down from where you are and don't go near them and move slowly," Domino tells them.

Kitty takes Kurt's hand and phases them down through the ceiling until they glide down to the floor in the room beneath. They then walk slowly on their toes toward the computer up against the wall. Kitty turns it on and plugs her own laptop in which has some software she wrote to crack encryption, which they will certainly have to do.

"Alright I'm at the first password entry. Lets see how good I am." Kitty starts her programs running. It takes a few minutes before she can happily report, "I'm in. Ok lets see like what we have here," she says as she peruses over the icons.

Kitty takes some time going through everything she can think of and finding nothing.

"Maybe zhere's nozhing to find," Kurt suggests. Maybe they've made a mistake about Cat.

"Maybe," Kitty might concede. "However if we are like super paranoid for a minute and assume our computer might just possibly be hacked then we would set it up to look normal...to appear to work and be just like any other computer." Kitty taps her finger on her chin as she tries and decides where to go next. "In fact if she is really good then this whole part of it is a fake to throw you off the scent."

"Do you have an idea?" Dom asks over the communicator.

"Who's the computer genius around here?"

"Isn't that Ray?" Clark's voice breaks in over Kitty's communicator.

"Oh you are so not funny Clark," Kitty lambastes him.

"Yet you are dating someone whose humour is lamer than mine. Can't imagine what that says about you."

"When I get out of here prepared to be pranked back to the stone age Kent," Kitty vows.

"I'll make sure to leave a space in my schedule," he responds dryly.

"I'm killing him," Kitty says to Kurt.

Kurt's heard that before. "Um can ve focus on Cat. You had an idea?"

"Yes. Right. I do. First we reboot the computer," she says as she does it.

"Vhat next?"

"When you start a computer up there are always options. Usually everyone ignores them but if I go into them..." Kitty does just that. "Well, well. Look at that."

"Look at vhat?"

Kitty points at the list of options. "The bottom line. There's a number but no description. That shouldn't be there. Lets choose that and see what we have."

Kitty does that and...lets out a sigh. "More encryption. Ever get the feeling someone like doesn't want you to know something."

"I get zhe uneasy feeling of how scarily easy you make zhis look," Kurt says with some trepidation about what Kitty could gleam off his computer with barely a few strokes on the keyboard.

Kitty grins a little evilly. "You should my dear fuzzy blue friend. You should."

"Any idea how long this will take?" Dom asks.

"No. This is much more sophisticated looking from what I can tell so far. You just get Clark to keep an eye out for Cat returning and I'll work on this." Kitty pulls her pony tail tighter and redoubles her effort.

* * *

**Downtown Bayville...**

When it came to a decision on one thing Bobby and Roberto had managed to agree on where to meet Cat and bring all of this to a head. In the end they had agreed on a simple diner. Yeah not very fancy or anything but since one of them is going to end up dumped by the end of the night why waste money on some place nice?

They both sit on one side of a booth while Cat sits opposite them, drinking a warm beverage as her eyes gaze at them. "I made a similar point to both of you about who wants to take this seriously."

"I do!" Bobby and Roberto say at the same time and then glare at each other.

A small amused smile comes to Cat's pink coated lips at how the two boys look. She sobers. "We really must take this seriously. I like both of you, I truly do."

"I like you too," Bobby and Roberto speak again in sync and glare at each other once more.

Cat suppresses her smile this time. "Yet, like I said, I don't feel like I'm as in as others who only count as friends. Surely I mean more to you two than that."

"Of course you do!" the two boys says in stereo and then go back to glaring at each other.

"Then where do I stand? On the outside? I don't want to sound pushy but my emotions are not a toy. When I choose to give my heart to someone I want to know they are willing to open their heart to me, let me into their lives, and we have reached that point where I need to know which of you is willing to do that. I can't promise that it will be a 'Happy Ever After' but I can promise you a hell of a good time."

Bobby and Roberto sigh dreamily at that image. "Oh, good time," they say with far off daydream gazes.

Cat almost bursts into a laugh at their expressions. She coughs lightly to snap the two boys back to the here and now. "So tell me. Where do I stand? On the outside or on the inside?"

"On the inside," Bobby and Roberto say together once more and once more glare at each other.

"Before I make up my mind on which of you I date I want proof you are both sincere. Isn't that the least I deserve?" she asks.

"Suppose so," the two boys chime in harmony and really, honestly, they are not meaning to keep doing this.

"Well then, will you let me in?"

"How?" the two boys both asks together.

"Will you stop that?" Roberto complains at Bobby.

"Me? It's all you that's doing it," Bobby fires back.

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

The two boys glare at each other. Roberto still can't believe Cat is struggling to choose. After all there is no doubt in his mind which of the two of them is the better choice. Him. If he needs to prove it he can.

Bobby can't believe what Cat sees in this egotistical jerk. At least Bobby has his sense of humour. He doubts Roberto can even spell humour. If he has to prove he is the better choice then he will.

"I enjoy two handsome young men fighting over me as the next girl but you asked me how you can prove you are sincere," Cat breaks up the little glaring contest.

"Yes," the two boys say together. They glare at each other with more anger than before. Both have the same thought about doing whatever it takes to prove to Cat that they're the one she should choose.

"Well I have an idea about how to do that," Cat says with a sly grin pulling at her lips.

* * *

_Author's Note: Domino channelling the 11th Doctor there with her spy vans are cool remark. Clark gets a surprise invite to the Academy of Tomorrow. That'll make that trip more fun. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The true identity of Cat Grant is revealed._


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

**Bayville Suburbs...**

Back at Cat's house Kitty was slowly starting to peel back the encryption of whatever it is Cat is hiding and it must be big. This was top of the line encryption like the government used.

There is a bored sounding sigh from beside her. "Bored Kurt?" she inquires with the corner of her lips curling up in dry amusement.

"No offence but yes. You do zhat while all I do is just stand here ready for zhe emergency exit should Cat return."

"Well I shouldn't be much longer. I like think I am almost through...just a few more hacker tricks to go through and..."

Kitty tries her last trick and the screen on Cat's computer changes to a red symbol on a blue background. A symbol of an eagle within a shield. The emblem of SHIELD.

As the implication of this sinks in Kitty can only say, "Uh oh."

* * *

**Later at the Institute...**

Despite the cold nip of the November night air Logan was out by the cliff edge puffing on one of his cigars. He is not someone renowned for deep thinking but he does have things to occupy his thoughts. Ororo for starters and he can't stop the little grin that forms when he thinks of her.

Despite how long he has known her since they started getting closer he has discovered that he really doesn't know her...or at least there is a side of her he has never seen before. One he finds he likes.

Logan's brow suddenly furrows as his nose picks up several scents. He turns his head as Space Boy, Jinx, Stripes, Half-Pint and the Elf come wandering over to him. Now what is this about? "I thought you guys were out playing spy," he remarks.

"I'm insulted. I don't play at anything," Domino responds challengingly. "I do or do not," she says with a smirk.

"Nice Star Vars reference," Kurt congratulates her.

"I try."

Logan rolls his eyes. "Is there a reason you're here?"

"Apart from throwing ya off this cliff?" Rogue says with a positively evil smirk.

"I don't need this," Logan tells them.

Clark moves onto the more serious subject that brings them out here. "How's your knowledge on SHIELD agents?"

"It's been awhile since I was around so patchy. Why?"

"I'll explain in a minute but first have you ever heard of a Sharon Carter?"

Logan's eyebrows rise in surprise at hearing that name spoken. "Agent 13? Yeah, I've heard of her. Never met her."

"Agent 13?" Kitty asks about that.

"It's her codename," Logan explains while looking for an explanation of what this is about.

"That may be her codename with SHIELD but right now she is going by Catherine Grant," Clark informs Logan, his voice tight with a burning anger that is beneath the surface at discovering someone he called a friend, someone who convinced him to start considering a career in journalism, turns out, in reality, to be a spy for Fury.

Logan's hands clench into fists and he resists the urge to pop his claws. "Fury," he growls angrily as he comes to understand everything. "She's been sent to spy on us."

"Yep," Dom confirms.

"You're certain?" Logan just has to ask before he goes postal on what turns out to be an innocent person instead.

"Kitty pulled her communication logs off her computer if you want to see them."

"I'll take your word for it. I am going to gut Fury!" Logan swears.

"That's your solution ta everything," Rogue criticises. "If ya cool your temper we talked it ovah on tha way back and came up with an idea."

"What idea?"

Clark begins to explain it. "If we know she's a spy and she doesn't know we know then surely we can control what she sees and what she reports back to Fury."

"If we confront her or Fury, he'll simply pull her out and send someone else in her place," Domino explains what seems obvious. "This way...well it may not buy us a huge amount of time."

"What do ya mean?" Logan asks for clarification..

Kitty answers, "From her communication logs it seems Fury has been pushing at her to get more information quicker."

"That's typical Fury," Logan reports about the man.

"It also explains what ah saw her doin' with Bobby and Roberto," Rogue points out. "She's been playin' them off each other more and more lately, which is why they have been fighting so much, in tha hope of gettin' one of them to slip up, ah guess and reveal something." Or at least that is what Rogue thinks has been going on.

"She's good. You've got to give her that," Domino says in reluctant praise. "Anyway the point is if Fury is impatient and thinks she isn't succeeding won't he replace her anyway so even if we do what we propose it may only buy us a few weeks."

Logan rubs his face. "We should talk to Chuck. He'll need to know." And then they can decide together on the proper response to this.

"We_ really_ do," Kitty agrees.

"Why?" Logan asks at the urgency the half-pint said that.

"Fury has been pushing her in particular for information on me," Clark tells Logan. "Well me and the stones. It seems SHIELD is as stuck as we are in the search for them...which is half-good news I suppose." Good in that SHIELD is apparently no closer than Clark and the X-Men are if what they gleamed so far off the communication logs are to be believed but they only had time to skim over them so far. "The point is we really do need to decide what we do about Agent Carter and make a decision urgently before she either gets suspicious or finds some way to discover what we don't what SHIELD to know."

The group start to walk back to the mansion, to have that urgent talk with the Professor, when Clark spots a familiar pink car parked out front. "That's Cat's car. Did you know she was here?" Clark asks Logan.

"Nope. You didn't know?"

"We returned the back way," Dom explains how they never noticed it.

"What's she doing here?" Rogue asks. "Ah thought Bobby and Roberto were meeting her in town unless..."

"Ah no. Don't say it!" Kurt says, having an inkling what Rogue was about to say.

"Unless what?" Kitty asks.

"Unless she's already managed to manipulate them into letting her down into the lower levels in some attempt on their part to prove which of them is better," Clark states.

"Please. Even they aren't that stupid," Domino says.

"I wasn't stating a possibility Dom. I was stating a fact. I can see them. They're in the lower levels," Clark elaborates. As soon as he saw Cat's car he had started looking for her with his x-ray vision.

Logan growls angrily. "I am killin' those two," he mutters menacingly.

Clark vanishes in a blur and a gust of wind. Kurt teleports leaving the others to sprint back to the mansion.

* * *

**Down in the lower levels...**

"So you're looking for 3 magical stones?" Cat queries with a cute baffled expression as she peruses the walls of this room Bobby and Roberto are showing her.

The two boys advance, pushing at each other to try and reach her first and point and explain.

"They're not..." Bobby begins

"...exactly magical," Roberto finishes.

"They're..."

"Not her concern," a stern, deeply baritone voice interrupts before the two boys can reveal any more.

All 3 spin round to find Superman standing there, his expression stern, his arms folded across his chest.

"Superman!" Cat exclaims in surprise.

"Enjoying the read Ms Grant," Superman returns her greeting. "Or do you prefer Ms Carter?"

"What?" Cat laughs off, with a puzzled expression.

"No? How about Agent 13? Is that better?" Superman asks her, an expectant look, waiting for her to drop the façade.

"I...what?" Cat simply says, still looking very confused.

"Uh...Superman. What is going on?" Bobby asks with his own confused expression.

Superman looks at Cat with a deep penetrating gaze. "Do you want to tell them?" he asks her.

"Tell them?" Cat asks with confusion, looking, or trying to at least, completely baffled.

"You're good at the act. I'll give you that," Superman compliments her in a backhanded way.

"Can anyone clarify what is going on?" Roberto asks, looking equally as confused as anyone else here.

"Cat Grant does not exist. She's an agent for SHIELD sent to spy on us. Her name is Sharon Carter," Superman states it.

Bobby and Roberto look at her.

"I don't know what he's on about. I'm not an agent for SHIELD," Cat says, sounding a little on the defensive.

Superman looks at her crossly, annoyed that she is still trying to maintain the act when he's seen the truth with his own eyes.

"In that case," the Professor says as he rolls in from behind Superman, "you won't mind submitting to a telepathic scan to confirm this."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not submitting to a scan," Cat refuses. "I'm not any sort of agent or spy," she denies what they're accusing her of being.

Logan walks in now and growls at her. "Lady I can smell liars...and the stink you're producing is suffocating because you're lying out yer ass."

"And I can hear liars," Superman adds. "Like when I said who you were you're heart rate increased as did your body temperature. Classic signs of lying. I thought SHIELD agents would have been better at hiding it though."

Rogue walks in now. "In case that isn't enough we also copied your communication logs off your hard drive. Want ta see them?"

"I...I..." Then it is suddenly like a switch is hit. 'Cat's' whole demeanour and stance changes and she looks like she physically ages 5 years in front of their eyes. Gone is the high schooler and in her place stands a completely different person, who suddenly looks about to be in their mid 20s and who knows they have been caught. You can almost see her body tense up, ready to defend herself should this turn physical. "I was following orders," she states blandly.

Logan snarls. "You can tell Fury to stick his orders up his..."

"Logan," the Professor interrupts before vulgar language is spoken. Charles looks at the young woman. "Agent Carter," he addresses her by her proper name. He had barely gotten a summary of what was going on but it was enough to raise even his temper but, unlike Logan, Charles kept it restrained.

"You can't have been surprised this was coming. You least of all Logan," she says in reference to the fact Logan use to work for SHIELD and he should know how it works. Sharon looks at Superman and reminds him of the following, "Fury told you he couldn't drop it."

"And I told him he has no idea what he is dealing with," Superman retorts. "You are so far out of your understanding you are doing nothing but endangering yourselves."

"That sounds like a threat." And neither SHIELD, nor Sharon Carter personally, respond well to threats.

"And you couldn't be more wrong," Superman counters her. "I'm trying to protect you from what you cannot possibly understand."

"No-one asked you to."

"No-one ever has to. That's the point."

"SHIELD doesn't need protecting."

"Yes. You do," Superman says solemnly.

Charles brings, what is a debate neither is willing to back down on, to an end. "Logan. Please escort Agent Carter off my property," he says with a deadly seriousness that he rarely uses.

"My pleasure," Logan says with an eager grin to throw one of Fury's stooges out. Logan marches over and grabs her arm. She resists. "Either you walk or I carry you lady. Your choice," he tells her.

Sharon yanks her arm back and walks under her own power. "This is not over. You know this," she chooses to make her final words.

"Give Colonel Fury my greetings," Charles says flatly.

Logan shoves Carter in the back and out of the room.

Clark watches her go. The second he spotted her down here, in this room, he knew that any plan of keeping 'Cat' at arms length to control what SHIELD would learn was over. She had already seen too much so there was nothing to do but confront her.

The Professor turns his attention to Roberto and Bobby. "I cannot begin to describe my disappointment in the two of you," he says and you can hear his disappointment in his voice and see it in his expression.

"We didn't know she was a spy!" Bobby defends himself and Roberto. Roberto nods in agreement because that's right.

"That's not my point," Charles says sternly. "Even if she was just Catherine Grant you should not have brought her down here. There is a reason the elevator is passcode protected. There are secrets other people aren't meant to know."

"Other people know," Roberto argues.

"Yeah," Bobby agrees. "Like Paul and Taryn and...and Clark's friends; Chloe and Pete," he tries to argue in his defence.

Charles remains outwardly calm as he gazes at the 2 boys. "Your logic is flawed," he states. "In each of those cases my permission was sought first. Did you two do that in this case?"

The two boys expression is the same in it being 'Oh shit!' because, no, they never asked.

Charles continues, "Also it was made plain that those people would undergo a telepathic scan by me to assure their trustworthiness. We can easily assume Agent Carter would never have agreed to that." Charles gazes hard at the two boys. "I can remember what it is to be young and to have feelings for someone but as members of this Institute you two have greater responsibilities. If you cannot handle them then you need to reconsider what you are doing here. Now you will go to my office where we will discuss all of this in detail and your punishments. Domino, if you will escort them there please," he requests.

The previously unseen monochrome mutant enters the room, her face unusually stern in its appearance showing she shares the anger and disappointment at the two boys. "Move it!" she snaps in shrill tones.

Bobby and Roberto start to leave, their shoulders a little hunched. They stop next to Clark.

"Uh, Clark, sorry about this," Bobby says. "You know with SHIELD learning stuff about the stones."

Clark fixes a harsh glare at them. "Rogue," he addresses his girlfriend, his voice tight. "Will you please tell them that I am in fact not angry about that. Since we know Lionel Luthor is helping SHIELD they probably know most of this. What I am annoyed at is the fact that half my life story also happens to be on these walls and that I most certainly didn't want SHIELD to know."

Rogue turns to the two boys, her face seething in anger, utterly pissed off at them. "You're idiots!" she snaps, summing it up succinctly.

"Thank you," Clark says gratefully.

"You're welcome."

With that the two boys leave with Domino.

"Do we know what she saw about your life?" Rogue asks with concern for her boyfriend's safety.

Clark sighs and rubs his head. "No. Not completely. Hopefully we caught them before she had a chance to have a close look."

"I'll be sure to ask Bobby and Roberto during our talk," Charles promises Clark.

"Thank you Professor...although this makes our lives more complicated. There are going to be consequences."

"No doubt," Charles says, a little concerned about what those might be but they had no choice but to confront Agent Carter. It was too late to do anything else.

"Yeah. Aren't we just goin' ta have ta wait until SHIELD sends another spy now?" Rogue points out.

"It would take awhile to get anyone close to us again," Charles reasons. "We must find the stones with all the haste we can."

Clark sighs deeply. "Except I'm not sure where to turn to Professor. Obviously Lionel doesn't either or SHIELD wouldn't be spying on us...except they must have been planning to spy on us long before that," he suddenly remembers and that puzzles him a little.

"What do you mean Clark?"

"From our investigation Cat Grant came into existence at the start of the summer which is before this whole thing with the stones kicked off as far as we know."

Charles contemplates that for a moment and comes up with a possible explanation. "It's possible the original plan to spy on us started after our public début in New York. I suspect the government would demand it after all of that and it was simply expanded to include the hunt for the stones after your confrontation with SHIELD in the desert."

"Possible I guess," Clark supposes as he strokes his chin and thinks.

"There was something about communication logs?" Charles queries.

Clark nods. "From her computer. We made a copy off her computer."

"We will have to take a detailed look at the data you brought back from Agent Carter's computer to see if we can confirm any of that and see what picture we can draw about what SHIELD are up to presently," Charles determines.

"Sounds lahke a plan," Rogue says.

Clark nods in agreement. "Yeah...although this might make school a bit harder," he mentions.

"In what way?" Charles asks, curious about where Clark got that from.

"Cat got Principal Kelly to allow me to write for the paper. Now we know how she did it."

"Pressure from SHIELD," Rogue realises what Clark is hinting at. It was probably part of the whole working her way into their lives scam she had going. "And now that's off he can petty much do what he wants. Great," she mutters despondently.

"Not completely," Charles modifies that. "He still has to answer to the school board whom I remain in touch with on a regular basis...although I can't promise your writing career won't suffer Clark." What goes in the school paper Kelly can decide.

"I can have Kitty set up a blog on our website and still post my 'Life at the Institute' pieces if it comes to it," Clark tries to find a bright spot.

Charles manages a small smile. "Well if you will excuse me. I have a chewing out to deliver."

"Give them a double one from meh," Rogue requests because she is so dang mad at those two boys right now.

"I'll take that under advisement," Charles gives the diplomatic response. He turns and rolls out of the room. He had planned to talk to the X-Men about Emma, Shaw, the Inner Circle and the previous incarnation of the team this evening but, by the time he has dealt with this, it will be really too late into the evening. It can wait until the morning he decides. Emma is waiting for his reply after all. In the morning he will reveal the truth.

* * *

**The SHIELD Hellicarrier...**

Nick Fury had just gotten off the comms with Agent Carter. Not the best news he has ever had that she has been made. He wonders how the X-Men did it. Carter had been trained to resist mind probes and she never reported that was how they managed to uncover her. He'll get a full report from her when she gets back.

In the meantime he will have to concoct another means of spying on the X-Men and their 'ally' Superman. For right now Fury was heading through the corridors of the Hellicarrier to have words with a certain 'guest' about something Carter did manage to find out before she was caught.

Fury passes by the two guards standing outside the door as he enters the room to find Lionel Luthor next to Douglas Ramsey(Cypher), sitting together on a couch, playing video games. Luthor and Ramsey had spent most of the last 2 months in each other's company, healing for the injuries they received in the Sahara and had struck up a weird friendship, Fury cannot explain, during that time. Fury let the kid stay because he didn't know what else to do with him. His mutant power and the fact he was close to Magneto makes Ramsey too valuable to send to Child Care Services which is where he would have to go since the kid's parents wanted nothing to do with their mutant son.

"You lied to me Luthor," Fury just goes ahead and says it.

Lionel glances up at the SHIELD director before he pauses the game he is playing with Douglas. "I believe I have been entirely truthful," he calmly argues back.

"We had a deal," Fury reminds him. A presidential pardon for Luthor's help in finding the 3 stones.

"Which I've been honouring and since I am not a mind reader Colonel why don't you just tell me what you are talking about."

"The 2nd stone you thought was in China," Fury begins to raise.

"I told you Colonel I had that temple searched for a month and found nothing. I don't know why you thought you would be more successful." Fury sent a team to go search the temple a couple of weeks ago Lionel knows.

"You forgot to mention the fact there is a map depicting the stone's location," Fury reveals what it was Carter had managed to find out before she was caught.

Lionel's face forms into a mask of deep thought. "Map...map...map," he murmurs over and over to himself.

Cypher helps at this point having translated Lionel's journal for Magneto and therefore read about what Fury is speaking of. "There was suppose to have been a map drawn for the Emperor at the time when the stone was hidden," he reminds Lionel.

"Oh yes!" Lionel says. "Thank you Douglas," he says gratefully to the boy for the reminder.

Cypher smiles at the compliment. Lionel, as it turns out, is a surprising nice man who had kept him company as he recovered from his injuries and spent time with him. More than his own father ever did even before the whole becoming a mutant thing.

Lionel looks up at Fury and gives his explanation for his memory lapse in relation to the map. "Colonel, you must understand that, I have to recite this information from memory and part of the reason I wrote all this down, in that journal, was so I didn't have to remember it. I was a very busy man, with an international company to run, so forgive me if pieces of the puzzle escape me from time to time. As for that map, as far as I recall, I spent close to 20 years looking for it, without success. Even if it has survived all this time I do not know where it currently is."

Fury chews on the toothpick in his mouth as he weighs up whether Luthor is being honest or not. "What about the other stone? Have an inkling?" he asks.

"All I know is that it was in Rome until the fall of the Western Empire. After that it vanishes from history." What Lionel is withholding is the fact he knows you only need to find 2. The one in China and the one, he has discovered, this 'Superman' has. Then you can use the 2 stones combined together to find the 3rd stone. Lionel doesn't know the details of how that works but is certain he could figure it out. He has no intention of telling Fury this because by not telling him Lionel drags this out until he is ready.

Fury will just have to wait until he fully debriefs Carter to see if she discovered anything else...and oh he isn't trusting Luthor for a second by the way. He hasn't done since this started. Unfortunately he needs Luthor. "Well if anything else comes to mind that may be helpful you let me know," Fury tells Luthor.

"Of course Colonel," Lionel assures the man. "I'll give it all the thought I can."

Fury eyes Luthor for one minute more before leaving.

Lionel and Douglas resume their game. "So where were we?" Lionel asks Douglas.

Cypher speaks in binary, directly controlling the computer and the screen switches from the game, which is only a cover for their real activities, to a direct link into SHIELD's mainframe which Cypher had managed to create that allowed him and Lionel to keep track of everything SHIELD was up to and Lionel had convinced Cypher that it was better that they kept this fact a secret to themselves. "Why are we spying on your son again?" Cypher asks.

"As much as I love Lex he has a tendency to make poor decisions. As his father I feel I must protect him as much as I can and that means I must know what he is doing and if anyone knows what he is doing SHIELD would." Lionel pauses and adds more emotion to his tone. "I made mistakes raising him," he says sadly. "I know that but fate gave me a second chance at life and I hope it will mean a second chance at having a good relationship with my son. I truly appreciate your helping me with this Douglas. One day, after I have been pardoned, I will repay you for I am in your debt."

"You...um, you don't really have to do that."

Lionel smiles. "Modesty. A rare trait these days," he says as a compliment to the boy. Lionel returns to what SHIELD is saying Lex is doing. "What is he doing?" Lionel suddenly says in a hiss.

"What?" Douglas asks, worried by Lionel's sudden mood change.

Lionel calms himself and regains control over his emotions. "He has made a partnership deal with Donald Pierce, who is a very bad man," he tries to explain it as simply as he can what it is he sees in front of him on the screen

"Should we tell Fury?" Cypher asks, with that innocence in his eye, not really understanding the games spies play.

"No," Lionel chooses.

"Why not?"

"I know who Pierce is but proving it is more difficult. We need to keep an eye on this and prepare. Pierce will double cross my son and SHIELD and we will have to make sure he fails. We have to play this carefully Douglas. Pierce is a well connected man. We have to make sure he doesn't know we're onto him. We'll keep this between you and I and we will stop him. Ok?"

"Ok," Douglas agrees, feeling that if this is what Lionel thinks is best he will go along with it.

"Good. Now lets us discover everything we can about this project Pierce is supposedly helping my son with. Since it is for SHIELD it must be important so while we must stop Pierce we must make sure the project succeeds."

Cypher could see that and if he is to seize his second chance he must help with what Lionel is proposing. "This may take a few minutes even for me," he informs Lionel.

"That as much time as you need. I'm here with you," Lionel assures the boy who smiles gleefully at having a pusedo-father figure. Lionel smiles...at the boy's naivete. Befriending him is all for a cause, Lionel's cause. Oh Pierce does have to be stopped. Lionel knows what 'Circles' Pierce plays in and they must not get their hands on the project Pierce is helping Lex with. Lionel must discretely find a way to gain control of this project and Cypher is the key to that. Hence befriending the boy despite him being a mutant. As Lionel reads over what it is his son is up he can see more and more clearly this project is what will restore Lionel all the power he lost and then...then everyone who has ever crossed him will pay.

* * *

_Author's Note: This was truthfully not my original intent for Cat. I really did just imagine her as a periphery character who helps push Clark into journalism but then I got into my head that SHIELD needs to be spying on the X-Men somehow so Cat Grant became an undercover Sharon Carter. Been awhile since we've seen Cypher and Lionel. Thought it was time we caught up. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The story of the first X-Men and we catch up with the 'fine' students of the Academy of Tomorrow._


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 43

**At the Institute...**

The Professor had called the X-Men together in his office without saying why. It irked Scott a little, not knowing, but then again he hasn't been having the best week so irking him isn't hard. Jean is still being...completely irrational about the fact he dated Emma a couple of times 5 years ago. 5 years ago! Honestly it hardly like it matters. He's dating Jean now. He loves Jean and no-one else. She needs to let it go.

The other irksome thing was Bobby and Roberto and what they did with Cat 'Spy for SHIELD' Grant. To say Scott was not happy was a massive understatement. Those two had had words from him on top of ones from the Professor and Logan. Ok Logan didn't as much talk as threaten to castrate them if they ever did this again. Anyway Scott can see he's going to be needing to keep a closer eye on Bobby and Roberto to see if they really are up to being X-Men potential. They had been given a punishment but some menial task for them to perform was hardly the point. It is more to see if they actually learn the lesson of this. If they don't or can't then some serious rethinking about their role here will become necessary.

"Thank you for coming," Charles brings the meeting to order. "I asked you here because we are soon going to be facing a grave threat."

"What threat?" Logan demands to know, instantly on edge at the prospect of facing something that may endanger the students.

"I will explain in time," Charles promises. "But first I would like to begin with a photograph and a story."

The Professor then lifts off his lap an old photograph, torn and faded at the edges and he places it down on the desk. This is part of what he went to the bank to collect from the security deposit box. It is the only thing he needs to show the assembled group around him for the moment. It is a group photo of several individuals dressed in some kind of blue and yellow costumes. Everyone gathers in around the desk and has a closer look.

"Who are they?" Jean asks, her brow drawn down deeply in puzzlement.

"They are the first X-Men," Charles replies.

"WHAT!" virtually everyone exclaims and 5 seconds after that a barrage of questions, discussion and debate rises up.

"Oh my God. Can you like believe this," Kitty says to Rogue.

"Ah know," Rogue says, stunned as anyone by the revelation that there had been another team before them.

"I like mean blue and yellow. What were they thinking?" Kitty asks with a disapproving shake of her head.

Rogue just looks at the girl. A major revelation gets dumped on them and Kitty is complaining about their colour combinations? Seriously? What is wrong with the girl? And by the way Kitty's uniform; yellow and blue...ok it's a darker shade of blue with the strip of lighter blue down the middle with only yellow gloves, belt and a bit of yellow on the inside collar and really doesn't look as remotely hideous as the uniforms in the picture do but still Kitty's uniform has the colour yellow and the colour blue in it so Rogue doesn't know where Kitty can get off being that critical.

The Professor slowly brings things back to order. "I know it is a shock and I know you all must be wondering why I have never mentioned this before and in time I shall answer all your questions. For the moment please let me tell my story," Charles requests.

Everyone accepts his request.

"Thank you," the Professor says gratefully. "To start with I formed the first X-Men for pretty much the same reason I formed them today. As living examples of how our mutant gifts could be used to benefit mankind. I hoped to head off what was coming the day we were publicly revealed so I formed this team and then offered its services to the government."

There are many shocked expressions at that.

"You told the government about mutants?" Scott asks, sounding unhappy that the Professor would have done that.

"Not precisely," Charles gently corrects Scott. "Some branches already knew mutants existed. Like today many of them were hostile. I thought the best way to counter this was to work with them and let them see us for what we truly were. It didn't work out as I hoped which I will explain later in my story."

Kurt, meanwhile, is looking closely at the photo and at one individual in particular. "Zhat's you!" he exclaims in surprise at a man in the centre of the photo, standing and with hair.

Charles smiles lightly. "Indeed. It is," he confirms. He runs his hand over his now bald head. "The years have not been entirely kind."

There are a few snickers at that joke.

"Oh now don't say that Doc," Domino says. "I'm sure you can still make the ladies swoon," she sniggers.

Charles sighs with a small roll of his eyes at Domino's humour.

Logan moves and picks up the photo off the desk. He snorts and his head snaps as he recognises the person standing next to Charles. "That's Magneto!"

Charles remains calm. "I have made no secret of the fact Magneto was once my friend Logan. He was also not always such a bitter man. He was never entirely comfortable with this idea of a partnership with the government but he did not hate humans on the scale he does now. He, in fact, helped me recruit everyone you see in that picture."

"Yeah so ya care to explain why Mystique is there too?" Logan almost dares Chuck to explain.

"Mozher?" Kurt exclaims. He takes the photo from Logan and notices what he didn't before. Tucked away, half-hidden at the back is a woman with blue skin and red hair. His mother. He looks to the Professor for an explanation.

Charles takes a moment before answering. "That picture was taken over 20 years ago, Kurt, before you were born. I have no answers, I'm afraid, to any questions you may have about your father. Whoever he was, Mystique met him after she left. I was as surprised as you were the day we all learned Mystique was your mother. To answer your question, Logan, yes we were friends but as with Magneto that friendship soured and you know where we stand now."

"She looks just like she does now," Kitty observes. Mystique, in other words, hasn't aged.

"She's a shapeshifter Kitten," Ororo reminds Kitty as in Mystique can make herself look whatever age she pleases.

"I never asked her, her age," Charles says, feeling it wasn't his business and not wishing to be forceful when he was trying to form the team. "However I got the impression from things she said that she might rival you, Logan, in terms of longevity."

"She's zhat old?" Kurt asks in disbelief. How much else didn't he know about his own mother?

Logan growls, scowls and glares at the elf.

"Not zhat you're old, Logan," Kurt quickly tries to get out of the hole he just dug for himself, in panic at Logan's expression.

Charles feels he needs to say something to Kurt. "Kurt, I hope you don't feel I held anything from you about her. I'll give my reasons why I never mentioned any of this before but equally there is a lot about Mystique I don't know and she never told me...and even what she did say you can't always trust it was the truth. She's good at keeping her secrets."

Rogue snorts. "That I believe," she mutters in contempt. Clark's hand squeezes her on the shoulder gently in response since he knows how much hurt Rogue feels over Mystique.

"Who were the rest of them?" Evan asks.

"Well there's me," Hank points out. He takes the photo from Logan and points at one figure in the back row. "This was before I started taking my suppression serum. My mutation was not as pronounced when I was young." This is illustrated by the fact he is not blue. The only indication of his mutation is overly large, prehensile feet like he has now.

"That's the Mr Cassidy we met on Muir Island," Clark says, pointing at a teenager in the photo with a mop of curly red hair. Clark can see that despite the passage of time it is definitely him and they met him when they dropped Nitro off. Him and his daughter, Theresa.

"Sean, yes," Charles confirms. "He went by Banshee. He has the ability to produce supersonic screams."

"Appropriately named then," Ororo comments while trying to deal with this news. She has known Charles the longest, save for Hank, and never knew this. She has to wonder what it was that caused Charles to try and bury this which is what he must have done.

"Is that Dr McTaggart?" Jean inquires at another figure.

"Yes, that's Moira," Charles confirms with a warm smile at the thought of her. "She was the team medic, essentially."

"Who's zhe girl vith zhe wings?" Kurt asks at the girl with lightly coloured skin and wings which can visibly been seen.

"Her name was Angel Salvadore," Charles says, sounding bitter-sweet as he speaks her name. "Her wings most closely resembled a dragonfly's. She could also secrete acidic saliva."

"EW! Gross!" Kitty remarks as she imagines that.

"Who's the other babe?" Evan asks, pointing at another girl with long dark hair and these tattooed dark lines coming down from her eyes.

"Evan," Ororo lightly chastises her nephew for the 'babe' remark.

"Sage," Charles answers. "She was called Sage or Tessa or Diana Fox. I doubt any of them were her real name but I didn't judge what was obviously her desire to forget whatever past she had endured up to when I met her."

"What could she do?" Scott is the one to ask.

"Cyberpathy."

"What is that?" Jean asks.

"Telepathy is the ability to read another being's mind...to in a sense connect and interact with it. Sage could do that with computers and machines. She could connect directly to them using nothing but her mind," Charles explains Sage's gift.

"Wow. That's like amazing," Kitty thinks, being the computer nerd she is.

"As a consequence her mind was in many ways like a computer," Charles tries to further explain Sage's gift. "She possessed an eidetic memory. She could think at a speed and on a level that is hard to completely understand. Humans have a limit to how many different things we can do at once. Sage, like a computer, can easily have her mind performing several different tasks at once. A consequence of having a mind enhanced like this was that she did also possess a low level, limited, form of telepathy."

"This guy?" Evan asks, pointing at a tall, slim black man.

Charles' smile becomes very sad. "Armando Muñoz. His codename was Darwin. A truly remarkable mutant."

"In what way?" Rogue asks.

"We named him Darwin after Charles Darwin. He could reactively evolve his body to any environment."

"What does that mean?" Rogue asks, not having a clue.

"For example if he went underwater he would almost instantaneous develop gills to breath, scales would cover his body, his fingers and toes would become webbed to better enable him to swim. If he walked into a fire filled room his skin would harden to become fireproof and his lungs would adapt to be able to breathe in the smoke filled atmosphere. Heat, cold, any environment on Earth you can imagine, his body would evolve to survive in."

"So why are you telling us about this now?" Scott asks, his mind still reeling from the fact there were previous X-Men.

"I will get to that," Charles promises. "First let me begin at the point where I approached the government. They agreed to authorise a team to work for them in dealing with 'abnormal' threats to national security."

"Abnormal meaning mutants," Martha assumes, making her first contribution to this discussion.

"Yes. Like we do today in dealing with other mutants. If there was a mutant issue Division X was used."

"Division X? Is that what they called you?" Jean asks.

Charles smiles lightly as if it is slightly funny looking back on it. "Yes. They did. To continue my story we eventually discovered that most of the mutant incidents we were confronting were being controlled by a single entity."

"Who?" Domino asks, with more seriousness on her part than usual.

"Many whos Domino and a what," Charles replies somewhat cryptically. "Has anyone ever heard of the Hellfire Club?"

Martha blinks and stiffens. "I have," she says in a low tone. "It's an elite social club that caters for the rich and powerful."

"How do you know about it mom?" Clark asks.

"Your grandfather's a member. I was a member...probably still am technically but I haven't stepped inside one of their establishments in 20 years."

Charles looks at Martha and realises he may have to step carefully here but he must also speak the truth. "The Hellfire Club is a front for the elite who run it. They are called the Inner Circle and simply knowing that name can get you killed which is partially why I have never spoken before of this as I never wanted any of you in danger."

"So why tell us now?" Jonathan asks, as he gazes with concern at Martha whose expression is tense.

"Let me explain who the Inner Circle really are first. You know those conspiracy theories of a secret group that really run things from behind the scenes?"

"Yeah," several people say cautiously.

"That is the Inner Circle. They control aspects of the media, have politicians, industrialists, other people of power and influence all in their pocket. The Hellfire Club is simply the means through which the Inner Circle reach out and control these people."

Martha's brow furrows deeply. "I-I didn't know this."

"I know," Charles assures her. "Few people do. It only works if no-one knows you exist. If you are nothing but the chatter of so called conspiracy nuts."

"You came into conflict with this Inner Circle," Ororo can guess the next part.

"We did," Charles can confirm. "And in the end they destroyed us."

"Not all at once," Hank picks up the story, feeling he should tell some of it. "That's not how the Inner Circle works. They take time studying you, learning where the divisions lie within and how to widen them, learning what it is that can tempt you to their way of thinking and once they have someone in their grip they then use that person to betray you."

"Magneto?" Scott makes what he thinks is the obvious assumption.

"No. Angel. It's never who you expect Scott," Charles tells the young man. "We_ lost _Darwin...we lost ourselves. The Inner Circle may have only physically killed one of us but psychologically they tore us apart. Still we there standing, fighting when the last betrayal came."

"Who?" Logan asks.

"The government we were trying to aid. There we were all in one place..."

"And they decided to get rid of you," Logan can figure out. "Missile strike?" he queries at the method.

Charles nods.

"But you were working for them," Ororo says, unable to understand why they would do that.

Logan snorts in derision. He understands the darker sentiments of people like that. "Didn't matter to them. They had their enemies in their sights. So what that some mutants who worked for them had to die. They probably thought good riddance."

"Magneto managed to stop the missiles but that's when he really started to hate humans," Hank explains. "Shaw had been at him for weeks already, needling the superiority of mutantkind, reminding him of what humans did to his family, stoking his anger."

Charles continues, "Magneto already had a lot of anger from his time in the camps and then the fact our human allies attacked us confirmed to him that essentially all humans were no better than the Nazis who killed his family. That is the day we started on our separate paths. He wanted to make our government allies pay in blood for their betrayal. I tried to stop him. Moira...Moira tried to aid me and take him by surprise. She thought she could shoot him if he wasn't expecting it. Magneto managed to deflect the bullet but not control where it went. It lodged into my spine and put me in this chair. Seeing what he had done took some fire out of Magneto's rage but the division had been formed between us and it has never been bridged."

"Is that when he started on his mutant supremacy crusade?" Scott asks about Magneto.

"No," Charles says before explaining. "Magneto didn't start instantly on his quest for mutant supremacy. After he had calmed down he decided he just wanted to be away from people. He also had just recently met Magda, Wanda's and Pietro's mother. He took her and went to live up in the mountains in isolation. Now obviously from we what we know, in regards to Kurt, Magneto must have decided at some point, after he left, to begin preparing for his war."

They know Magneto experimented on Kurt when he was a baby in some fashion.

Charles carries on with his story. "I believe it was Magda's death that finally pushed him over the edge to begin his crusade for mutant supremacy. I don't know the exact details of how Magda died. I only found out about it much later but I know she was killed by some kind of mob. When she died my belief is that the last tether that held Magneto back was cut. The last thing that kept his anger and hatred in check was gone. When she died I believe that was when my friend Erik really died and Magneto was born," he says with much sadness, a feeling of loss at losing his friend. He then adds, with even more sadness and regret, "The mob responsible...Magneto made sure they paid with their lives."

"Vhat happened to zhe ozher X-Men?" Kurt asks.

"The Inner Circle had done their job well," Hank says with deep anger at them and sorrow about what happened with his then friends as he picks up the story, seeing Charles needs a moment. "We could barley stand to be in the same room with each other by the end. We all went our separate ways. I...just wanted to disappear back into the mass of humanity so started using my suppression serum. Mystique...to this day we don't know where she went or how she ended up with Magneto in the end. Angel; no doubt the Inner Circle rewarded her greatly for her services," Hank says bitterly, with long held anger at her. "What happened to her, where she is now, I truly do not know...nor do I care all that much." Angel long lost any right for Hank to give her well being any thought.

Charles finishes it off. "Moira went home to Scotland and founded the facility on Muir Island." A lot of the reason she left being out of her guilt for firing the shot that crippled him even though Charles forgave her long ago. He continues, "Sean went home to Ireland, met a woman, had the daughter we met when we dropped Nitro off. Darwin..." he trails off, the strain of emotion clear on his face, the pain of losing a dear friend. "Shaw killed him."

Now Ororo can understand why Charles never wanted to talk about this. It was obviously extremely painful. It also explains the deep sadness she remembers when she first met him.

Martha had been in shock since the first time the name 'Shaw' was mentioned. The second mention makes her speak up. "When you say Shaw do you mean Sebastian Shaw?" she queries.

"You know him?" Charles queries from Martha, with a little surprise on his part that she would.

Martha's face has gone almost deathly white. "We were...I..."

Jonathan takes his wife into his arms. "They were engaged...close to 20 years ago," he answers for her.

Charles and Hank share grim looks.

"He...he was often away when we were dating...business trips he said...I didn't...I never..." Martha rambles. She can't comprehend this. Sebastian...oh god how close had she come to becoming...

Jonathan lowers Martha down into a chair before she collapses. Clark's face is pinched with emotion at seeing the state his mother is in.

"Son. A glass of water?" Jonathan asks Clark.

Clark nods and is out the room at a shot.

Charles lowers his head into his hands for a moment. Was there no life Shaw couldn't ruin.

A few moments later Clark returns with a glass of water which he hands to his father who gets Martha to take a few sips. Martha gathers herself a little. "I didn't know," she whispers, her face now having a deep haunted expression.

"I know," Charles assures her he believes her and he does. Martha wouldn't lie like that.

Scott lets the revelations sink in for a moment. "What about Sage?" he asks after the one who hasn't been mentioned.

Charles recovers his poise. "For appearance's sake she stormed out, blaming me for everything."

"What do you mean 'appearance's sake'?" Scott asks, his gaze intense behind his ruby glasses.

"Shaw beat us. Tore us apart physically and psychologically and then went back to his life knowing we...I was no longer a threat but even after such a tragedy my belief...my dream of mutant/human equality still stood. Yes I would take time to myself and to grieve but one day I knew I would form a new team of X-Men...and then Shaw would be back. So I needed a way to spy on him."

"Sage," Domino can assume.

Charles nods with a small smile of deep admiration for Sage. "Sage, put on that performance and then went to Shaw and joined him. For 20 years she has been my informant."

"How can people...how can an organisation like that exist?" Clark wants to know.

"There are always people who wish to use power for their own ends...and the Hellfire Club has been around for centuries. It's insidious and has wormed it's way into every facet of the civilised world. Shaw is the Black King...they rank themselves after chess pieces...he is the Black King of the New York branch. There is an LA branch, a London branch, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney, Rio...I could go on but I think you get the idea. That's why we could never win. You take down one branch there's at least 50 more. You try and expose them but they control most media. You can't defeat the Inner Circle. You can only hope to survive them."

"I don't believe that," Clark says. "Something like that needs to be exposed."

Charles admires actually Clark's fire. "Perhaps I am cynical, perhaps our previous experience has tainted my view. Even if you are right Clark that's not a battle that can be won in quick order. That's a long hard fight. A fight I wanted to protect you all from which is why I have never mentioned any of this. As long as you didn't know the Inner Circle existed they had no interest in you."

"They have an interest in us now don't they?" Domino asks, having a feeling she knows why they are getting told this now.

"Yes they do," Charles can confirm. "It's already begun. That's why Emma was here yesterday."

"Emma?" Scott inquires. "What does this have to do with Emma?" he asks, baffled by how this relates to her.

"Emma Frost, White Queen of the Hellfire Club," the Professor just says it.

"I knew it!" Jean cries. "I knew that conniving, selfish, shallow, vain, self-obsessed, arrogant bitch was up to something," she says with real venom, feeling every thing she has said has just been justified along with her being angry at Scott all week.

"Whoa," Kitty says, taken aback by Jean's fury.

"I agree vith you," Kurt says.

"Jean..." Scott starts to say.

"Oh don't you dare defend her Scott!" Jean snaps, her voice almost shrill. "Not this time. I spent 2 years putting up with her snide attitude and superiority complex while you made excuses for her."

"She was not that bad! You know she wasn't!" Scott fires back in raised tones.

"Excuse me? Didn't you just hear what the Professor said?" Jean asks incredulously.

"I heard...but whatever happened to her after she left is not the same as who she was when she was here."

"Right. Take the side of your ex over your current girlfriend why don't you!"

"Ex?" Evan asks Scott.

Scott rubs his brow. "We dated a could of times."

"Without telling his supposed best friend!" Jean snaps snidely.

"You were too busy trying to get Matthews to notice you...which by the way I was nothing but supportive about despite the fact he was a jerk!" Scott fires back.

"Wow. Issues," Kitty whispers to Kurt.

Kurt nods in agreement.

The Professor intervenes before this breaks out into a full fledged shouting match between the bickering couple. "Ok. Enough. Please. I know you two have been having problems and, if you wish, I am available any time for advice but this is an official meeting about X-Men business. Personal issues are left at the door," he mildly rebukes Jean and Scott.

Scott gathers his emotions and buries them. "You're right Professor. I apologise," he states in a flat tone as 'leader mode' kicks in.

"Sorry Professor," Jean says, while still staring daggers into her boyfriend.

"Who is Emma Frost?" Rogue asks the question.

"She was a student here, before Kurt and the rest of you came," Charles begins to tell her story. "She's a telepath. A powerful one. When her powers kicked in, her parents thought she was suffering a mental illness, hearing voices. I found her in the asylum they had had her committed to. Her parents...they were not the best people I have ever known. They were only too glad to hand her over to me so they could brush the stain of her on their reputation under the carpet. They could, rightfully in a way, claim she was attending a special school for gifted children. That sounds better. They were very image conscious."

"Rich?" Jonathan inquires, with a certain disdainful look that shows he can guess that they were from that description.

"They are relatively wealthy," Charles confirms.

"What happened with Emma? Why did she leave?" Dom asks the obvious question since Emma must have.

"Emma's time here was difficult," Ororo steps in with a few words of explanation as she recalls Emma's time here. Her face has a certain strained expression as she recalls trying to teach Emma.

Logan snorts in derision. "Difficult is underplayin' it Ro. She was full of herself. Always arguing with just about every decision made because she thought she knew better."

"She did not agree with our philosophy," Ororo explains.

"She thought I was too passive," Charles expands on that. "Too...reactive. Not proactive enough in promoting the defence of mutantkind."

Jean snorts. "More like not proactive enough in promoting her self-interests," she mutters disparagingly.

Charles tells the story of Emma's departure. "After her brother died it all came to ahead. She was very close to her brother, unlike most of her family, which only made his death more painful for her. In her grief and anger she lashed out, blaming me for not letting her be more proactive and save him. Then she stormed out and never came back. Emma is...one of my biggest failures," he says with much regret.

"Professor that's not true," Jean comes to his defence. "Emma was always conceited, concerned only with herself. You put up with her far longer than you should have."

"Jean," Scott protests.

Jean glares at him. "What? It's true."

"Emma...she was more complicated than that," Scott argues.

Jean cannot believe this. He's still defending her!

Scott continues his argument, "Which you would know if you talked to her rather the constant arguing the two of you did."

"I tried being her friend," Jean argues back. "All she did was make her snide comments and cold, sarcastic put downs."

Loud whistling interrupts. "Enough the two of ya," Logan barks. "She's not even here and she has you two bickering. Save it for later," he tells them off. He turns to the Professor. "Chuck I know ya like to blame yourself but Jeannie's right. You put up with way more from Frosty than ya should have. She was always a pain in the ass. Honestly if I wasn't a gentleman I would have smacked her."

"Ya? A gentleman?" Rogue questions that. "Now ah've heard everything," she says sarcastically.

"Ya know Stripes ya ain't old enough to not be placed over my knee," Logan threatens as a punishment.

"Ah would lahke ta see ya try it," Rogue dares him.

Charles interrupts the little father/daughter spat. "I appreciate the comment Logan but I still feel somehow I should have been able to reach Emma. I never managed to do that," he says sadly.

"Charles, perhaps we should refocus on what Emma and the Inner Circle are planning," Hank suggests.

"Yes. Of course," Charles agrees. "Emma, after she left, somehow, I don't know the details, ended up joining the Hellfire Club. As I said before Sage is my informant within the Inner Circle and I learned that Shaw took a particular interest in Emma and she quickly rose through the ranks to the level of Queen, which is a very high position within the organisation. Now the Inner Circle have turned their attentions to us as I always feared they would one day. My belief is that they don't know I know who Emma is to them and therefore think they can use her to, in a sense, infiltrate us, and weaken us like Shaw did to the first X-Men. As a beginning to this aim Emma has invited us to her school."

"School?" Jean asks, with deadly seriousness. "What school?"

"Her Academy of Tomorrow where she teaches mutants the way she thinks they should be."

Logan laughs a little at the sheer absurdity of that and of Frosty of all people teaching.

"She uses them to protect the Inner Circle's interests," Charles relays what he knows. "You all may note how this sounds familiar to where this story started and how the First X-Men met the Inner Circle."

"Is this a trap?" Ororo asks, the very obvious question, with very obvious concern about her students' safety.

"I don't believe so. I believe it is the beginning of studying us, learning our weaknesses. The Inner Circle move slowly...although one thing did concern me."

"What?"

Charles looks to Clark. "Emma extended an invite to Superman."

"Me?" Clark asks, puzzled, momentarily turning his concerns off his mother. "Why?"

"Can't be certain," Charles says with his own puzzled expression as he still can't work out precisely why. "Emma tried to dismiss the request as casual curiosity," he mentions.

"You don't buy it," Logan guesses.

"No."

"What about Sage? Did she say anything?" Scott wonders about their newly discovered informant.

"There is a limit to what she can pass on. Emma's activities have always been vague. She keeps her secrets well, even from the rest of the Inner Circle. I cannot even tell you what we will face if we accept her invite."

"We're not accepting it are we?" Jean asks, surprised they would even consider it.

"That's why I called this meeting. If we go...it's the start of a very dangerous game."

"We would go to do what she is trying," Clark figures out. "Learn about what she is doing and what her team's strengths and weaknesses are."

"And in time understand why Shaw has all of a sudden turned his attention to us," Charles adds. "Sage hasn't gotten me an answer yet. Shaw has apparently been very secretive recently about his activities. He had to know I had formed a new X-Men months ago, years ago, so why now?"

It was a good question everyone there could see. Why all of a sudden now?

"I never wanted any of you near the Inner Circle," Charles says with deep affection for his students. "It's part of why I never spoke of them. Sometimes ignorance is bliss and you didn't need the burden of my past failures upon your shoulders. Now it's no longer an issue. They are coming and they will attempt to do what they did before and tear us apart. You need to prepare because the struggle ahead will be hard. You will need to be more united than ever for they will exploit any division. I do not expect a decision right now over this. Go, think over everything I have said and we will reconvene later."

They start to file out. Clark aids his father with his mother who is still deathly pale looking. He hopes she will be alright.

"Scott, Jean," the Professor calls out. "Wait behind one minute."

Jean and Scott wait until they are the last 2.

Charles brings his hands together and rests them on his desk. "It is not my business to intrude on your personal lives but if we agree to take the risk we are contemplating you two cannot continue to be so angry with each other. It is exactly the sort of divide the Inner Circle will exploit. Now I cannot tell you to make up but one thing I must ask is that it does not interfere with the team. When facing the threats we do you two must be able to be professional and work cohesively when out in the field."

"I understand Professor," Scott assures their mentor. The leader in him can see what the Professor means. "It won't interfere with the team. I promise."

"I understand too," Jean says. "Whatever personal issues we have will not interfere with the team Professor. You have my word as well."

"Good...but just a warning if it looks like it is interfering I'll have to remove one of you from the team. I hope you can understand why."

"Yeah," Scott says. In fact he can remember delaying inviting Clark into the X-Men after the red kryptonite incident and Clark and Rogue weren't talking exactly for that reason of team harmony.

"You may leave," the Professor permits.

Scott and Jean leave, closing the door behind them. They look at each other...and decide they're not ready to talk it out right now. They go off in opposite directions.

* * *

**The Academy of Tomorrow...**

The students of the Academy of Tomorrow had all been gathered into a single classroom and there the usual banter and pranks were being played. Julian, as usual, was flirting with just about every girl in the room...apart from the 5 Stepford Cuckoos who freaked him out...and were only 13 years old.

Emma, dressed in white hot pants, white t-shirt and white leather jacket that somehow seems to cover very little, marches into the room to in front of them all. "Sit down!" she commands and isn't in the mood today for the usual replies...especially from Julian who gets a painful glare from her when he tries it. "I have an announcement to make," she informs them. "We're getting visitors."

"Who Ms Frost?" the 5 identical voices of the Five-in-One(Celeste, Mindee, Phoebe, Esme and Sophie Cuckoo) inquire. They sit all in a row in their identical school uniforms and identical expressions of interest.

"The X-Men."

"Finally!" the large blond boy known as Beef(Buford Wilson) says enthusiastically. He was starting to think they were never going to get a shot at the high and mighty X-Men.

"Not to fight them," Emma contradicts the thinking she can pick up. "Not yet anyway," she amends herself. "We're going to be their friends...for now."

"Why only for now?" Hellion(Julian Keller) asks, with a frown.

"Not my place to say. If you want answers I can direct you to Selene to get them."

"Selene?" Julian gulps with fear etched in even his face. Even he knew of Selene's reputation. "Ah...um...no. No need to know why. I'm good. Friends with the X-Men. It's all good," he assures Ms Frost.

"That's what I thought," Emma says and she isn't saying more because that would be unwise. Xavier is too good. Can't let him know it's all a scam. "Still it is always better to study and know as much as possible about both friend and foe. We're going to run down the X-Men and list their strengths and weaknesses. Claire!"

Claire Selton aka Volcana blinks from her position at the back of the class. She was not really someone to be part of the group dynamic. Despite all her weeks here the only person she would remotely say she is close to is Firestar(Angelica Jones) because they often trained together since their powers had similarities...and also Tarot(Marie-Ange Colbert) who for some reason(God only knows why) kept wanting to hang out with her. "Um...yes Ms Frost?" Claire responds.

"Come up here please," Emma requests.

Claire gets to her feet and walks to the front of the class.

"Since you were once a student at the Xavier Institute you can assist me with the lecture," Emma tells Claire why she is here...and it was a good way to judge how willing Claire is to fight her former teammates.

"Well you know I was more a member of the New Mutants rather than the X-Men," Claire points out.

"Nonetheless you must have trained with them on occasion, yes?"

"Once or twice," Claire admits.

"Splendid," Emma says with a smile. "Marie, lights please," she requests of Tarot to dim them down.

As Tarot does so Emma fires up the overhead projector. A group shot of the X-Men appears. "Right let us be...Monet!" Emma snaps at one of her newer recruits.

Brown eyes peer over the top of a magazine. The eyes belong to an, arguably, gorgeous 16 year old girl with long dark hair and lightly dark skin. She was dressed in the most expensive of clothes. She was leaning back in her chair and had her feet on the table. Her name is Monet Yvette Clarisse Maria Therese St. Croix; Codename: M. "What?" she asks, sounding irritated her reading time had been interrupted.

"I'm sorry. Are we bothering you?" Emma asks sarcastically.

"Always...but I tolerate it," is Monet's arrogant reply.

Claire rolls her eyes. Monet was supremely arrogant, truly believing herself better than everyone else, that she is a superior human specimen. Monet walks around with this attitude despite the fact that Claire and the Hellions saved Monet from her own twisted brother, Marius, who, and Claire really can't blame him for this, didn't like Monet. In fact he hated her for apparently always, always, putting him down. Unfortunately for Monet and the rest of them he who was also a mutant who needed to feed off the bone marrow of other mutants..and that is even creepier than it sounds. He had these mouths on the palm of his hands he fed through.

Anyway Marius had plans to get his payback on Monet when the Hellions showed up to recruit her. Good timing for Monet. Bad timing for Marius. Recruiting Monet had been, in fact, Claire's first assignment with the Hellions. At first she was almost excited. A trip to Sarajevo, where Monet lived, and a nice simple recruitment mission. It was not fun in the least since it turned out Marius was nuts and his hatred for Monet had him planning to transform and enslave her. Don't ask Claire for details on how he was going to do that because it was suppose to involve magic or something. It was something she didn't understand.

When Claire and the Hellions turned up they stumbled upon what Marius was planning to do and he didn't take that well to say the least and the fight against him didn't go well either. In fact Monet's brother would have feed off all of them if not for Monet's younger(13 years old) twin sisters, Claudette and Nicole(now called the M-twins), who combined could open portals into other dimensions and they trapped their brother in some other dimension, hopefully never to be seen again. In return for their help the twins got to come and attend the Academy too. They were currently sitting on either side of their older sister.

Why did they go through that much effort is a question someone might ask. The answer is because Monet's x-gene had the weird effect of enhancing everything about her. It made her very unique and special as Ms Frost as phrased it. Monet has superhuman strength, near invulnerability, enhanced agility, dexterity, speed, reflexes, reactions, coordination and balance. Enhanced hearing and vision including night vision. Her mind is enhanced to a genius level IQ with perfect memory. On top of that her mental enhancements stretch to telepathy...although it's range is limited to only a few feet...and oh yeah, she flies. Monet is truly superhuman. If Claire didn't know better she might think Monet was related to that Superman guy or something.

"Well thank you for putting up with us. I know it must be difficult for you," Emma's sarcasm continues in response to Monet

Monet shrugs. "Nothing is difficult for me. I accept I must live with inferiors. It's my burden."

"Inferiors!" Julian growls. That girl. She was smoking hot but damn she just knew how to get on your last nerve.

"That is what I said," Monet says, sounding bored at the fact she has to repeat herself. She looks to her sisters. "Does he have some hearing issue I am not aware of?" she asks them.

"Don't believe so," Claudette says.

"Must be a mental deficiency," Nicole proposes.

"Of course. That's what I thought," Monet says as if only confirming her own brilliance.

Emma coughs. "Would it be possible Monet for you to divert enough of your attention to the following? This is important."

"Whatever," Monet says, bored sounding.

Emma presses the button of the control and the next image appears of Cyclops. "This the leader of the X-Men," she begins. "Scott Summers, codename; Cyclops. Fires concentrated concussive blasts from his eyes. Claire, strengths and weaknesses please."

Claire takes a moment...moment. Good choice of words. This is the moment she has been sort of dreading for weeks. What to do when she ended up going against her old friends. She made a choice to come here. She has rarely had the chance to do that in her life. Choices were always made for her before by other people. She must see her choices through. "While I've never seen it myself Cyclops' power is such that he can shoot holes through buildings...like having a bazooka behind each eye. It is controlled by the visor he wears because he can't control it himself...which I guess makes his visor his weakness." She looks to Ms Frost who smiles politely and nods, giving her pupil the encouragement she is on the right track.

Claire continues, "Uh...since he must use the control on the side of his visor you must try and immobilise his arms or get close enough to go hand to hand although he is an excellent fighter. Failing that you could knock the visor from his face as he won't risk hurting anyone with his power so will close his eyes. I would also just mention that he is an excellent leader from what I've seen."

"Not bad," Emma compliments Claire...and yes Emma is capable of compliments when they're justified. She adds a little more in more refined terms before they move on, going through all the X-Men, one by one, listing their varying known or assumed strengths and weaknesses. Domino is one Claire doesn't know about and neither does Emma know anything of her either. When trying to look into her past Emma had found next to nothing about the monochrome mutant as if it has been erased. It was odd. They would have to learn more about her soon.

Emma moves onto the last image. Superman. Her gaze falls upon Claire to see the reaction. To see if there is any reaction. To see if any loose thoughts emerge from Claire's annoyingly well fortified mind but there really isn't anything much that comes forth beyond some confusion.

"Why is his image up there?" Julian asks, with a disdainful look. "He's not an X-Man."

"He's allied with them and I want him here to see how he compares to M."

Monet, who is filing her nails, manages to gather enough interest at the mention of her name to stop and look up. "Hmm?" she queries as her eyes fall upon the projected image. "Oh him. Well I suppose it might be slightly challenging. It's not like anyone here provides me one."

"Thank you for your blunt honesty Monet," Emma mutters off more sarcasm.

"You're welcome."

Emma rolls her eyes. That girl. Monet is here precisely because of Superman. When Emma met Monet's father and he told her of his daughter's power Emma knew she had to recruit Monet no matter what. Of course the whole deranged evil brother thing she never saw coming admittedly but still it all worked out in the end. Monet is here and what better way to counter a Superman than with a Superwoman. How they would actually match up would be interesting to see.

Claire would pay Superman to come if it meant showing up this snooty bitch. Now that would be hilarious and Monet needs a serious ego deflation.

"Claire anything to add about Superman?" Emma asks.

"I...know nothing beyond what you can read or see on tv. He was never, what you would call, chatty...and frankly I didn't give a fuck," she chooses to say because...well...she doesn't know much more than that although she has this weird feeling like that she should know much more.

Emma's eyes narrow. She really must do something about Claire's vulgar language.

Tarot giggles, finding it funny when Claire swears.

Next to her, her friend, Roulette(Jennifer Stavros) is resting her chin on her hands, a dreamy expression on her face as she gazes at Superman's image. "Oh God I hope he comes. He's too cute. That would be a multi-change of underwear day if you get what I mean," Jen says suggestively.

"Is he making your panties wet Jen?" Empath(Manuel Alfonso Rodrigo de la Rocha) asks crudely, with a repulsive grin of perverted interest.

"More than you are capable of la Rocha. When you're around they're drier than the Sahara!" Jen snaps aggressively. Even for this place Empath was a major league douche.

Empath's face darkens, his empathic powers begin to rise up. He'll make her panties wet alright...and not in a good way.

"_Empath!" _Emma's telepathic voice smashes into his brain like a hot needle, as she sensed what he was doing. _"You do not do that in my classroom, understood!"_

"_Yes Ms Frost," _is Empath's contrite sounding reply, only because if he replied any other way Ms Frost would make his brains leak out his ears.

Emma narrows her eyes. Empath's powers were useful but his attitude, his thoughts, even she found them close to dangerously dark. She has not ruled out making a few personality alterations to him.

"Now," Emma addresses them all. "You will have information packs on the X-Men delivered to your rooms. I want them studied and yes you will be tested on this in a simulation in the training room before the question is asked. That means you Julian."

"Me? I wasn't going to ask that," Julian claims.

Emma gives him her 'Are you kidding me?' look. She's a telepath for crying out loud. Emma dismisses them.

Claire wanders off down the corridor finding herself surprisingly calm about the whole seeing her former friends fact. She is in a place better suited to her beliefs. Sure it means doing odd jobs for people she has never met in 'protecting' their interests but Ms Frost had been honest about that from the start. Yep. She's in a good place in her life right now and while it is not home...

_'Shit!' _she swears in her head along with a few other choice words. How can she still think of the Institute as home? She needs someone to hit her across the head. She made her choice. It's about time she accepted it.

Claire silently sighs in annoyance at herself. As she walks along back to her room she spots Roulette slip into Julian's room proclaiming they can help each other 'study'. Yeah Claire knows exactly what Jennifer 'studies' and it won't be anything to do with the X-Men. Julian isn't much better actually in that regard. She is so going to be wanting to be far away from here for a few hours because those two...not quiet.

Claire barely registers Tarot catch her up. "So you've met Superman right?" Marie asks in her peppy voice. She reminded Claire of Kitty in being an annoyingly cheerful person.

Claire sighs audibly. "A couple of times," she moodily admits. "Only he never called himself Superman. That's the press."

"What is his name?"

Claire frowns. What is his name? Did they always call him the Blur or something? Damn it. Why does she feel like there is something she has forgotten. All she can say in response to Marie is, "I don't think he ever gave his real one and really, I'm not one to judge on that." And she isn't. You should see how many aliases she went through during her time living on the streets. "Also there is the simple case of I really don't give a shit." Also true!

Marie giggles almost automatically.

"Why do you always giggle when I swear?" Claire asks, with bemusement at Marie's little cute expression when she giggles.

"I don't know," Marie says, still giggling slightly. "I can't help it. I never grew up around anyone who spoke like that."

"You're French. I doubt you grew up amongst anyone who spoke English."

"True," Marie concedes, her accent permeating through strongly.

_'Damn a French accent can be sexy,'_ Claire thinks to herself.

"So Superman?" Marie repeats her inquiry.

Claire groans. "What? He's a guy in a costume. He goes around playing hero and hanging out with Spider-Man or something. There is not much to tell."

"Oh I bet he's so...so...super!" Marie bursts out.

Please someone pass Claire the sick-bag. Marie was a fan. Posters and all. Tarot starts skipping along beside Claire gushing about Superman. Seriously the girl needs a chill pill. Claire has no idea at all why she hangs out with her. Ok she doesn't often hang out with Marie. Usually only when Roulette was 'entertaining' and Tarot has nothing better to do, apparently, than bug Claire...ok so it's kind of often in actuality they hang out Claire suddenly realises. Roulette 'entertains' a lot...and Claire supposes Marie wasn't so bad really. You get past the annoying peppiness and she's alright.

Just then Tarot manages to trip up over her own feet. Claire reacts out of instinct and catches the french girl in her arms. Luckily Tarot is quite a slender girl. Otherwise they would both be on the ground. "Thanks," Marie squeaks.

"No problem," Claire says as she brings Marie back to a vertical base. Their faces brush very close to each other and Marie's cheeks blush. Claire catches a glimpse of something in her eye.

The two girls stand there for a moment before Marie lifts her head, tilts her chin up and gently brushes her lips over Claire's own.

The shock means Claire just stands there, unresponsive, like a lemon. No wonder Tarot kept seeking to try and hang out with her she suddenly realises.

Marie pulls her head back and laughs nervously. "Ok...that was...like insanely forward of me...and you just stand there...and I've...um...I should go study before I completely embarrass myself and..."

"Stop," Claire says gently.

Marie looks at the redhead puzzled.

Claire reaches a hand behind Marie's head and kisses her this time. What? Marie's pretty, the accent's hot and Claire gets as lonely as the next person and like she said Marie's not so bad a person. In fact she's probably the nicest person here.

When the kiss ends Marie stands there, her body humming.

Claire's lips curve up into what can be describe as a sultry grin. Her hand gently brushes some of Marie's dark hair back into place. "Want to go _study _together in my room?" she asks huskily.

"OK!" Marie agrees instantly in her peppy tones. She has been crushing on Claire since almost the day the fiery redhead arrived so this is what she has kind of been dreaming about.

For the first time Claire thinks she doesn't find Marie's cheerfulness annoying. Funny sometimes what a kiss and some mutual attraction can do ain't it. The two girls walk off together and this time even Claire's step has a slight skip to it.

* * *

_Author's Note: So choice to be made. Did Wanda's spell make Claire forget who Clark is as well? Answer; yep because why wouldn't it. Claire had left who knows where and Wanda was wanting to protect Clark. Perhaps it was unintentional but then again there are probably lots of unintentional side-effects of what happened. Anyway that's part of why the little catch up with Claire who seems to be getting herself a girlfriend. Aw sweet, n'est-ce pas? Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men visit the Academy Of Tomorrow and meet the Hellions._


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

**Academy of Tomorrow...**

Down below her academy Emma had her own set of levels, not unlike the ones she remembers at Xavier's. She sits in the darkness in the War Room watching over recorded footage on the large screen on the wall of everything the X-Men have been up to recently and their ally Superman. 1 week ago she made her offer to Charles and today he and his X-Men were coming. She knew Charles would come. The old fool could never resist the opportunity to try and unite mutantkind.

"Obsessing a little aren't we," a voice to Emma's right criticises lightly with a strong French accent which the person speaking has stopped hiding since there is no longer any need to.

Emma scowls slightly and turns her gaze to the figure to her right dressed in black top and black leather pants and black boots. The figure's appearance makes her look very much like her mother. "Studying my enemy," Emma counters. "A lesson I thought you would need after they defeated you...Isobel."

It's Isobel's turn to scowl and glare at the woman in white. "I did learn," she replies, still sounding bitter and sore about her previous defeat. "That's why I reconciled with my mother. That's why I'm here. To observe them."

"Just be sure they don't observe you," Emma says back.

"I'm cloaking myself. No-one outside this room can know I am here. Not even Superman," Isobel states confidently.

Emma gazes closely at Isobel. When she showed up yesterday it had been a surprise...but not an unhelpful one as Emma had desired to know more about the long lost and deceased daughter of the Black Queen. The daughter whose spirit resides in the body standing next to her. Emma wished to see if there could be an alliance between them. After all if anyone knew what Selene's secrets and weaknesses were it would be her own daughter and there was obviously less than the perfect mother/daughter bond between them. If Emma could exploit that tension to push Selene out of the way of her goals then she would take it. If Emma could get this power Superman is the key to she would take that as well...and if she can _persuade_ Superman to join her that would be a bonus. Then Isobel would be...surplus to requirements. Emma must remember to find out how to exorcise a spirit for when this alliance, should they manage to form one, ends.

Isobel turns her gaze to the images on the large screen, some of which include her battle with the X-Men in Bayville. She had come here for a few reasons. One, to see if Emma could become an ally against her mother. Oh yes Isobel is already plotting how to get herself out from under her mother's control. Two, to spy specifically on Clark...especially because she found it odd that no-one could see he was Superman. Seriously she had discovered in her time since rejoining her mother that no-one could see it. No-one even seemed to consider the possibility that the so-called human boy living at the mansion was in fact nothing of the sort. Isobel doesn't know precisely what Clark is...yet but she'll find out.

Isobel's point is that it makes no sense that no-one can see it...unless some kind of spell had been cast that hides Clark in plain sight. It would be a clever spell. Her mother had come to the same conclusion. They had both decided not to tell anyone and keep it a secret. Why? Knowledge is power and by keeping this knowledge to themselves they held power over the others, particularly her mother's fellow members of the Inner Circle. None of them could be trusted. Isobel could feel their greed and lust for power whenever she was in their presence. Emma had the same urges but they were much better controlled and focussed. It is what potentially made Emma, apart from the fact her mother hated the woman, a good prospect for an ally. Temporary ally. After what happened with Madeleine Isobel is never trusting anyone again so 3rd reason she is here is to judge what Emma's flaws are so she can exploit them when the time comes to end this alliance, after she has gained possession of the 3 stones.

"Tell me Emma are your students up to the task we are asking of them?" Isobel queries airily.

Emma scowls lightly. That sounded like a critique on her teaching. "They have been instructed to play nice with the X-Men. Beyond that I have told them nothing in case they let their thoughts slip in the presence of Xavier or Grey. All I require is time to work my way into the X-Men's trust."

"Time is limited. My mother has little patience."

"Which is strange for an immortal," Emma remarks about someone who is over 30 centuries old(as far as Emma has been able to figure about Selene's age) that she would have so little patience. "Surely as someone as long lived as your mother would be well practised in patience," she would have thought.

"My mother bores easily. Always has. As soon as she tires of one little plaything she simply moves onto the next one. It's a character flaw...especially for an immortal," Isobel critiques her mother.

"And do you share this flaw?"

"I spent 4 centuries waiting to return to the living world Frost," Isobel says in suddenly harsh tones. "You cannot begin to imagine what that entails."

"A simple no, would have sufficed as an answer, dear," Emma says with a smile.

Isobel scowls deeply.

Emma muses about what else she can get Isobel to say in an outburst of temper. It's obviously there. Always makes the mind more vulnerable and may allow Emma a way in to what, otherwise, is a very impressively fortified mind Isobel possesses. Emma would love to know all about Selene, Superman and what this power is he is the key to as soon as she can. A _beep beep _sound means that will have to wait for another day. The radar has picked up an approaching craft. They're coming.

* * *

A week ago the X-Men had spent the day thinking it all over and eventually had decided that, yes, they would accept Emma's invitation and play the game with the Inner Circle. These people were coming for them anyway so they might as well play to win. Now the x-jet had flown to the coordinates Emma had given when Charles confirmed they were coming. It circles once over the academy and Spyke lets out an impressed whistle. "Wow. This Frost lady sure went all out when she built this place."

Jean's perma-scowl on all things Emma related returns. This last week she and Scott had done some talking and they were in a better place than a week ago but there was still stuff needling her like Scott's inability to see Emma for what she really is. He still seemed to hold out some hope Emma was still like the girl he use to know. God knows why he thought like that. Jean found that Emma intolerable and now, considering what the Professor has told them about the Inner Circle, Emma seems to be worse than ever.

Sitting behind Jean Kitty lets out a sad sigh. "I can't believe I like had to put off a date with Peter for this," she says forlornly. Date with Peter or playing a game of who can deceive who with the Inner Circle. Kitty knows which she would prefer. The one that involves making out. Her cheeks blush slightly as she recalls the kisses she and Peter have shared.

"No-one is enjoying this Kitty," Rogue points out. Hell, she too would rather be on a date, with Clark but they were here to play along until they could find out the reasons why the Inner Circle had turned an interest to them...and in particular, it seemed, Clark since Superman got a special invite. Rogue turns to look at her boyfriend, lost in thought, staring out the window.

Clark's face was a mask of focus. If Emma wanted Superman to come than he would come if only because she probably does not realise the full extent of his powers. If anyone was going to overhear a loose conversation it was going to be him...and on the outside chance this was indeed a trap of some sort well then his friends would need his power. Clark's thoughts drift momentarily to his mother. It had not been an easy week for her as she tried to come to terms with learning what type of man her ex-fiancé actually is.

The jet lands on the front lawn of the Academy. The Professor turns to address everyone. "Remember what we have focussed upon this last week," he reminds them of the particular training they have had to prepare for this encounter. "Keep your mental defences up at all times. Emma will not be the only telepath you have to worry about I am certain."

"How come you don't know vhat students she has?" Kurt wonders.

"Because when Emma gave me the coordinates I did try to scan this location with Cerebro. I got a null reading. Emma obviously has her school shielded."

The X-Men disembark from the jet and walk towards the main doors. As they do the doors burst open and Emma strides out to greet them, dressed in her typical uniform of white boots, tight pants, tube top that accentuates her ample curves, long white gloves and cape.

Emma smiles. "Charles. Delighted you could come," she greets him.

While being careful with his thoughts Charles returns her greeting in warm tones. "Thank you Emma. I must say this is a very impressive school you have here."

"Thank you," Emma takes the compliment. She turns her attention to the rest of the X-Men. "And thank you all for agreeing to come." Emma stops at Storm. She walks over to in front of the white haired woman. "Ororo!" she greets her former teacher. They embrace slightly and exchange air-kisses. "You're looking well. I don't think the passage of time has touched you at all," she lavishes compliments on Storm.

"Thank you Emma," Ororo says with a smile before reciprocating with a comment of her own. "You're looking extremely well and have been well I hope."

"Just the usual stress headaches brought on by my rumbustious students. I'm sure you understand."

"I'm not sure rumbustious is the word I would use to describe you Emma," Ororo teases, her smile growing.

Emma chuckles lightly at Ororo's teasing insinuation. "I was not that bad."

"You were worse," Logan says in his gruff tones.

"Oh and nice to see you too Logan," Emma says sarcastically.

Charles rolls his wheelchair round. "Perhaps a few additional introductions. This is Dr Henry McCoy."

Beast takes her hand and kisses the back of it. "Delighted to finally meet you. Charles has spoken of you in fine terms," he greets her in his cultured tones.

"Charmed," Emma says back and she seriously doubts Charles said pleasant things about her but why waste time on minutia.

"Domino," Charles introduces the next person in line.

"Nice place ya got here Fridgy Frost," Domino says, deliberately choosing a strange nickname.

Emma arches a perfect blond eyebrow at the monochrome coloured mutant woman. Domino had been one Volcana knew nothing about and Emma couldn't find anything out either. It was like the woman didn't exist...which was very curious. "Yes, quite," Emma says in reply.

"Scott and Jean you know," Charles continues.

Emma smiles widely at Scott and deliberately plants a kiss on his cheek, knowing it will rub Jean up the wrong way. "It's always a pleasure to see you Scott, darling."

Scott rubs the back of his neck. He can feel Jean's ire. Heck he can feel her glare boring a hole through him. "Hi, um, Emma. Nice place," he says in reference to the school.

Emma turns to Jean. "Grey," she says in positively frigid tones.

"Frost," Jean says back in the same spirit, her eyes narrowed in annoyance at seeing Emma kiss her boyfriend. She's almost tempted to grab Scott and kiss the life out of him to show Emma that Scott's hers now. Jean restrains the impulse.

Charles moves on quickly with the introductions before something untoward transpires between Jean and Emma. "Evan Daniels, Storm's nephew."

Emma's mood lightens as her gaze falls upon the boy. "Oh yes. Yes. I can see Vivian in you," she lightly teases although Emma had met Ororo's sister a couple of times and can see a little of her in the boy.

Evan isn't sure how to take that. His mind was barely getting over just how how hot Emma Frost looks. "Uh...thanks. I'm sure mom will be glad to hear that."

"I'm certain she will," Emma says with a coy smile.

"Katherine Pryde," Charles makes the next introduction.

Emma looks the brown haired girl over not seeing anything all that special really. "Welcome," she says formally.

"Like thanks!" Kitty says in her perpetual cheerfulness.

Emma restrains the urge to roll her eyes. Peppy people annoy her. That's why she tends to leave Tarot's teaching to others.

"Kurt Wagner," Charles moves on.

They were all in their X-Men uniforms so Kurt was his natural fuzzy blue. He waves his 3 fingered hand. "Hi," he says in a somewhat goofy manner.

"Willkommen an meiner Akademie," Emma greets him in perfect German.

Kurt is pleasantly surprised. "Sie sprechen Deutsch, Frau Frost?" he replies.

"Ich beherrsche viele Sprachen," Emma tells him. Basically she speaks many languages.

"Rogue," Charles introduces next.

Rogue has her arms folded across her chest and a sceptical gaze on the woman. Seriously who dressed like that. Only someone with absolutely no shame.

"Interesting name," Emma remarks as she takes in the Goth girl. Rogue too was a bit of a mystery. Her life was difficult to trace back and, like Domino, Emma had tried to.

"Well we don't all get lucky enough ta get born with a silver spoon in our mouth. Some of us have ta live _interesting _lives," Rogue sasses.

Of course. Claire mentioned Rogue was the one full of sarcastic knock downs. Emma wonders if she is vulnerable to switching sides. They would probably get along.

"And last but certainly not least, Superman," Charles introduces the last one in the line.

Emma's smile grows here as her eyes gaze over the 6 foot plus of muscled gorgeousness. She knows Charles is here but she can't help a light telepathic skimming of Superman's mind. Nothing Charles would notice...but she frowns slightly when what she detects is thought patterns that are completely...well, alien to her. She holds out her hand. "Hello I'm..."

Superman never lets her finish. "Emma Grace Frost. Father Winston, deceased. Mother Hazel. Brother Christian, deceased. 2 sisters, Adrienne and Cordellia. Owner of Frost Industries and are worth what could be deemed an obscene amount of money by some people," he rattles off a little of the research he has done into Emma this last week.

Emma is for once caught speechless.

Superman takes her still offered hand and kisses the back of it politely. "Pleasure to meet you Ms Frost. Thank you for the invitation."

Emma soon finds her voice. "Thank you for accepting it...and an obscene amount of money?"

"Some people might think that."

"Does that include you?" Emma wonders.

Superman smiles coyly. "I'm reserving opinion."

"You know a lot about me," Emma observes.

"I'm a person who tends to like knowing as much as possible. Thirst for knowledge you might say."

"Am I a person of particular interest in that quest?" Emma queries, flirting slightly.

"You are a very interesting person Ms Frost," Superman replies in stoic tones.

Emma grins. "Naturally...and please call me Emma," she requests.

"Emma," Superman acknowledges her request. "I was curious about my invitation."

"A trait we share. I was curious about you. Not many of our kind are as open about being seen as you are."

Clark doesn't correct her notion that he is a mutant. "What is the point of power, Emma, if it is not used to help those less fortunate than you or I?"

"That's an interesting idea. Perhaps we can discuss it more during your visit."

"Perhaps," Superman answers cagily.

"Also as I was explaining to Charles, with our exposure, we need to be as united as possible. If Charles and I can resolve our minor, petty, difference of opinion on a few issues I would hope that you would be an ally in the same way you are with Charles."

"I'm a friend to everyone who simply wants to live in peace and prosper to their full potential."

Well he certainly had a way with words. Emma would give him that. Also easy on the eyes. Emma would give him that too. "I'll think you'll find my views are quite similar," she says and up to a point she is speaking the truth. She certainly wishes her students to be everything they can be. The elite of the future.

"Well I do hope that is the case Emma," Superman genuinely wishes.

"As do I," Emma says, adding a light purr to her tone. "But please tell me, Superman is so formal, is there another name you go by?"

Rogue's eyes narrow, slightly annoyed at the fact that this Frost woman is flirting with her boyfriend.

Clark thinks it over for a moment before deciding he is better keeping his secrets as closely guarded as possible around Emma, considering what the Professor told them about the Inner Circle she belongs to. "Superman is fine."

Emma takes that momentarily failure in her stride and turns to address the whole group. "Now since you've been so polite to have been introduced why don't we step inside so I can reciprocate. My students have been quite looking forward to this."

"_I bet they have," _Jean mentally grumbles to Scott.

"_Easy Jean," _Scott cautions. _"Remember the role we're here to play," _he reminds her.

Jean steadies herself. It wouldn't do to let her dislike of Emma allow the bitch an easy way into her mind.

Emma leads them in through the main doors into the entrance hall where the Hellions are all lined up waiting in their red and black uniforms apart from one in a traditional Muslim black robe and veil.

There are a few audible gasps of surprise when the X-Men spot a certain redhead in the line.

"Firefly?" Logan exclaims.

Emma smiles slyly. "Oh yes. Of course. Claire use to be with you. I found her living in a rather rough part of Boston and offered her a more secure roof over her head," she reels off the explanation before the question is asked. "There will be plenty of time for you to all catch up as the day progresses," Emma heads off any other questions. "Now let me introduce you to my students."

Emma simply goes down the line listing their names and they give a nod of acknowledgement. "Apart from our dear Volcana we have Christopher Aaronson(King Bedlam), Buford Wilson(Beef), Sharon Smith(Catseye), Marie-Ange Colbert(Tarot), Jennifer Stavros(Roulette), Fabian Marechal-Jublin(Bevatron), Julian Keller(Hellion), Sooraya Qadir(Dust), Manuel Alfonso Rodrigo de la Rocha(Empath), Angelica Jones(Firestar), Haroun ibn Sallah al-Rashi(Jetstream)." Emma takes a momentary pause before listing the quintuplets of the Five-in-One, "Celeste, Mindee, Phoebe, Esme and Sophie Cuckoo...and saving the best for last, Monet Yvette Clarisse Maria Therese St. Croix(M) and her twin sisters Nicole and Claudette(the M-Twins)."

Well Monet did have to agree she was the best so can accept not being mentioned first.

Charles' eyebrows rise slightly. Emma had been busier than he imagined gathering together this many mutants. This is a kick for him to get cracking on a new recruitment drive.

Emma briefly introduces her staff before she claps her hands together. "Well now how about we all go on a tour," she proposes.

None of her students look all that thrilled at the idea and neither do the X-Men but they all suck it up and play the role they've been told to.

Emma points off down a corridor. "This way," she says. "And please feel free to mingle," she suggests to them. "We're here so we can become friends and hopefully one day teammates in the common cause."

Most of the people present give Emma the same look of disbelief at what she is suggesting.

"A tour sounds like a wonderful idea," Charles says, playing along. "We're ready whenever you are Emma."

Emma fakes a pleasant smile and begins to lead off with the varying mutant teams following on behind in virtually separate groups apart from the odd exception. Roulette slides her way next to Superman, lacing her arm around his elbow. "Hi!" she bats her eyelids at him. "I'm Jennifer. How about I _escort _you?" she proposes, suggestiveness lacing her flirtatious tones.

Rogue glares at the blond but knows she has to act cool. Superman ain't her boyfriend. Dang this secret identity stuff is annoying some days...but if the girl tries her luck Rogue swears she's draining the bitch.

Clark can feel that nervous twist in his stomach because he can practically feel Rogue's glare. He clears his throat. "That's a very kind offer," he says, trying to be polite.

"Oh I'm full of all types of _offers,_" Roulette promises him, her voice deeply husky, her hand stroking over his bicep.

Superman gently removes her hands from his arm without seemingly being too overt about it. "What is your power?" he asks, hoping to find a topic she can't turn into a suggestive remark.

Roulette's hands are almost instantaneously back touching his arm. "I can alter the laws of probability, bestowing good or bad luck upon a target subject. Personally I prefer bad. Fits in with the type of girl I am," she says with a naughty smile and cheeky wink.

So much for not finding something she can't turn. Clark inwardly groans. He has a feeling this is going to be a loonnnggg day.

Claire briefly looks down at herself still wondering how she ever ended up being persuaded to dress in one of these Hellion outfits. That is when she feels a presence move in next to her as she walks. She doesn't even need to see who it is to know. In all actuality she was surprised it took him this long to move next to her. "Hello Logan," she says in flat tones.

"Kid...what are you doing here?" Logan asks, still trying to get his head around the fact Volcana is here and trying to work out how she ended up here.

"Choosing a place I fit in better," Claire responds to Logan's question.

"You fitted in just fine with us," Logan argues. "Do you know how much effort I put in to trying to find you?"

"I told you in my letter not to bother trying. I needed some personal space. I thought you of all people would understand," she says in accusing tones. "After all how often do you go off alone on your bike and away for some 'Me Time'?"

"Firefly...no-one blames ya for what ya did," he tries to assure her in relation to the MRD guys she killed.

Claire looks sceptical. "You're just saying that. We know it's not true."

"It is true," Logan insists.

"I killed them and I'm not sorry I did it. They deserved it," she restates her feeling on the issue. They hurt Amara. No-one hurts her best friend(maybe more than merely best friend) and gets away with it.

"And you think I have never done and felt the same? I could list a lot of scumbags I ain't sorry I buried," Logan argues, trying to get her to see that her actions don't mean she can't come back to the Institute. In fact her words and attitude means she should be back at the Institute where they can help her like the Professor has helped Logan deal with a lot of the stuff he has done.

"It's not the same," Claire insists even if that might seem illogical. "Stryker was right. I..."

Logan cuts her off with an indignant snort. "Stryker! What did he...he got in yer head didn't he," he realises. "Dammit kid that is the last man on Earth ya should be listening to."

"It doesn't matter if what he said was true...which it is."

"He's done a number of you hasn't he," Logan assesses.

"No!" Claire protests that accusation. "It is just...I...it's...I'm not talking about this. This is where I belong. End of discussion," she states coldly before speeding up and away from Logan before he can confuse her any more. Nobody did any number on her. This is her choice. This is where she belongs. Now if only she could actually convince herself totally of that her life would be a lot easier.

_'This ain't the end kid,'_ Logan thinks to himself. Not by a long way is this the end. No way in hell is he letting Stryker succeed in messing up the head of one of his kids. He may not get through to her today but one day he'll make her see the truth. Logan swears it.

"Are you as creeped out as me?" Evan asks Kurt at a whisper as he discreetly points at the 5 identical girls.

"Ja," Kurt says in agreement because those 5 gave off major league creepy vibes.

"All this seems relatively new," Charles observes about the clean white lines of the Academy as he rolls along beside Emma. "How long has your school been up and running Emma?"

"About a year," Emma happily admits and it is genuine happiness. Emma truly enjoys teaching. It is the one adolescent dream she has never been able to dismiss.

"It is very impressive."

"I'm always impressive. Surely you remember that about me," Emma quips.

Charles chuckles lightly. "Indeed."

* * *

Down in the War Room Isobel sits, with her feet on the table, sipping on a glass of wine as she watches all of this through the security monitors. She had to confess that Emma had good taste in wines. She brings the glass up to her nose and smells the flavours. Reminds her of home.

Isobel watches as the tour continues. The slutty blond was practically throwing herself at dear old Clarkie who was doing his best to try and fend her off without being offensive. He never changes compared to Lana's memories. Always the boyscout.

Isobel truly did not believe she would learn much today. The X-Men would surely be too guarded in an initial meeting but it would be interesting to witness all the same and who knows someone might let something slip.

Isobel can be patient, unlike her mother. 400 years in a purgatory teaches you a level of patience few can match. Patience will deliver Clark into her hands and soon after him the 3 stones and once she has them...well her mother better watch her back Isobel muses to herself with a sinister gleam and dark smile.

* * *

The tour had been going on for an hour. Empath had learned what being a perverted lech gets you around Rogue. A painful limp that was not going to be simply walked off.

Emma leads them into the separate building to the side that was used for training. "And this is our gymnasium and training facility, complete with its own Danger Room, just to make you feel at home Logan," she describes what it is as she fulfils the role of tour guide.

"Thanks Frosty. You're all heart," Logan says a whole lot less than genuinely.

"That is the general consensus," Emma says with a faked innocent air.

"Hey Ms F!" Julian calls out. "How about we have a little simulation and show them how it works?" he suggests.

Emma frowns slightly at Julian's continually glib attitude and later there will be a reprimand for calling her 'Ms F' but his idea is not without merit. After all she invited the X-Men here so she could learn about them and what better way than with a little _friendly _contest. "A splendid idea. How about a little four on four?"

"Sound good to me," Julian says with a savage grin.

"What do you say Charles?" Emma asks him. "Shall we see how our students match up in a little friendly competition."

"Is that necessary Emma?" Charles queries back, having doubt about how friendly it would actually be.

"Aw. What's the matter? You chicken?" Julian mocks them, trying to gall them into action.

"Ya wish!" Rogue fires back, her temper already stoked by the lech who tried to hit on her.

Cyclops' eyes narrow behind his visor and he frowns. If these losers wanted to see what a real team could do he would show them. "We're up for any challenge, any time," he says.

Jean looks at her boyfriend with surprise. Oh dear god don't let this be some macho pissing contest. If so Scott is so getting a telling off when they get home.

"Excellent!" Emma says, taking Scott's words as an acceptance. Her smile grows sly here. "How about to be fair on you and to give you a sporting chance I allow Superman, who is not an official member of your team, to participate," she proposes.

Superman frowns at Emma's suggestion. Clark has a bad feeling about this.

"Oh that would be so good," Roulette enthuses, still attached to Superman's arm no matter what he tries to pry her off. Jen would love to see him in action up close...and then she would love to see him in _action _up close and personal with her, all alone, in her room if you get her drift.

"Well Superman, what do you say?" Emma asks him.

Superman looks to Scott.

"It's fine with me. Come on Superman lets show them what real teamwork looks like," Scott says, volunteering himself while he is at it.

Superman shrugs one shoulder and smiles thinly. "Okay," he agrees. They do have to play along he supposes.

"Pick the other two for your team Scott," Emma tells him.

"Jean," Scott says instantly.

"Well there's a surprise," Emma mutters quietly to herself with a roll of her eyes.

"And Storm," Scott picks the 4th member, one of the most powerful mutants on the planet.

"Foul!" Tarot calls. "She's not a student."

"She's a member of my team," Scott calmly counters and stares at Emma, daring her to object.

"Very well," Emma accepts. "Now my 4 picks. Hellion, Bevatron, M...and Volcana."

The shock on Claire's face is clear at being picked. Emma, however knows what she is doing. This is a test for Claire to see how she does against her old friends because if she can't do it in a simulation Emma cannot trust her to do it for real one day. She doesn't expect Claire to beat Storm. Ororo is far too powerful and too good but that's not the point. Picking Monet is obvious. To test her power against Superman. Hellion is to counter Jean and Bevatron's electric blasts is a counter to Scott. Long range fire power against long range fire power.

"Hellion be a dear and show the way down into the simulation room," Emma says.

Julian smirks, with a dark look in his eye. This is going to be good. "Sure teach."

As the 8 persons leave Emma leads the rest into the observation booth. She takes the momentary pause as they wait for them to arrive in the room to step next to the Five-in-One. _"So girls what are we learning?" _she asks them telepathically in a focussed thought to keep the conversation private.

"_They're hiding their thoughts," _the hive mind of the 5 girls reports back. _"And Superman's thoughts are unreadable. His mind is completely foreign," _they add on and sound uncomfortable at that fact.

Emma lightly frowns. She guesses Charles isn't as naïve as she thought and he must have prepared his students to hide their thoughts. Oh well it matters little. This is only the start. In time they will think they are forming an alliance, their guard will drop and their secrets will be revealed...and she can get Superman's from them if she can't get it from his mind directly. Then Emma's own plans can take a major step forward. She so looks forward to that day when she takes the power and position that is rightly hers.

* * *

_Author's Note: I thought I might as well get an early start with Isobel's plotting to try and be rid of her mother, hence her showing up here. I chose a 4 on 4 contest because I wanted only a small, compact fight that I can keep nice, short and to the point. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The little 'friendly' 4 on 4 between the X-Men and the Hellions as the visit to the Academy of Tomorrow continues._


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

As Jean walks into the startlingly similar to the Danger Room chamber she had a bad feeling about this. The one called Hellion had this certain gleam in his eye and M...she gave off the same sort of arrogant superiority Jean associated normally with Emma...and she got that from the 5 words they exchanged as they were on the tour. Jean didn't have a judgement yet on the one called Bevatron and as for Volcana...Jean was as much in shock at the fact her fellow redhead was here, with Emma, as the rest of her friends.

Hellion smiles dangerously. "Lets make it simple. Rules are last team standing wins. Beyond that anything goes," he proposes.

"We accept your terms," Storm decides to say on behalf of them all. This would be a good way to see what type of persons these are along with discovering their abilities in a relatively controlled environment.

"Ready when you are Ms F!" Hellion shouts up to the control room for Ms Frost to signal them to start.

Emma's voice comes over the loudspeaker. "Begin!"

"Volcana, covering fire," Hellion instantly orders.

Volcana's hair transforms into fire as she raises her hands and sends a stream of fire at her 4 opponents.

In response Superman inhales and unleashes his ice-breath, not only blowing the fire out but creating a mass of ice between his team and the 4 Hellions.

"That's new," Claire mumbles, her eyes a little wide in surprise. She had never seen him do that before. Then again she is also sure there is something about him she has forgotten.

Cyclops instantly takes charges. "Storm into the air. Superman zip in behind them and divert their focus into two. Jean..."

Scott never finishes his commands as M comes flying, literally, through the ice barrier, shattering it easily and collides directly into Superman, driving him all the way back until he collides with the metal wall, denting it severely. A quick barrage of punches hit, into what would be the weak points on a human being. Punches that pack quite some strength behind them but Clark has fought stronger. He almost effortless catches a punch and M's eyes widen in mild shock. Being a gentleman Clark decides on a less aggressive means to push his opponent away and simply blows out a superbreath.

M is caught off guard and goes tumbling head over heels several times before she manages to stop herself. Her eyes narrow in determination. No common little superhero is going to show her up.

Hellion sneers and focusses his attention on Jean. "Lets see which of us is stronger carrot-top," he says insultingly as he challenges Jean. He levitates the chunks of ice off the floor and flings them at her.

Jean raises her hand and forms not a straight shield but one with a curve that sends the chunks right round her body and back at Hellion who, being nowhere near as subtle as Jean merely forms a bubble around himself as a shield.

Hellion's eyes narrow. If she thinks she can show him up she is so wrong. He'll show her which of them is the better telekinetic.

Storm hovers over Claire, still trying to comprehend what the fiery girl is doing here. Volcana looks up with dread. Storm was...well really, really good as she recalls from training back at the Institute. However she will do her best. "Want to see a new trick Ms Frost taught me Storm?" Volcana asks, as her eyes glow intensely with fire. The fire that is her hair flares up, the air around her distorts and Volcana rises off the ground until she is hovering the same height as Storm.

Storm takes a moment to assess this new development. "Very impressive," she remarks and she thinks she can figure out how Claire is doing it. The same way she does it, rising on updrafts, only they create them differently. Storm simply summons an updraft. Claire's heat generates one.

"Yeah? Well lets see if you find this impressive," Claire says before she brings her hand to her lips and blows out a kiss...of streaming fire.

Storm places her hand out in front of her and makes a circular motion. A mini twister forms and blows the fire back at Claire. It diffuses harmlessly around her body. She's fireproof after all.

"You know my own fire can't fucking hurt me!" Claire yells.

"I see your language still requires improvement," Storm lightly criticises. "And I don't need to attack you directly Claire."

"What?"

Storm summons an icy cold wind and directs it not at Claire but just beneath her, cooling the thermal updraft that is lifting her and down Volcana drops instantly. Storm swoops in, grabs a flailing arm, slowing the girl's descent before she throws her into the wall of the room, just hard enough to daze Volcana and no more.

Electricity crackles between Bevatron's hands as he charges up. "Lets us see who is quicker off the draw Monsieur Summers shall we? Just like the Wild West you Americans love to portray in your movies," he proposes in his thick French accent.

Scott's eyes narrow with determination behind his visor. His fingers twitch in readiness. "Your move. Call it."

Bevatron's upper lip curls as he stares at his opponent. "Draw!" he yells and discharges an electrical attack at Cyclops.

Scott drops to the floor, letting the electrical blast fly over his head. As he is falling his hand is going to his visor. He fires off an optical beam and strikes Bevatron dead centre in the chest sending the young French man flying until he lands on his back, groaning in pain. Seems Scott's perfect record of being quicker on the draw is still intact.

Just then the floor under Scott starts to lift up as a laser turret pops up. Several pop up and more from the walls and ceilings appear. "Friendly competition? Right," Scott mutters as is forced to roll and dodge the incoming fire before he returns fire hitting at the ones on the walls and ceilings.

"Expect the unexpected goggle-boy!" Hellion shouts as he continues his telekinetic battle with Jean. He reaches out and forcibly aims a turret at Jean with his TK. Jean is forced to take her focus off him and block a shot allowing Hellion to strike her with a TK pulse before he telekinetically throws and pins Jean to a wall. His eyes narrow with deadly intent as he prepares to finish this only to find lightning crash into the ground directly in front of him sending Julian flying back. He lands on his back and groans as the image of Storm swoops in over him. This is what he gets for not paying attention to his surroundings.

Back with M she simply walks through the fire the turrets are unleashing, uncaring as the blasts bounce harmlessly off her invulnerable frame, as she narrows the gap to Superman. She brushes her hair back with a grace and finesse few possess as if she is simply walking across a road. "You and I are of a kind," she states.

"Really?" Superman questions that notion.

"We are the superior."

"Actually where I come from I'm pretty average."

"There is no need to fawn modesty."

"I don't think you can farm modesty."

"I said fawn. Now farm!"

"No. You said farm. Trust me, my hearing's just a bit better than average."

Monet's eye twitches. "Are you idiotic?"

"Are we reduced to insults? I thought you were better than that. Superior? Wasn't that what you said?"

Monet's mouth opens agape. No-one has ever turned her words around on her like that.

"Careful. You'll catch flies," Superman rolls off with a cheeky grin.

Monet's brown eyes darken. "You will learn that Monet St Croix is more than superior. I am perfection," she states with absolute belief in her words.

"Except for your right eye being a few millimetres lower than your left. You lack perfect symmetry."

Monet's hands clench into fists. "That's not true!" she snaps.

Superman shrugs. "Don't believe me if you choose not to."

"I won't believe you! Now lets us see which of us is truly invulnerable!" she challenges him. Monet breaks into a sprint.

For any normal person she would cover the ground close to instantaneously but, really, Clark doubts she is moving at more than a hundred if that. He easily side-steps her, shoves his hand into her back and sends her careening head first into the wall.

Monet pushes herself off and in the wall has been left an impression of her face. She back flips off the ground, turns in mid-air and aims a flying kick at Superman...who catches her foot.

Superman then whips her round and smashes her through a turret, using her invulnerable body to break it. "Here's the thing Monet St Croix," he starts to say as he whips her round, over his head and puts her through another turret. "You have a lot to learn." He whips her round and into another turret. "You see invulnerability as a reason you're superior."

Once more Monet goes on a trip through the air and through a 4th turret. This is beyond humiliating.

Superman continues his lecture, "However your invulnerability, in the right hands, is in actuality a weakness that can be used against your teammates. Let me demonstrate."

Still holding on to her foot Superman spins round and round, faster and faster, spinning Monet round and round in a blur. He travels all across the room using her to smash the turrets that had popped up from the floor to pieces before he lets her go and she collides into the barely recovered Bevatron. Her invulnerable body knocking him clean out.

Superman zips over. "How's that for a _perfect _aim?" he asks as he looks down at Monet who is so dizzy she can't tell which way is up and down. Her stomach feels like...oh no!

The contents of Monet's stomach end up all over poor Bevatron.

Superman makes a face. "Whoa. I didn't know anyone's face could go that colour," he says in amusement at the literally green at the gills M.

Meanwhile Jean had recovered from her tussle with Hellion and was assisting Cyclops is disabling the defences.

"Just like home huh?" Scott says as he fires off blasts and Jean protects the two of them.

Jean has to smile a little. Him and her back to back, covering each other. "Yeah. Just like home."

Volcana is still lying in a daze...and alright really she isn't in any rush to get back up. She really doesn't want to be doing this. Fighting her friends. She told Ms Frost, when she agreed to join the Academy, she wouldn't know if she could do this until the time came. Well the time has come and she isn't happy at fighting her...they're still her friends so she'll just lie here. She put on a show. Got her ass handed to her. Ms Frost can chew her out later for all the zero fucks Claire gives.

That leaves Storm to deal with Hellion who she hovers above.

"You're going to pay for that," Hellion growls for what she did as he gets back to his feet.

"Am I?" Storm asks back, a single white eyebrow arched sceptically.

"You're no match for me!" Hellion declares cockily.

Storm remains calms. "I am out-powered am I?"

"Yeah," Hellion states with absolute certainty.

"You are powerful from what I saw, no doubt, but what you gained in power you have lost in visual acuity."

Hellion is perplexed, his forehead creases. "My eyesight's just fine."

"You have lost all perspective. You think your power alone can win you this battle. Power, strength, these things alone do not a battle win."

"Yeah? We'll see of you still think that after I have crushed you like a bug!" Hellion snarls. He rips a piece of the floor out with his telekinesis and throws it at her.

Storm remains perfectly calm as she lets herself glide back and lighting flings from her hands, impacting the steel section and blasting it aside.

Hellion throws another piece which Storm deflects just as easily. Hellion's face twists in frustration and he uses his TK to fling himself at her. If he can just get his hands on her he should be physically stronger and able to subdue her.

Storm remains as calm as ever. She raises her hand above her head and forms a cloud and out of it comes hail which strikes at Hellion. In moments the icy pellets grow in size and intensity striking Hellion hard, making him lose his concentration. Before he can respond Storm has him caught in a swirling twist of wind, spinning him around, raising him higher and higher. Storm spins him faster and faster until it becomes too much and he passes out and goes limp. Storm gently returns him to the floor as the room shuts down.

Shortly after the two groups of students and instructors enter the room. Emma is wearing a pleasant smile despite the defeat her team just suffered. She'll be making them train twice as hard tomorrow for this débâcle. "I must congratulate you Charles. You have trained them well," she gives him praise.

"Thank you Emma," Charles replies.

"Vay to go guys!" Nightcrawler exclaims.

"You guys totally rock!" Shadowcat joins in the praise.

"Well we try," Superman jokes.

Roulette slides her way back to Superman's side. "You most certainly do," she purrs. "How about later you and I _try _to get to know each other better."

Rogue growls under her breath. She swears she will kill that little blond floozy.

Tarot, meanwhile, has gone to aid her girlfriend. "You alright?" she asks Claire, worry clearly written on her face.

Claire rubs her head. "Yeah I'm fine," she says, sounding a little grouchy.

A few of the Hellions burst into giggles. It's because of Monet's appearance. "That's a new colour on you St Croix!" Beef mocks, pointing at her still rather green complexion.

"It really suits you," Jetstream adds, laughing heartedly.

Monet glares. They will all pay. Mark her words. Her eyes then notice in disbelief that even her little sisters are giggle like immature 5 year olds. Family. Who needs them. Certainly not Monet St Croix. She needs no-one but her own perfect self.

Emma ends up chuckling lightly herself as Monet's appearance was amusing and a slight ego deflation would not harm Monet at all. It might do her some good...although inwardly she was rather annoyed at how easily Superman seemed to outclass Monet. "Yes, all highly amusing. Why don't we return to the main building," she proposes. "The students can enjoy the refreshments I have had prepared in the common area while Charles and I can talk about the future." She turns to the Professor. "We can go to my office and talk privately if that is suitable with you?" she asks.

"Of course," Charles agrees.

Bevatron gets to his feet muttering some unpleasantries in French about the state he is after M threw up all over him. God the smell. This uniform is getting burned.

"Somebody wake Julian up please," Emma requests of one of her students at the still lying limp boy.

King Bedlam stands over Hellion, kneel down and gives him a short, sharp slap across his face.

Hellion's eyes snap open, an angry frown on his face as he rubs his cheek "What was that for?" he demands to know, not in the least bit happy.

King Bedlam rolls his eyes and shakes his head in disappointment as a leader would when he sees his team fail him.

* * *

A short time later, after leaving the students to 'mingle' in the common area, Charles follows Emma into her office. She moves round and sits in her chair while Charles cmes to a stop on the opposite side. "Where do you wish to begin?" she asks him where does he wish to start this discussion.

"How about where your students took a friendly competition a little too seriously?" Charles proposes, his eyebrow quirked in an unhappy manner.

"I teach my students to be the best in everything they do. That includes even a little friendly competition. Second best is never acceptable. Besides Charles, don't tell me your students are afraid of a few bruises?" Emma laughs lightly. "Come now. Your students did win after all."

"Superman is not a student although I'm flattered you call him such. I would be proud if he were."

"Yes Superman. His thought patterns are most unusual."

"Emma. Did you try and scan his mind?" Charles asks warily.

"Certainly not," she denies the accusation which is, of course, a lie. She did. "It was merely an observation any telepath would make in his presence."

"As you said at the lunch Emma, Superman is unusual. However I see you have your own superhuman," Charles says changing the subject off of Clark before Emma gets too nosy.

"Monet? Yes. Fascinating isn't she. Her x-gene enhances everything about her. Her body, her mind."

"Her ego," Charles quips. It had only taken a short time in the presence of the girl to see how large it was.

Emma laughs. "Yes, well, that was not my doing. That is how I found her. Superman, however, seems to have the edge in strength and speed." Emma lightly frowns, still annoyed about that.

"That is how I found him," Charles jokes dryly.

"Touché," Emma says.

"You never mentioned Volcana was attending your academy," Charles mentions, a little suspicious of that. Of course this explains why Cerebro couldn't find her. Claire was shielded by being here.

"There seemed no reason to. It made no difference to what we were discussing, speaking of which, shall we return to that?" Emma suggests, deciding a discussion about Volcana is not something she desires right here and now.

Charles has many questions about Volcana but Emma obviously doesn't want to talk about it so he agrees with her wish to talk about their 'alliance'. "Of course. The obvious issue Emma is that the difference of opinion between us still remains. You wish to take on a more aggressive posture in dealing with humans which I believe will only backfire upon us."

"Nonsense," Emma dismisses that argument. "Humans need to know we can and will defend ourselves. It's all well and good wishing to discuss peace with humans but it must be done from a position of strength."

"Emma I am perfectly prepared to defend our kind when they are threatened," Charles defends himself and his philosophy.

"Reactive Charles. It's always reactive. You always wait for them to make the move. We need to strike them before they hurt us. At least someone agrees with me. Have you seen the reports of the FOH meetings that have been attacked recently?"

Charles sighs, sadly. "Yes."

"It's Magneto. Isn't it," Emma can guess from the reports she has seen about the attacks.

"Yes," Charles says with even more sadness. He had no doubt that Erik was behind it. Although why this sudden upsurge in his actions when he's been deathly quiet for months is a mystery.

"You can't possibly be surprised that he has done so."

"Surprised? No. Just saddened."

Emma almost rolls her eyes. Sentimental old fool. "These 'Friends of Humanity', the other mutant-hate groups. You just sit there and do nothing while they plot our extinction. Even you, Charles, must see they must be confronted."

"Confronted through a battle of ideas Emma. As much as you and I may not like them they have a right to say what they want."

"They don't have a right to plot how to murder us!" Emma says almost spitefully.

"I agree but what's the response Emma? We murder them instead? That's not a solution. That's Magneto's solution."

Emma crosses her right leg over her left and calms her emotions. "Look Charles, there is a way we can unite. I am willing to temper my position slightly. I am not proposing to kill anyone but we can disrupt their plans, discreetly, out of public view. You continue to publicly talk up your agenda of peace and equality. I deal with the threats to our kind and all you have to do is let me."

"You're proposing some kind of mutant black-ops team?"

"Not the way I would phrase it but essentially yes. The X-Men remain in public view letting the public see them as heroes, acting like heroes do, drawing the public's attention and focus. This provides the perfect cover for me to deal with our enemies, who do not remotely think or act like you do, out of view."

Charles would be uncomfortable with what Emma is proposing even if he didn't know this was all a front, a deception on part of the Inner Circle. Attacking these people head on only risks inflaming, rather than easing, the tensions which is why he hasn't done it. They must win the battle of ideas with these mutant-hate groups. However, he needs to keep this relationship with Emma going until he can find out what the Inner Circle has planned so needs to carefully choose his response to be non-committal. "I'm not saying yes," he starts off.

"You're not saying no," Emma gently retorts with a gentile smile.

"If I was to even consider it, and I would take a considerable amount of time thinking it over, there would be safeguards and rules I'm not certain you would be happy with," he warns her.

"We can discuss the precise rules Charles. It would at least be something we can attempt to form an alliance on."

"I will need to go away and ponder deeply on it Emma."

"Of course. I never expected us to settle this today," she assures him.

"I will certainly think on it and then perhaps you and a few of your students could come to the Institute and meet the rest of mine," Charles vaguely makes an offer to reciprocate what Emma did. Again mostly for appearances.

"Sounds delightful," Emma says, her smile masking, as always, what her true feelings are.

* * *

Later, after the X-Men have left, Emma enters the War Room where she finds Isobel still sitting, looking immensely relaxed. "What do you know of Superman?"

Isobel turns her head and looks at Emma with a strange smile. "Something bothering you Emma?"

"Shaw told me he is a key to some power."

"He is," Isobel confirms. "But I doubt that's what you're asking about so how about you drop the games. I am not my mother nor Xavier," she tells Emma to simply say it.

"He defeated Monet easily."

"That arrogant brat," Isobel scoffs. "She has a higher opinion of herself than she deserves. She will learn, if today did not teach her, they are beings superior to her to whom she is nothing but a gnat."

"I couldn't read his mind."

"And?"

"I wasn't blocked. I literally could not read it."

"Is there a point you're trying to get to?"

"What is he?" Emma asks the question because from today's events she has gotten the distinct impression he is far more than just an exceptionally strange and powerful mutant.

"That, my dear Emma, is indeed the question," Isobel essentially confirms Emma's suspicions.

"You don't know, do you," Emma gleams from that.

"My mother does. She chooses to keep that information to herself," Isobel reveals. Her mother hasn't gone beyond calling Clark's father, and therefore Clark himself, as an abomination but Isobel is certain her mother knows far more than she is saying about what precisely Clark is. Isobel also suspects far more went on with this Jor-El than simply his defeat of her mother due to how vitriolic the language is when her mother talks about the man. It seems personal. However, her mother refuses to be drawn on talking on the subject so for now Isobel will have to remain in the dark...but only for now. After all not many people can claim to have defeated her mother so finding out what happened will be part of Isobel finding the means to free herself from her mother's control.

Emma looks at Isobel curiously after that last reply and concludes, "She doesn't trust you."

"My mother does not know the meaning of the word. To her everyone is simply a tool to be used and discarded," Isobel says waspishly.

"You're her daughter," Emma points out and in a way asking if that previous statement applies to Isobel.

"My mother has been alive for at least 3000 years. Imagine how many children she has had in that amount of time and then ask yourself where are they now," Isobel replies and in a roundabout way confirms that to her mother everyone, even her own children, are nothing but tools to be used for Selene's own personal gain.

Emma can guess that they're probably no longer 'around' and that Selene is the reason why. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you won't tell her. You hate her as much as she hates you."

"You sound so certain of that," Emma says, a little annoyed at the presumption.

"Tell me I'm wrong," Isobel dares and when Emma doesn't she smiles triumphantly. Isobel sobers. "I'll be blunt Emma. I don't have the time to be otherwise. I need an ally against my mother. Once she has used me for whatever it is she wants I'll be expelled from this vessel and banished to whatever Hell my mother can conjure up for me."

"And what do I get out of this for taking such a risk?" Emma asks and it is a possibly grave risk.

"The way to be rid of my mother."

"If it was that easy you would have done it when you were alive."

"I never said it was easy," Isobel rebukes Emma, "and you're correct, it is not but once I have the power I seek I can overcome her," she says with certainty.

"And to gain that power you need Superman. A difficult proposition considering his power," Emma cautions.

"For you, maybe, but I have fought him before and defeated him," Isobel states proudly.

"We don't need to defeat him though do we?" Emma questions that premise.

"No. Not really," Isobel concedes. "We just want the knowledge in his head."

"Knowledge about?" Emma inquires

"I am no so foolish to give up my advantage Emma," Isobel warns the telepath off from trying to trick her into giving everything away.

"Well I can't get inside his head," Emma reiterates the point she made at the start of this conversation.

"With my help you can," Isobel tells Emma.

Emma arches an eyebrow. Now she was interested. "Really?"

"I defeated him because his vaunted invulnerability doesn't stretch to my magic. My magic can get you inside his head and I'm certain you know what to do after that."

Emma starts to smile widely. Oh yes she knows exactly what to do once she gets inside his head...only it may not be what Isobel envisions.

* * *

On the flight back home the X-Men discuss how the day went. A few were creeped out by some of Emma's students.

"A few of them are pieces of work," Logan mutters to Storm, in not glowing terms, about Emma's students as he observed them during the course of the day they spent at the Academy.

Ororo agreed. Some of them had quite cold, dark expressions. A fondness for violence and aggression she would say. They would never, ever be considered as X-Men. Although she wouldn't say all of them were like that. Some seemed quite nice. Like that Marie girl who hit it off with Kitty. They spent quite some time chatting over clothes, shopping and celebrity gossip.

Rogue was sitting stewing over the way the little blond floozy kept throwing herself at Clark all day and she was pissed at him for not being more forceful in telling the girl to get lost. He doesn't seem to notice her foul mood as his expression was off into the distance.

Kurt, too, had noticed Clark's expression. "You alright mein friend?"

"Hmm? What?" Clark asks as his mind returns to the here and now.

"You're far avay," Kurt says.

Clark gives a small apologetic smile. "Sorry. Thinking," he explains.

"About?"

"Volcana actually." And Clark has no idea how to break that revelation about where Claire is to his mother or how she'll take it. His mother had put so much effort into Claire that it hurt her deeply when Claire left and his mother doesn't need this dropped on her after the revelation of who Sebastian Shaw is.

Kurt had been as surprised as anyone to see where Claire had ended up after leaving them. "Vhat troubles you Clark?"

"Wanda's spell in regards to me, remember?" he asks in reference to the one where many people no longer remember Clark is Superman.

"Ja," Kurt says, puzzled as he doesn't see the relevance unless Clark means... "She doesn't remember you, does she?"

"I don't think so. I did manage to talk to her a little and there was just no recognition in her eyes...and I'm annoyed at myself because part of me is pleased."

"Zhat your secret is safe from Ms Frost and her allies," Kurt can figure out.

A heavy guilty expression comes to Clark's face as he nods to confirm that. He shouldn't be happy. Claire is his friend. He already messed up her life once when her parents were killed and she became meteor infected the day he fell to Earth. Now her memory has, most likely, been messed with.

"It's not your fault Clark," Kurt tries to make his friend feel better. "You vere not responsible for zhat spell. Madeleine vas mainly at fault and as for Claire she made her choice to leave before any of zhat happened and as I recall isn't zhat vhy you go out every night. To defend people's right to choose."

Clark smiles a little at Kurt's words of support. "Yeah. Yes it is," he confirms.

"And if I vere you, knowing vhat ve know now, I vould be pleased too, zhat mein secret is safe."

"I should have more trust in Claire to keep my secret regardless. That's why I'm annoyed at myself Kurt."

"I believe you trust her but zhat doesn't mean you can't vorry a little as vell you know. You can do both."

"Maybe," Clark purses his lips but still part of him feels he should not be pleased Claire has forgotten his secret. He moves on to something else he has been pondering. "I wonder how Claire ended up there. She wasn't forthcoming with detail."

"No change zhere zhen," Kurt lightly jokes. Claire was never the most talkative person.

Clark chuckles a little. That was true.

"I'm sure one day ve'll find zhe truth and zhat one day Claire will return to us."

"Faith Kurt?"

"Alvays mein friend. Never lose faith in zhat God has a plan for all of us."

Clark's not a particularly religious person because what kind of plan involves leaving him the last survivor of his species. He takes a breath. "Well I truly hope Claire's happy with her choice. You know I think she might have a girlfriend."

"Really? How do you know zhat?"

Clark taps on his nose. "I could smell strongly the French girl on Claire, the one who called herself Tarot."

"Oh. Vell...she's certainly very different," Kurt remarks about the difference in personality between Claire and Tarot. In fact it is surprising they would be a couple.

Clark shrugs. "Love's a funny thing. I mean just look around at who we're all dating."

"Zhat's very true," Kurt concedes with a smile.

Hank looks at Charles deep in thought. "So what's our next move?" he wonders.

"We have to string Emma along until we get more information. I'll need to contact Sage about it. We still don't know why we are suddenly getting this attention," Charles points out something they never found out.

"None of her students said anything. Either they're very good or they don't know."

"I would go with the second possibility. Emma would keep that information down to as few as possible. Herself only if she could get away with it."

"You judging that on what you know of Emma or Shaw?"

"Both really. At the very least Hank we learned something of what Emma's students are capable of."

"Yes they were not shy about boasting about their powers," Hank agrees. Emma had seemed to be teaching them how they were better and superior and should say so.

"We both know this is only the beginning. We must remain cautious and plan each move carefully," Charles explains how they handle this going forward.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

It is well into the evening before they get back to the mansion. Upon returning they find the New Mutants have had their own adventure during the day, signified by the torn uniforms and bruises and cuts.

"What happened to you guys?" Evan asks upon seeing them.

The New Mutants look at Sam who in turn looks to Clark. "Turns out that Prankster guy had a sidekick who decided to kidnap us and use us as bait to lure you into a trap and get his revenge upon you for capturing his mentor."

More guilt swells up inside Clark. "Guys...I'm really sorry," he apologises. "I didn't know anything about a sidekick. What happened?"

Sam groans a little in pain. "We got a message from the Professor saying to meet you at this place on the edge of Bayville and yes before anyone says it the Professor obviously never sent any message. We get that. It was the little sidekick obviously. Anyway this place was underground and, I guess, the Prankster had been building it for awhile and it was like some sort of twisted fairground with lethal games."

"Lethal?" Clark questions that, very perplexed. "The Prankster was annoying but his stuff was never lethal."

"I guess the sidekick has a more extreme view on what constitutes a _fun _game," Ray mutters angrily.

Sam continues the story. "So anyway, he lured us there and trapped us. However we, obviously, were never just going to sit there as bait of the day and wait for you guys to show. We managed to escape his little funhouse just about in one piece but so did the sidekick before we could get our hands on him."

"And when we do get our hands on him I am so killing the twisted little pervert!" Tabby swears, furious at what she and her friends were subjected to in that little fun-house of horrors.

Sam places a hand on his girlfriend's arm and rubs it slightly to try and calm her.

The Professor tries to bring order to the proceedings. "Hank if you will take them down to the infirmary," he requests. He then addresses the New Mutants. "I promise you we'll look into this," he says seriously. It angers him when his students are in danger and there are questions to be asked like how this sidekick managed to fake a message from him. That shouldn't be possible. They'll have to review all their security.

"Did this sidekick have a name?" Clark asks so he can look into it. He feels partially responsible having been chasing after Loomis and not knowing anything about any sidekick.

Sam pauses for one moment from leaving to go to the infirmary. "Yeah. He called himself Arcade."

* * *

_Author's Note:_ _Plans within plots and plots within plans...and a randomly thrown in mention of Arcade all for good measure. In the comics Selene's age has been put at up to 17,000 years old. As you may have noticed in these last 2 chapters I decided just to reign it in to something a little more sensible at closer to 3,000 meaning she was still around before the rise of Rome...or at least that is what anyone can find out because Selene lies about her true age. I'll try to leave it a little ambiguous. Perhaps that is the best way. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; All the plotting, planning and scheming in the world mean nothing when a sudden death changes everything._


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

_The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men  
Gang aft agley,  
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,  
For promis'd joy! _

_Quote from the poem 'To a Mouse' by Robert Burns, 1785_

It was a few days after the trip to Boston that it happened. Clark was simply sitting having breakfast. As usual he was up almost before anyone else. He was chewing over events. Rogue was still a little mad at him for the way Roulette threw herself at him. It wasn't like Clark didn't try to get rid of her. He did but she just wouldn't leave him alone the whole freakin day. He lost count of how many different ways she 'propositioned' him. So not his type even if he was single which he isn't. He loves Rogue. She has to trust him that that is without question.

The other thing Clark was chewing over was this Arcade who almost killed the New Mutants several times over if their story is accurate. It really bothered Clark. Why didn't he notice that the Prankster had a sidekick of some sort? Did he just catch Loomis and then tried to wash his hands of it without making sure he knew the full story?

Clark hopes that isn't the case. That wouldn't make him a very good journalist and an even worse supposed hero. Maybe he needs a different perspective on it. Someone not around here day to day. Perhaps he should phone Chloe and talk to her about it...or that was what Clark was thinking when it happened. The radio in the kitchen was on when a breaking news story interrupted the usual breakfast show.

"_**Breaking announcement this morning is the death of Virgil Swann. The reclusive billionaire, who made his fortune through satellite communications, passed away peacefully in his sleep after a long illness his assistant, Bridgette Crosby, announced this morning in a statement. He will be remembered as one of the leading philanthropists of his generation. Along with starting the Swann Chartable Foundation, he generously funded a wing at the National History Museum. He withdrew from public life after the horse riding accident that left him paralysed but in private dedicated his time to searching for signs of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. His last contribution was a rare public statement calling for calm and understanding in the wake of the revelation of the existence of mutants and that his Foundation would now work towards cultivating understanding between mutants and humans. Today the world will remember his many contributions and will hope to benefit from his gifts for many generations to come. Today we grieve the loss of a great man who believed anything was possible and believed man could not only fly but soar to achieve great things."**_

* * *

Charles had been truly stunned to hear the news this morning. He knew Virgil had been ill but his death was still a complete shock. Charles felt much grief and sadness for the loss of his friend.

"I don't understand," Clark says and he looks like he doesn't understand this at all. "I just talked to him last week," he says with much sorrow. Dr Swann had been someone Clark could pose all sort of questions about Krypton to, that wasn't Jor-El and Clark didn't have to worry about being brainwashed.

Clark was in the Professor's office along with his parents as they digested along with the Professor what this meant now Dr Swann had passed on.

Jonathan puts a caring hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Clark. Truly I am," he says sympathetically and he was. Dr Swann was an outlet for Clark's questions about his home and he knew how important that was to his son.

"We both are," Martha adds as she bends down and hugs her son.

"There was still so much I needed to ask him. He's been helping with the search for the stones."

"We can be thankful for everything he did pass on to you," Martha says, trying to help Clark see the positive. He never takes death of someone close to him well. Always blames himself even when there is not possibly anything even he, for all his power, could have done.

"D-did he have any family?" Clark wonders, a little ashamed he doesn't know. Surely after all he and Dr Swann talked about he should have asked such a simple question at some point.

"He has a daughter, Patricia," Charles recalls. "She would be in...college by now I would think."

Clark lowers his head and feels sorrow for what she must be going through this morning. Martha strokes his hair, trying to console Clark. "What about everything Dr Swann knows?" she asks, worried that whatever Dr Swann had in his possession about Clark may fall into the wrong hands.

"I trust Virgil to have made plans over that," Charles says with faith in his dear old friend to make sure all of that will be secure and safe. Although to be certain he will try and contact Bridgette as soon as he can.

There is a knock at the door and Domino enters with the morning mail. She resists making her usual jokes considering the glum mood. "There's something here for Clark," she mentions.

Clark looks up, puzzled expression on his face, as Domino hands him over the envelope. He recognises the address. "It's from Dr Swann," he says. Clark tears it open and inside he finds a letter written in Kryptonian. He reads it out. "Kal-El. I wish I could continue your journey with you but I regret I shall not be able to. My path is almost at its end. Yours has so much more ahead of you. I give you one last gift. Let it lead you to the truth and discover your destiny."

Inside the envelope is another piece of paper. Clark pulls it out and instantly he can tell it is old. Very old. He unfolds it. It is an elaborately decorated script written in Chinese. Clark had taught himself the language during his search for the stones.

"What is it Clark?" Charles inquires.

Clark's brow furrows with deep ridges. "It tells a story of a great God descending from the sky and entrusting a sacred relic to the Emperor."

"That sounds like the story about the stone we think is in China," Charles observes.

"Yeah...only this is different. It actually names the place," Clark says, his voice gaining an urgency. He places the document on the desk and points at the border. "Also, Kryptonian script all the way round."

Charles leans forward and can see it. The same set of symbols repeated all the way round. "What does it say Clark?"

"It's just the same thing repeated over and over. 'Look deeper'."

"Wow. Enlightening," Dom rolls off sarcastically.

Clark has a sudden hunch and activates his x-ray vision and looks through the paper and sees it. Sees underneath is a map dominated by the image of a river and at one of the junctures of the branches is a picture of a temple. Probably the one named in the document. "It's the map," he says in a hushed, shocked tone.

"Map?" Jonathan queries.

"You know the map," Clark replies. "The one we've been searching for, for weeks. It's hidden under the document. I can see it with my x-ray vision."

"Dr Swann had it?" Martha inquires, confused about that. How did he get it? How long has he had it? Questions they will never get answer to now in all likelihood.

"I need a pen, paper," Clark says urgently. The Professor hands him both from his desk drawer and at superspeed Clark draws what he has seen for everyone else to see. Everyone present leans forward and scopes out Clark's drawing.

Charles picks the drawing up. This is the breakthrough they've been hoping for...and no-one else can possibly have what must be a unique document. They can get there before SHIELD, Isobel and Magneto.

"This seems a little convenient don't it?" Domino throws a dose of scepticism into proceedings. "The very thing we've been looking for suddenly appears in our lap."

"We'll have Hank double check it," Charles decides. "We have to be sure it's authentic before we go off on some wild goose chase."

"As long as it's not a wild chicken chase I'll be good," Dom adds and that earns her a strange look from the other 4 people present in the room.

* * *

**The Academy of Tomorrow...**

Since she had been staying Isobel had gotten herself a private room at Emma's Academy. Now, in her private space, Isobel sits cross-legged in deep meditation as she centres her power. Her eyes move under her lids as images start to flutter through her brain as she has a vision. She can see a distant land. A temple. Clark. He holds something in his hand. He raises his hand and within is a silver misshapen object on which is a symbol that resembles a figure of 8...

Isobel gasps sharply as her eyes snap open. "Non! Non, non, non, non, non. Vous n'obtenez pas cette pierre, Clark!" (Translates to "No! No, no, no, no, no. You're not getting that stone, Clark!")

Isobel is to her feet instantly and running through the halls of the Academy until she reaches Emma's office. She barges in.

"Please don't knock first," Emma drones off a sarcastic comment from her position behind her desk as she looks over her student's latest test papers.

"I don't have time for that Frost!" Isobel snaps, extremely agitated. "I had a vision. We need to leave now!"

"Leave?" Emma asks with a frown. "Leave for where?"

"China."

"China?"

"In my vision I saw him in China with the stone."

"Saw who? What stone?"

"Superman!" Isobel cries in exasperation. "We have to stop him! He can't have that stone!" she says in desperation.

Emma remains perfectly calm. If Isobel is this agitated perhaps she can get some answers she couldn't before. "If we go that would ruin everything I started a few days ago," she calmly points out since stopping Superman would obviously mean fighting him.

"That doesn't matter now!" Isobel cries. "If he gets that stone it's over!"

Emma leans back in her chair, resting her hands on her lap. "I'm going to need much more than that before I ruin what is also your mother's plan by the way."

Isobel glares at the woman. They don't have time for this. "Fine," she spits out, conceding she has to make Frost see the importance of leaving. "The power Superman is the key to are 3 mystical stones that when combined give you the power of the ancients, the power of the Gods, that created them. Somehow, I don't know how precisely, he is linked to them. He already has one he stole from me. Once he has two he can use them to find the 3rd almost instantly and the power will then be his. Do you think it a good idea he gain such power before we have him in our possession?"

Emma frowns deeply. "No," she concedes.

"You're right in this will ruin our previous plan but to hell with it! Read my lips Frost; Superman must not get that stone no matter what. Select a team, put them on a jet and lets get going."

"Very well," Emma accepts this must be done.

Isobel nods satisfied and heads to the door to prepare herself for the battle ahead. Without her book and her traitorous sister witches it will be much harder to tackle Clark than before.

Emma stops Isobel before she leaves. "You'll have to tell your mother," she points out. No way can Emma keep this secret and she is not taking the blame.

Isobel stands stock still and swears a few old French curses. Frost is correct. She will have to tell her mother. She makes a pensive, almost fearful face. Her mother will not take this well...at all.

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

Magneto stands at the bedside of Suzanna Dane. She was still in her coma but he had begun his retribution upon those responsible for placing her here. He takes her right hand into his own and strokes it gently with his fingers. Many accuse him of being cold hearted which up to a point they are correct. He has had to harden his heart to survive the hardships he has had to endure in his life. That doesn't mean he doesn't feel and he did feel a lot once for this woman who now lies in this state of limbo.

Magneto would come here as often as he could spare the time and talk to Suzanna, tell her of their daughter. Lorna was...Magneto smiles as he thinks of his daughter. Lorna was a wonderful gift. She was a wonderful girl. All any father could ask for in a daughter. He had been teaching her control of her magnetic powers and she was showing a remarkable natural affinity for it all. Her progression was remarkable. He might even consider letting her stand by his side soon on missions.

Speaking of missions he had one in the planning that should fall within the Brotherhood's limited abilities to perform. They were already moving into place so weren't here currently. It was nothing overly complicated. It was more to get them into a position to act for when the mutant uprising would begin. All Magneto lacked was the power granted within the 3 stones. Once he had that the war could begin.

Just then the door to this private room he had set up for Suzanna opens. Magneto doesn't even turn to look. "I gave orders never to be disturbed when I'm here," he says, his voice cold and angry.

"It's important. It's the blind girl. She's babbling something about Superman. You wanted to know if she ever did that."

Magneto now turns his head to see Sabretooth at the door. Yes he did want to know that. He bends his head and places a kiss on the back of Suzanna's hand. He lays her hand back down before he turns and departs. He walks through his base until he comes to a secure room. He opens the door with a wave of his hand. Inside, sitting on the floor, is a slender 12 year old girl, with long dark hair, and a wrapping of bandages over her non-existent eyes. She had been born without eyes or eye sockets. The wrapping was more for other people's comfort. Because of this though she has picked up the nickname amongst his followers of 'Blindfold'. Magneto can hear her whispering to herself from here.

"See. Babbling," Sabretooth says as if this proves him right.

Magneto actually rolls his eyes. "She's a precog Victor. She sees the world in ways you can't imagine and tries to interpret that as best she can," he essentially tells Sabretooth off. Magneto walks over to the girl and sits himself down on the floor so they are face to face. "Hello Ruth," he says to Ruth Aldine, who as best as he can figure out is Destiny's granddaughter. He was in fact looking for Irene Adler when he stumbled upon her.

The girl raises her head. "Yes, no, I saw you come. Excuse me. I beg your pardon, is that rude to know that?"

Magneto had quickly discovered upon finding her that Ruth had developed unusual speaking patterns and mannerisms. It seemed she might possess a gift of clairvoyance as good, if perhaps not better, than Irene herself. It makes him curious as to why Irene never found her first. It's possible, just possible, that being a relative made Ruth invisible to Irene's vision. Ruth was invisible to telepaths which is why she was locked in this room, otherwise she could vanish easily and he doesn't want that. "It's not rude Ruth. Tell me of Superman."

"Superman, star of light, so bright, so bright, he seeks here, he seeks there, that which remains of all he has lost. In his hand I see a glimpse of light shining, shiny metal. 1 of 3. That's what I see. Thank you."

That sounds like one of the stones. Does that mean Superman has found it or will find it soon? "Is this happening now Ruth or is this yet to come?" Magneto asks.

"What is then will soon be now or is now, yes, no, please be there to stop them."

"Stop? Stop who Ruth?"

"The 2 Queens. One of black and one of white. You're welcome."

Magneto's face instantly grows dark and hard as he recognises the significance of her words. Black Queen. White Queen. The Hellfire Club. It's been 20 years but he remembers them well. If they're involved in this then the whole situation is much more serious and urgent than he had thought. He gently takes the girl by the arms. "Ruth. Where? Where are they?"

"Trouble, please. Lots of trouble. Lots of players all in one place. The temple, thank you, far to the east near upon the sea."

Sabretooth snorts. "She nuts," he says gruffly, dismissing the girl's words as incoherent rambling.

Magneto scowls. "Not at all," he contradicts the large hairy mutant. "Upon the sea is the exact translation of Shanghai. I know where it is, what she sees." Because he's read it in Lionel Luthor's journal. He had been looking for a map about that but it seems someone must have beat him to it. Who does not matter now. "Thank you Ruth," he says to the girl gratefully. He'll remember to make sure she gets a reward. Magneto rises to his feet. "Gather the Acolytes," he commands. "We have a long trip to make."

"Trip? To where?" Sabretooth asks.

"To where she said. We're going to China."

Magneto and Sabretooth depart, the door slides shut leaving Blindfold sitting all alone in her room. She raises her head and speaks. "Beware the two Queens and the ghost for in battle one shall fall into their grasp. Be turned to darkness' wiles. Betrayal will beget betrayal. Conflagration, struggle, outcome cannot be seen. Who shall rise and who shall fall? No answer I can give. Too many crossing lines. Too much uncertainty. Life is chaos. Thank you, please and you're welcome."

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Beast had been examining the document and when he x-rayed it what Clark saw became visible. He can only give the document a limited examination but from what he knows it looks to be the correct age and type of paper used in that time period it is meant to be from...although it is in suspiciously remarkable condition for its age.

Afterwards the X-Men gather down in the lab room where all the research into the stones is kept. Considering the urgent nature of this they had been allowed to skip school today.

"So are we like going to China or what?" Kitty asks, excited by the prospect.

Hank takes the small round glasses off his face and cleans them. "It is not that simple. I looked up the temple mentioned in the document. It is still there but this map makes no sense. There is no river there."

"Has there every been a river there?" Charles asks. One that has been subsequently been diverted or dried up.

Hank shakes his head. "Not as far as I can tell. The temple has also been examined many times over the years...including a survey funded by Luthorcorp."

"Lionel's been there?" Clark queries that, worried by that idea.

"Yes," Beast confirms. "But from what I can find no-one found anything noteworthy enough or stone shaped," he can lessen the worry there.

"If Lionel could not find it perhaps it is not there," Ororo proposes as a possibility.

"Or maybe it is just hidden well enough that only I can find it," Clark suggests. "They were meant to be able to be found by me as far as I can get the impression from what Jor-El put in my head so therefore it has to be within my capabilities."

"It wouldn't hurt ta look," Rogue says.

The Professor carefully considers this. "We would have to be careful. I doubt we would get the Chinese government's permission to look around and even if we were to ask that would take time we don't have. If we get caught violating their territory...it won't be good for any kind of positive relationship with the Chinese authorities."

Domino scoffs. "Screw them," she puts it bluntly. "The whole power balance of the world is at stake. I think that justifies us breaking a few laws."

"For once I agree with Jinx," Logan says, looking surprised he is saying that.

The Professor looks to Scott. "What's your view Scott?"

Scott takes a moment to consider. "We did agree to do what it took to find these stones because we saw they couldn't fall into anyone's hands but Clark's. Even if, as Beast is hinting at, it may not be there, we can sneak in, have a look just to be certain and be out before anyone knows we're there. Maybe we'll at least find a clue."

"Thank you Scott," Clark says gratefully. "But if necessary I'll go myself. You guys don't have to risk getting involved."

"Thanks for the offer Clark but we agreed to be in this with you."

"Besides how would you get there?" Evan asks, with an amused expression.

"You're flying sucks," Kurt adds with a jovial expression as he lightly teases his friend.

"It's...it's, uh, improving," Clark weakly argues.

"Really?" Dom asks sceptically. "That why there's a Clark shaped dent in the Danger Room ceiling because you're so good now," she sarcastically comments with a cheeky grin. "If that's what you call improving then you're as sane as Deadpool."

"Hey!" Clark protests. "There's no need to be insulting," he says huffing a little. Comparing him to Deadpool is just mean.

"So are we going?" Jean asks as she looks at her boyfriend, with whom she has more or less made up after their fight about Emma.

"Yes. We are," Scott replies. "X-Men suit up and head for the hangar. We're leaving in 20," he orders.

* * *

**SHIELD Hellicarrier...**

Fury always keeps track of what the X-Men are up to so when their jet is spotted leaving Bayville he gets a report of it placed in front of him.

Recently SHIELD has started placing in orbit satellites designed to detect magnetic fluctuations in an attempt to get around whatever shielding technology Magneto uses to hide from them. If they couldn't see him then maybe they could pick up on the magnetic fields he generates and track him that way.

And wouldn't you know it. One of the satellites got a hit of magnetic flux in motion. Most likely Magneto flying in those metal spheres of his.

Now it could be a coincidence, he got these 2 separate reports at the same time, only Fury had noticed something about the two headings both the X-Men and Magneto seem to be taking. He demands both courses are extrapolated and above him of the large screen at the front of the Hellicarrier's command deck the two lines come to the same place, just outside Shanghai.

Fury closes his good eye and silently swears to himself.

"Why are they going there? We've searched that temple already and found nothing," Fury's 2nd, Lt Maria Hill, points out.

Fury opens his eye and stares at the map. "Why is the question? Unless they know something we didn't then and don't now."

"They know where the stone is?"

"That's going to be my assumption," Fury decides. Question is what does he do about it. Two superpowered teams in the same place and the Avengers aren't ready. Banner is still only in the testing phase of possibly reviving Captain America. Stark still hasn't gotten back to him yet. "Ant-Man and Wasp are here at the moment aren't they?" he asks Hill to remind him.

"Yes sir. Agents Barton and Romanova are giving them some basic training," Hill describes where they are.

"Tell Widow and Hawkeye to suit up, get down to the hangar and bring Pym and Van Dyne with them," Fury decides that he needs all the help he can get.

"Is that wise, sir?" Hill questions. Using superpowered civilians is bad enough in her opinion. Untrained ones is worse.

"Probably not," Fury concedes. "Do it anyway. Get a squad ready to go...no in fact get 3 squads ready to go and Carter's back as well today isn't she?"

"Yes sir."

"Order her down to the hangar too," Fury decides to use every asset he has.

"Yes, sir," Hill replies obediently. It doesn't matter she doesn't entirely agree. She does her job.

* * *

Janet Van Dyne almost died once. An accident in Hank's lab caused by someone trying to steal Hank's research. She survived but the accident had exposed her to his, at the time, experimental Pym particles. As a result, afterwards, she found she could shrink down and would grow these little wings on her back that allowed her to fly. Hank made her these gloves that fired bio-electric 'stings' for one purpose. To get back at the people responsible, for her father had also been there at the time and he didn't survive.

Hank helped her do it and in the process became Ant-Man as he created his own red and black suit that allowed him to shrink down or grow giant along with the helmet that allows him to talk to insects.

Afterwards, once they caught the people responsible, Janet would occasionally go out, beat up criminals, let her hair down, that sort of thing even if Hank hated the idea. He's a pacifist. Somewhere along the way she ended up being called 'The Wasp' due to probably the little strapless black and yellow dress she wears over black tights with yellow boots and the yellow antenna like headpiece she wears over her ears. The gloves she wore that fired her stings were also yellow.

The thing is it had started to eat at Jan a little. She had these powers but had no idea what use to really put them to until Fury came along with his 'Avengers Initiative'. Here was a way to use her powers and now here she was on the SHIELD Hellicarrier on her way to her 1st ever mission.

Janet was shrunk down and flying along beside Hank as they were escorted by Black Widow and Hawkeye to the hangar. She is very excited about going on her first mission. "Can you believe it Hank? We're going on a mission. Ooh, ooh I can't wait to knock that stupid helmet off Magneto's head!"

Hank rolls his eyes and silently groans. She won't stop talking about this for days...assuming they don't die horribly.

Behind Hank and Janet, Hawkeye chuckles at the child-like enthusiasm of Janet. "I think she's excited," he says to Natasha.

Natasha just gives him a look that makes most people run away from her as fast as possible. It never works on Clint. On the way to the hangar they are joined by Sharon Carter, dressed much like Black Widow, only Sharon's uniform is all white. "Agent Carter," Natasha acknowledges the presence of her fellow agent.

"Agent Romanova," Sharon acknowledges back.

"So finally back from the land of teenage sleepovers and underwear parties eh?" Clint jokes to Sharon, with a totally amused expression, about the assignment she had been on to infiltrate the X-Men.

Sharon arches an eyebrow. "If I were to kill him would you report me?" she asks Natasha.

"I would conveniently neglect to mention it," Natasha says dryly.

Clint rolls his eyes. "I try to add some much needed humour around here and this is the thanks I get," he complains. "No offence but I'm sitting next to Janet on the flight." He increases his pace leaving Black Widow and Agent 13 behind.

"Are you actually dating him?" Sharon asks Natasha about a rumour she had heard.

Natasha's usually stoic face melts a little into a touch of sadness. "We tried. Lets just say I get why Agent Morse ended their relationship," she says and a touch of sadness can almost be heard in her tone. Lets just say for the moment she was back to having only a professional relationship with Clint.

"Uh huh. I heard she's taking the courses to be assigned to special agent status," Sharon mentions in regards to Agent Bobbi Morse.

"Yes," Natasha confirms about Agent Morse. "I believe she will pass them quite easily," she gives her totally unbiased opinion.

"Ah well. If she does that'll mean we might get a day off and she can risk her life on suicide missions every other Tuesday," Sharon says and one corner of her lips starts to quirk at the joke she made.

A tiny crack of a smile comes to Natasha's face.

* * *

In the hangar Janet flies inside all the way to the cockpit of the jet and is surprised by whom she finds piloting the craft. "Carol?"

Carol Danvers looks at the tiny figure hovering a few inches in front of her nose. "Hello Jan."

"You're our pilot?" Janet asks with a befuddled expression at this.

Carol sighs. "This is my job Janet. Not all of it is about espionage or fighting supervillains. There's a lot of mundane tasks that have to be done...which you'll find out after this when you have to do the paperwork."

Janet's expression becomes stricken. "Paperwork!" she chokes. Does she remotely look like someone who enjoys doing paperwork?

"That comes later," Fury's gravelly voice echoes from behind. "Now sit down and strap yourself in Wasp. This is going to be bumpy."

Janet flies back, grows back to her normal size and straps herself into one of the chairs along the side.

Carol does the preflight as the jet rises to the runway atop the Hellicarrier before announcing. "Anyone with a weak stomach prepare to lose it," she promises. With that she fires up the jet which shoots off into the air, joined by another loaded with more SHIELD agents, as they head to China knowing they have some catching up to do. Carol grins. She loves a challenge.

* * *

**Outside Shanghai...**

The x-jet touches down softly outside the temple. There are a few guards about but the Professor is psychically hiding the group from them. They have a quick peruse around the grounds before heading inside. There are nicely tended gardens and a small lake beside the building. Domino makes her obligatory joky remark.

As they head inside Beast recites a little of what he learned about the temple on his study on the flight over. "While during the culture revolution many ancient temples were destroyed this one was in fact protected for unknown reasons. There are many superstitions surrounding it. Apparently many of the locals are afraid to even cross the threshold should they incur the wrath of the God of the temple when he returns as he promised."

"You feeling particularly wrathful Clark?" Kitty teases with a wide smirk, knowing that the so-called God of this temple was probably a Kryptonian, like Clark, and Kitty know how much it irritates him to be called a God so score one for her on their continual little contest of trying to annoy each other.

"Normally no but for you Kitty I can make an exception," he says with an out of place happy go lucky smile.

Kitty sticks her tongue out at him.

"Have your people ever returned here Clark?" Storm asks, while admiring the beautiful surroundings.

"From one of the last conversations I had with Dr Swann we believe they did every so often. The stones are the entire history of my race so it would be deemed important to check up on their safety now and again."

They step inside the temple, well the Professor rolls inside. It is lavishly decorated and on many pillars are a mixture of Chines symbols and Kryptonian ones.

"Do these symbols mean anything Clark?" the Professor wonders.

Clark frowns as he reads it. "It's gibberish," he dismisses it as.

"Perhaps they just used the symbols as decoration without understanding the meaning," Beast proposes as a plausible explanation.

They reach the heart of the temple where there is a big metal, possibly bronze, statue up against the wall sitting in a cross-legged position.

"Is zhat suppose to be zhe God of zhis temple?" Kurt asks in relation to the figure.

Beast examines the style. "I think more it is suppose to be the Emperor. No doubt trying to elevate himself up to near Godhood in the eyes of his subjects."

Clark looks around. There is a circular door at one end to the left that leads off to another part of the temple. To the right there is a circular alcove, probably just to mirror the door. That is when he spots it. He walks rapidly over to the alcove and fingers the design on it. In the centre there is the figure of 8 within the diamond that represents air. "This is the symbol of the stone," he announces.

Everyone gathers around as Clark activates his x-ray vision. "There's something behind this," he reports.

"It's a door?" Rogue asks.

"Do we blast through?" Evan asks.

"No," Beast says instantly in reply. "No blasting." They are not here to destroy anything.

Clark pushes at the wall which slides backward. He then simply rolls it to the left. Inside, behind the cobwebs, is a red silken top with a familiar yet different image. It resembles the map but not. On the back wall there is a gruesome looking mask. Suddenly the eyes of it open and a green glow bathes Clark in its light. The eyes are two fixed pieces of kryptonite. The overwhelming pain and nausea strikes Clark down almost immediately.

"Logan! Beast!" the Professor calls urgently.

The two men leap forward and grab Clark before he topples over and pull him away. He grasps at his chest and takes several deep gasps of breath. He never expected kryptonite to be here, hence he never activated the switch on his belt that makes the material of his costume able to block the radiation. "I'm ok. I'm ok," he assures them as the effects begin to wear off now he is away from the deadly poison.

Rogue comes to his side with worry etched into her features.

"If the stone was left for Clark why is there kryptonite here?" Jean asks. It didn't make sense that they would protect it with the one substance that is fatal to Kryptonians. After all, like Clark said, his people have probably returned time and again to check up on the stone. Nope. Jean can't see how it makes any sense.

"Another test?" Kitty suggests.

"Stupid test," Rogue snaps angrily.

The Professor turns his worry from Clark and his attention to what has been found. He rolls forward and pulls out from his pocket the copy they made of the map. He holds it up and compares. On the map it looks like a river. On the top it is clearly sewn as a tree. "The branch of the river that is not a river," he murmurs the clue on the whereabouts of the stone.

"What was that Charles?" Ororo asks him.

"It's not a river the clue was talking about. It's a tree," he explains pointing at the image.

Clark has recovered but keeps his distance. He can observe it from here well enough. The other X-Men gather in closer and look at the silken top to see the Professor is correct. It is a tree, not a river.

"Where is the stone then?" Scott asks. "It's not here is it?"

"In the temple? No," Charles would say.

"No wonder no-one has been able to find it," Jean figures out. "They all thought it was somewhere in here."

"But like where is it then?" Kitty asks.

"From this perspective the background goes on for miles," Jean would conclude. Where would they even start?

"Or not," Clark speaks up as something occurs to him.

Everyone turns to look at him.

"What if the artist who made the drawing was drawing exactly what he saw from where the stone is. From where it is buried."

"Buried at the root of the river that is not a river," Rogue reels off the clue.

"It's buried at the root of the tree from which the temple appears to be at the juncture of the branch like it is depicted here," Hank draws the next conclusion.

"That's very good. I guess you're all smarter than I gave you credit for," a heavily French accented voice says from behind them.

Everyone spins on the spot.

Clark gasps in surprise at whom he sees. "Isobel?"

Isobel, dressed in a Chinese outfit, black with elaborate patterns upon it and a red lining, smiles. "I told you we would meet again another day," she reminds them of her words when last they met. Her smile grows wider and more insane looking. "Today's that day," she announces.

Logan growls and pops his claws. "Lady you're beyond stupid coming here by yourself."

Isobel laughs haughtily. "Foolish animal," she insults Logan. "Whoever said I was here by myself?"

Behind Isobel there is a...mist of dark energy that forms. When it begins to dissipate several figures become visible.

"Emma?" Scott queries in surprise. What does Emma have to do with Isobel?

"Hello Scott," Emma says coldly, ice-coldly. With her she has brought King Bedlam, M, Hellion, Bevatron, Beef, Tarot, Roulette, Firestar and Volcana. Her brightest, best and most powerful.

There is also someone else. The Hellions pull apart as from behind them another woman, with an exotic Mediterranean look, strides forward. She is tall with long black hair. She is dressed all in tight black leather. Boots, pants, a vest top off the shoulder and long fingerless black gloves on her arms. There is also just this aura of great darkness around her. She comes to stand next to Isobel.

Isobel speaks. "May I introduce you to Selene Gallio, my mother."

"M-Mothah?" Rogue stutters out.

"B-But you're like 400 years old!" Kitty cries in denial of how that can be.

Selene laughs darkly. "Foolish child," she chastises Kitty. "I am over 30 centuries old."

Everyone goes wide-eyed at that revelation.

Selene's gaze falls upon Clark, a dark smile of anticipation forms. A smile that promises much suffering. This is why she came, after all, upon hearing of her daughter's vision. Not much could get her to expend this sort of energy teleporting but the chance to come to face to face with the son of her hated enemy and gain her revenge could. "I have been looking forward to this meeting...son of Jor-El."

Complete, total and utter shock comes to Clark's face.

"Oh yes, I knew your father well," Selene answers the next question. "I can see him in you. I can sense the same power flowing through you. It sickens me!" she says, sounding very much disgusted. "And for every crime he committed against me you shall pay a hundred fold in his stead. You will kneel before me son of Jor-El and beg for mercy!" Selene darkly promises.

Clark blinks before leaning over to Rogue and whispering to her, "Assuming we survive this remind me to have a **long **talk with Jor-El about things I need to know." Because this raises a hundred questions Clark feels he needs to have answers to.

Rogue nods in agreement as goose pimples break out on her skin. The hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and that is just being in the presence of this woman. There is something about her that chills you down to the soul.

Superman strides forward a pace or two. "Look...Selene, whatever my father did, there is no reason for us to have any animosity between us," Clark tries to be reasonable.

One corner of Selene's mouth curve's up in dark amusement at his attempt to reason with her. "I think you'll find there is. I have been wronged and I need penance."

"Would it make any difference if I said I don't even get on with my father?"

"Only if you drop to your knees, recognise me as your superior, pledge your eternal worship and servitude and then hand over the 3 stones to myself."

Isobel coughs, annoyed and gives her mother a small glare.

"Myself and my daughter," Selene amends.

Superman's head drops slightly. He can't do that obviously. "It's going to be one of _those_ days isn't it?" he murmurs to himself. He takes a breath and raises his head to look at Selene in the eye. "I'm afraid I have to politely refuse your terms."

"Then I'm afraid I have to _politely_ make you suffer in ways you cannot begin to imagine."

Cyclops moves forward as do the other X-Men, all tensed and ready. "Then I'm afraid you'll have to go through us," Cyclops tells Selene.

Selene looks at him as one might look a bug you were about to gleefully squash. "You are beneath my attention. Frost. Deal with these pests," she commands with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Emma glares hard, spiteful at being given orders. "Hellions," she begins to say...only to stop as the outer wall behind her explodes inward, showering her in debris.

The dust clears.

"Magneto!" Charles exclaims in shock at who he sees. Magneto and his Acolytes. Gambit, Colossus, Live Wire, Sandman, Sabretooth, Pyro, Ruckus...and to add some extra muscle he had brought Frenzy along as well. This situation needed brute strength. He would never think of bringing Lorna along. She is not ready for something like this.

"This is not your concern!" Selene shouts in anger.

Magneto fixes her a cold glare. "I think it is...Black Queen."

Selene's face grows intense.

"Oh yes, I know who you are," Magneto answers her next question. "Rest assured that when my mutant revolution begins you, and the Inner Circle, shall be swept away, as a Tsunami sweeps over the land, clearing it of all refuge."

"Insolent peasant," Selene grumbles.

The tensions rise up several more notches as everyone waits for someone else to make the first move. Before anyone can there is another explosion, another wall gets punctured and in comes Fury, many SHIELD agents, along with Wasp, Ant-Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Agent 13.

"Fury!" Magneto growls disdainfully.

Fury takes in the little stand-off. This he did not expect. "You're all under arrest and I strongly suggest you come peacefully," he commands and they can sort whatever this is out later.

"The man's a fool," Isobel says to her mother disparagingly. He was nothing but a mere mortal.

"Obviously," Selene says with a touch of disdain.

The tension rises more until Magneto decides he has had enough. "Acolytes. Destroy them all!" he commands.

"Hellions! Attack!" Emma counters that with.

"Take them down!" Fury orders his agents.

"X-Men," Cyclops begins his command. He knows they have no choice but to defend themselves so the only thing he needs to say is, "Be careful. Watch each other's backs."

The 4 separate groups, all hunting for the Crystal of Air, clash and something akin to pure chaos erupts.

* * *

_Author's Note: Dr Swann's death had to inevitably come and so here it is with one last gift for Clark that gives him the missing clue he's been seeking. I made the choice awhile ago to have everyone there when the stone in China was found so the question became how do I do that. As Isobel is a witch I thought she has a vision. For Magneto I would need to give him a mutant seer and I chose Blindfold. In the comics Ruth is only hinted at being a distant relation of Destiny's but I decided to make it closer and more explicit. And I thought this would be a good time to unleash a sort of proto-Avengers upon the world. Not to mention Clark coming face to face with Selene for the 1st time. Good times for all! Oh and for Wasp's outfit I decided to use the one she uses in the Avengers: EMH cartoon. It's probably my personal favourite one anyone ever came up with for her. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The fight is on but in the end who will emerge in possession of the stone?_


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

As the chaos erupted around her Selene simply stood, as if the storm around her could not touch her. Her glare focussed in completely on Superman. She mentally humphs. What a ridiculous name. Black mystical energy crackles round her form. She raises her hands and aims them at Superman. With a curse spoken in a dead language twin bolts of pure black...mass appears from her hands and shoot at him with deadly force.

Thankfully Clark had learned his lesson from his fight with Isobel. Magic bad. Magic hurts. Slipping into superspeed he manages to weaves between the two bolts which impact the wall behind him and all but disintegrating it. Clark lightly gulps. He doesn't even want to imagine what that would have done to him despite his invulnerability.

Selene smiles enigmatically. "I had almost forgotten how swift your kind can be. It won't avail you in the end."

"Really?" Superman asks sceptically. "Because it must have availed my father or I wouldn't be here," Clark is guessing. He and Jor-El are so having a talk later and there isn't much that gets Clark wishing to speak to his father.

Selene's coal black eyes narrow. "He did not survive me alone. He had help. Your father was nothing but a wretched little pretend God," she almost snarls at the memory. She raises her hand and readies to cast another spell which looks exactly like her previous one.

"Whoa! Harsh dudette. Harsh. I would call him an overbearing pompous ass more than anything," Clark lightly quips in response to Selene's description of his father. Ugh, he's so been hanging around Peter too much.

One corner of Selene's black lips quirk. "True enough...but despite your feelings for your father you will still pay in his place. I shall have my vengeance upon the House of El."

Superman grows more serious. "You really think you can hit me?" he asks since he managed to dodge her previous attack.

Selene chuckles darkly. "Boy, you cannot even begin to imagine the ways I can defeat you...but I don't have to hit you for I doubt your little girlfriend is as swift as you." She turns her hand in Rogue's direction and unleashes black lightning from her finger tips.

Superman does exactly what Selene expected him to. He blurs in front of Rogue grabbing her and trying to get out of the way. He doesn't quite succeed as the black lighting strikes his left arm. He and Rogue spins to the ground with Clark making sure she lands on him.

As soon as Rogue regains her senses her eyes widen as she spots the scorched, burned flesh on Clark's left bicep.

Clark's face is contorted slightly in pain. That hurt.

"Ya alright?" Rogue asks with concern.

"Yeah." Clark's eyes dart to see where Selene is and as he does so he spots Isobel trying to leave through the chaos. "Isobel. She's going after the stone," he points at her.

Rogue looks around and spots the ghost in Lana Lang's body making an attempt to exit, stage left.

Selene chuckles at overhearing what the boy is saying. "My daughter is rather obsessed with those trinkets...but you shall never get past me to stop her," she promises.

Clark's blue eyes narrow in renewed determination. "Rogue," he whispers to her. "Stop Isobel anyway you can. I'll keep her mother busy."

Rogue nods in understanding.

Still lying down Clark raises his foot and slams it down hard, shaking the floor under Selene's feet. It is all the distraction he needs as he gently moves Rogue aside, blurs to his feet and runs right into Selene, grabbing her and both vanish in a blur.

Rogue scrambles to her feet and chases after Isobel.

* * *

Back to the rest of the fight and it is chaos as every group fights every other group. Sabretooth was fighting his way through the SHIELD agents towards Black Widow. He had a payback to get on her for what happened in the Sahara when she left him lying in the sand, torn open and bleeding. Took him hours to heal from that.

As Widow and this blond woman in white tangle with the large, superstrong blond boy, Sabretooth draws closer to his prey, ready to strike when she isn't looking. He prepares to pounce when a feral roar draws his attention as Logan, claws popped, literally leaps at him, swiping at his throat. Sabretooth doesn't entirely get out of the way as Logan's claws cut through the outer layers of skin. Logan then delivers a solid kick to Sabretooth's midsection sending the large hairy mutant tumbling backward. "Watch yer back Widow," Logan says gruffly.

Natasha is actually grateful to him even if she won't say it. "Just like old times," she remarks at the fact he and she use to do this a lot.

Logan snorts. "What are ya doin here?"

"Guess," Natasha replies flatly as if it should be obvious.

"I have to deal with Creed but we'll talk about this," Logan promises her.

"Can't wait," Natasha dead-pans.

Logan charges at his oldest enemy as they engage in their typical bloody brawl and Natasha turns her attention back to trying to stop the superstrong Beef. Sharon is bent down her hands cupped and Natasha knows the plan. She takes a run, Sharon flips her and Natasha sails up and lands on Beef's shoulders where she delivers her electric stings directly to his head. He cries out in pain, his arms flailing about wildly.

As Beef turns, trying to shake Black Widow off, Sharon drives herself into the back of his knees and he tumbles over face first while Natasha never lets up her attack until Beef lets out a last groan and his twitching stops. One down, many more to go.

* * *

Pyro laughs manically as he creates fire monsters to attack everyone. "So many people to burn. So little time!" he chortles.

"Oh please," a disdainful voice breaks into Pyro's consciousness He spins round to spy a girl with long dark hair and lightly dark skin.

M places her right hand on her hips and takes a lazy stance. "Take my advice and surrender now," she says, arrogantly. "I really do not wish to dirty my hands. I just had my nails done this morning," she comments as she checks on them. They were looking...well perfect, just like the rest of her.

"Sorry Sheila. Bossman's orders. You're the game. I'm the barbie that's to ensure you're well done," Pyro says with his insane, manic grin.

M arches an eyebrow. "Do you practice at being the clichéd stereotypical Australian or is it just the natural consequence of your obvious mental illness? Honestly if I wanted such retro nonsense I would inflict upon myself watching Crocodile Dundee once more and then gouge my eyes out for having made myself watch it."

Pyro's jaw hangs loosely. "Whahuh?" he says, completely lost at what the girl is on about.

M rolls her eyes. "I'm going to beat you unconscious now," she tells him and why wouldn't she tell him. It is not like he can do anything to stop her.

Pyro raises his hands and the two flame-throwers strapped to the back of his hands and unleashes a torrent of flame at her.

M zips out of the flame, grabs the two nozzles on Pyro's hands and crushes them eliciting several colourful obscenities from Pyro about the loss of his beloved lighters and flame throwers. M picks him up with one hand and lifts him easily into the air. "Do you know what dry heat does to my hair?" she asks him, her gaze dark with anger, annoyed by what his flames have done to her hair. Doesn't he know how much work it takes to make her hair as perfect as it is.

M raises her fist back ready to punch it through this irritant's head if she decides he's annoyed her that much. To her surprise she feels her wrist grabbed by a hand of immense strength. Her head snaps to her right where she finds her wrist has been grabbed by a girl with dark skin and her black hair tied in braids.

Frenzy fixes M a cold look before smashing her head into M's. She follows that up quickly with several superpowered punches that rattle even Monet before a powerful kick to the gut sends Monet flying through a wall which then partially collapses atop the arrogant mutant girl.

Frenzy smiles slightly, pleased she beat that traitor. Anyone who didn't follow Magneto was simply a traitor to the mutant cause in her mind. She turns round to deal with the next traitor when there is a rumbling and M bursts out of the rubble, her face twisted in seething anger. She flies, literally, at Frenzy and drives her shoulder into Frenzy's gut and continues flying until both superstrong girls smash through the outer wall and vanish outside.

* * *

Nightcrawler and Spyke find themselves confronting Tarot and Roulette. The blond haired girl gives Kurt a hungry once over with her eyes. "You know we never really got a chance to talk when you were visiting our school so I never got a chance to say how just how cute you are," she coos.

Spyke whispers to Nightcrawler, "Yeah you never talked because she was too busy throwing herself at Superman."

That was true, Kurt agrees.

Roulette sighs sadly. "It's too bad we have to fight. I hate having to beat up cute guys but as my friend here would say, c'est la vie. Tarot if you please," she requests Tarot to get started.

Tarot shuffles through her pack of tarot cards until she decides which one to animate. She holds the chosen card between two of her fingers and activates her power. Her eyes begin to glow white, the card glows and the energy field grows outward and takes the shape of the Knight of Swords. She picks another and Roulette smiles gleefully as she spots which one it is. This is going to be priceless. Tarot brings the construct to life. The construct of the grim reaper. The skeletal figure in the black cloak, wielding a scythe.

"Death has come for you," Tarot giggles lightly.

Kurt looks up at the tall imposing cloaked representation of death and murmurs a prayer.

Spyke generates two long spikes, like staffs and hands one to Kurt. "Here. I think you'll need this."

"Thanks," Nightcrawler says in return as he takes the bony spike and prepares for his battle with the physical representation of the abstract concept of the termination of life otherwise known as death. The reaper wields his scythe and swings it at Kurt who teleports out of the way. The scythe strikes the ground. Kurt reappears atop the scythe and runs up the staff and strikes the figure in the head, knocking the hood off and revealing the bony skull which seems to actually glare at him despite having no eyes. Kurt gulps. Assuming he survives this he just knows he won't be sleeping well for awhile.

The Knight moves at Spyke, its armoured clad feet making clanging sounds as it walks. It draws its swords and moves to strike. Spyke deflects it off and parries subsequent attacks while he tries to figure out precisely what he is fighting and how to take it down.

As the two boys fight Tarots' constructs Roulette looks on and grins. She fires a couple of her bad luck discs at a couple of SHIELD agents who were coming at her and Tarot and they trip up, as bad luck would have it. Roulette chortles at the sight. This is going to be a fun day.

* * *

Firestar and Volcana had taken to the air and were peppering everyone they could with their thermal and fire blasts respectively. Right now they were working together to try and take down the giant man, Henry Pym who had made himself as big as he could inside this enclosed space.

Hank recoils back, trying to shield himself from the two attacks, yelling in pain at the stinging attacks.

"Hey!" a high-pitched voice protests. "No-one gets to sting Hank but me!"

Suddenly Firestar and Volcana find themselves being hit by tiny yellow blasts from all directions that sting like crazy.

"Ow! Hey! Watch it! What the fu...yeow!" the two girls complain in pain.

A tiny little figure with wings comes to a hover in front of them. She has her arms folded across her chest and a stern expression. "Language!" Wasp rebukes them.

Volcana's orange eyes glow intensely with fire. "That hurt you little bi...eeeouch!" she yells as Wasp stings her directly on the end of her nose. Volcana rubs it.

"I did tell you to watch your language," Wasp says with a pleasant smile. "Now why don't you do yourselves a favour and give up now before I have to beat you up."

Firestar and Volcana share a look before they both raise a hand. Volcana's glows intensely with fire while Firestar's glows intensely with the microwave energy she absorbs and redirects. They give each other a high five and the air ignites in a miniature explosion blasting Wasp out of the air.

"Jan!" Hank cries out in panic at seeing her. His anger rises up and he grabs the two girls in his giant hands.

"Hey!" Firestar protests. "I don't like grabby men!"

"Neither do I!" Volcana joins in. "And you really don't want to anger my girlfriend."

"Seriously?" Firestar asks in disbelief at that. "Can Tarot even get angry?" she asks. "She's like the sweetest person I know."

Volcana rolls her eyes. "He didn't know that!" she points out.

"Oh!" Firestar gets it.

Volcana glares at Hank. "Alright dickhead. You get to the count of 3 to let us go and then I go nuclear on your ass!"

"Wasp is right. You do need to watch your language and have more respect for your elders," Hank talks down to the foul-mouthed girl.

"Fuck you!" is Volcana's disrespectful response.

Firestar laughs a little. Claire wasn't so bad once you got through her anger issues and her tendency to swear.

Hank frowns. "Is this who truly want to be? A villain?"

"Did you truly want to be a dickhead or does it just come naturally to you?" Volcana asks back being deliberately insulting. She turns to Firestar and asks, "Can we kick his ass now?"

"Yes. Yes we can," Firestar replies.

Both girls start to glow intensely and the heat builds up until Hank has no choice but to release them with a cry of pain. Both girls prepare to attack him when a swirl of wind whips around them.

"Oh crap," Volcana mutters, with dread, because she knows what is about to happen now.

Storm glides into the scuffle. "If you girls wish to battle then so be it," she declares. "It will, however, be on my terms."

A strong twister whips up around Volcana and Firestar and literally blows them out through a window. Storm flies out after them.

Wasp, now recovered, flies up next to Hank's head. "Now that was impressive," she comments, looking very impressed by Storm's actions. "I'm going to go help her!" she declares and flies off in pursuit.

Hank puts his hand to his head and sighs. This...this is going to be a looonngg day.

* * *

Sandman is feeling at his righteous best as he delivers the Lord's justice on the blasphemers as he clubs some SHIELD agents out of the way with his hands that he has transformed into hardened spiky balls. Just then part of him is blasted out by some unseen force. His brow drops and he turns to see a boy with dark hair in a red and black uniform as his body reforms. "Do you know who I am boy?"

Hellion's right eye twitches slightly as he concentrates. "Just another average mutant who thinks he's special when really he's not," Julian lays down his view on what is in front of him.

Sandman chuckles darkly. "Now that's where you are sadly mistaken. I am God's instrument on this Earth. I will wipe the sinful from His creation and create paradise for the chosen of Magneto."

Hellion snorts in total derision. "Magneto schmagneto. The only chosen are the Hellions whom I will one day lead to our place as leaders of this world."

Sandman prepares to teach this boy the wrath of God's instrument. "Prepare yourself to stand in His judgement for the cuckoo wears a pink sultana."

Hellions starts to grin.

Sandman looks confused and shakes his head. "Food eagle symmetry is funny stall."

Hellion grins wider as King Bedlam moves to stand next to him.

"Butter expiry artist is requirement," Sandman continues to make no sense. The side-effect of King Bedlam's power. His primary one being he randomises thoughts making it impossible to concentrate enough for a mutant to use their powers.

This leaves Sandman basically at Hellion's mercy...which he possesses very little of.

* * *

The sonic scream of Ruckus echoes throughout the temple, slamming into some more SHIELD agents. He then feels a tap on his shoulder. He spins round to be met with a strong right hook courtesy of Domino. Ruckus grabs his face while Domino gestures with her hand for him to come get her. "Come on Screamy. Come get me," she dares him.

Ruckus, in his anger, charges right at her. Domino waits until the last moment before she draws her side arm by which point Ruckus is far too close to do anything but feel the sting of her weapon set to stun as she shoots him a few times until he collapses. She looks down at him and rolls her eyes. "I can't believe you fell for that." She then laughs. "Get it? Fell for that and then you fell down. Some days I just kill myself!"

* * *

Gambit throws a few of his charged up cards at his opponent and every single one gets shot down by an arrow. Gambit quirks an eyebrow, a little impressed. "Not bad," he says.

"Not bad yourself," Hawkeye returns the sort of compliment.

Gambit pulls out his retractable bo-staff and extends it and makes a few spinning sweeps with it.

Hawkeye smiles a lopsided grin. "Show me what you got," he challenges the Cajun.

Gambit attacks and Hawkeye uses his bow to deflect as the men engage in a very even contest.

* * *

Bevatron finds himself up against the chalk-skinned woman in the blue costume with the lightning bolt running down it. She grins manically. "Well now isn't this interesting. I can sense electrical energy in your body from here. Oh you are so out-classed you know."

"We shall see Mademoiselle," Bevatron returns.

"Give it your best shot, sparky," Live Wire dares him.

Bevatron rubs his hands together creating a charge, blissfully unaware of who it is he faces. He fires an electrical attack at her.

Live Wire simply absorbs it. "Honey I'm the Mistress of Electricity and that was about as impressive as your face as in not very," she insults him. "Now let me show you how a pro does it."

Bevatron prepares himself, truly shocked at how easily his attack was absorbed.

Live Wire raises her hands and grins almost insanely. "Oh did I also mention I can control all the electricity around me...including what runs through your body. Now if I was to redirect it all, to say, your brain what would happen?" Live Wire's insane grin gets bigger. "Lets find out!"

As Live Wire does precisely that Bevatron grabs his head and lets out a scream that would chill most people. Live Wire just grins all the more.

* * *

Shadowcat phases through a SHIELD agent before delivering a spinning kick to the guy's head which really hurts her foot because they're all wearing these damn helmets. She grabs her foot and starts hopping around. "Ow, ow, ow, owie," she moans. She keeps hopping until she bumps into someone. She then looks up...and up to stare into the metal face of Colossus. She gulps a little.

Colossus felt a very light bump and looks down to see the pretty girl he remembered from New York looking up at him, a little fear etched in her face. His heart skips a little beat at seeing her again.

"Uh...hi," Kitty says, her voice going suddenly squeaky. "You're not going to squish me are you because that would like totally ruin my day."

Colossus just looks at her remorsefully. "I have no wish to harm anyone."

Kitty blinks, confused by that when she suddenly remembers Clark saying to her about his theory that Colossus is only working for Magneto because he's being forced to somehow. Magneto's a total tool.

* * *

Speaking of Magneto he had managed to float himself over towards the Professor who is being protected by Jean and Scott.

"Magneto. What are you doing here?" Charles demands to know.

"Come now Charles. Don't play dumb. I know all about the stone, Superman's connection to them...and their and his extraterrestrial origin. Now tell me where it is and this won't have to get unpleasant."

Charles hides his surprise that Magneto knows of Clark's alien origin quite well. His face grows sternly determined. "You must know I cannot allow you to have such power. It belongs to Superman and him alone," he refuses to tell Magneto anything.

"You heard the Professor," Cyclops says. He raises his hand to his visor. "Now back off!" He fires off a shot but Magneto blocks it with a magnetic force bubble.

Magneto then stretches his left hand off to the side in the direction of the large metal statute which essentially comes to life as it steps down off the alter it was sitting on and walks toward the group of 3. The statue will deal with Charles' 2 protectors so he and his old friend can have an amiable chat...alone.

Cyclops blasts away at the statute while Jean tries to hold it back, essentially pitting her power against Magneto's. The strain of doing so is immediately visible on her face. Magneto is no average mutant. He's one of the most powerful on Earth.

With Jean distracted she doesn't see the telepathic attack coming until it shoots through her brain like a red-hot poker. She collapses down.

"Jean!" Scott cries out and then spots the only person who could possibly be responsible. "Emma!" he yells at her. "What are you doing?"

"What I must," Emma states coldly. "Take the old fool if you wish Magneto," she says with little care. "It matters little. You are already too late."

"We shall see...White Queen," Magneto counters.

Emma fixes him one of her withering glares. "I care little for your idle threats. I...ARGH!" she suddenly screams out, clasping her head.

"Two can play at this Emma!" Jean spits out furiously as she attacks Emma's mind. She had recovered from Emma's attack and was now back on her feet.

"The only person you should be concerned about Ms Grey is myself," Magneto says ominously as he instructs his metal golem to attack both Jean and Emma.

Jean throws herself out of the way of a metal fist before the statue turns on Emma, who transforms into diamond and the fist makes a resounding echoing noise as it strikes her now virtually indestructible form.

"That's new," Cyclops remarks at seeing Emma. She could never do that when he knew her before.

"You think your precious Jean is the only mutant who can have two powers Scott," Emma says with total disdain.

Seeing Emma's appearance gives Jean an idea. A naughty smirk comes to her lips. With a gesture of her hand she seizes Emma in a TK grip and hurls her at Magneto. Emma collides into the Master of Magnetism and they both go flying off through a doorway into another part of the temple. She turns to the Professor. "Professor. We can't contain this," she says grimly and to emphasise her point the whole temple shakes and dust sprinkles down from a worrying crack in the ceiling.

"I don't know how much more this temple can take," Cyclops gives his grim assessment.

"I know," the Professor says with a worried expression. He closes his eyes and tries to pick out the thoughts of the other X-Men but there are too many other minds but unless they do something soon to stop this the whole temple will fall down atop of them.

* * *

Beast finds himself trying to fight off SHIELD agents try to stun him with some kind of electric tazer. He gently, as he can, flings them away until he finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun. "Colonel Fury," he greets the one-eyed man.

"Don't make me Dr McCoy," Fury warns Beast off of forcing his hand.

A column suddenly collapses down in between them with 3 very familiar slash marks upon it.

"Colonel, this place is going to fall down atop of us if we don't stop this," Beast tries to warn.

Fury agreed actually.

"We're not your enemy Colonel," Beast tries to argue.

"You're not my friend either," Fury counter argues.

"May I make a suggestion?"

"By all means."

"Let us get everyone out of here, put a stop to this madness and then we can talk like civilised people about what it is we are most likely both here for."

Fury chews that over for a moment before activating his communicator. "Agent Danvers. Status report," he orders.

"The reinforcements are about 5 minutes out," she reports back.

"Good. Now listen to me carefully. When they get here, here is exactly what I want you to do..."

* * *

Rogue is trying to make her way through the melee. She spots Isobel being confronted by a couple of SHIELD agents who the spirit inhabiting the body of Lana Lang pushes aside with a purple blast of magical energy as she heads for the exit.

Rogue sprints, leaps and manages to collide into the back of the girl and they both collapse in a heap.

Isobel's face screws up in rage as she grabs Rogue and throws the girl off of her. Isobel rises to her feet. "No-one has sacrificed as much as me to obtain the stones. I will not allow some Goth, energy leeching parasite to stop me!" she declares.

Rogue rises to her feet, her gaze hard and fixed upon Isobel. "They don't belong ta ya...and neither does that body," she fires back.

"This body is mine and I'm putting it to much better use than my descendant ever did," Isobel defends her possession of Lana's body. "And as for the stones who do they belong to? Your boyfriend? They were left for nobody," Isobel dismisses any claim Clark thinks he has. "They were hidden away awaiting for the Gods to return and reclaim them."

"Funny. Ya don't look lahke a god and who is tha real parasite here? Meh or tha one who steals someone else's body because she is so afraid of what awaits her in tha next life?"

Isobel's eyes darken with cold anger. "I fear nothing!" she insists. "I simply required more than one lifetime to claim what is rightfully mine!"

"Ah'm sure that helps ya ta sleep at night," Rogue rolls off sarcastically.

Isobel holds out her hands to either side and from 2 statues either side of her comes to her hands a sword and a sai. She takes an attacking stance. "Get out of my way or perish," Isobel gives her only warning.

Rogue moves over to a statue to her right and grabs a sword of her own from it and holds it ready to defend herself. "Give it your best shot," she dares Isobel in a remarkably calm and authoritative tone.

Isobel throws the sai and it rockets at Rogue with surprising speed. Rogue uses her sword to deflect it and it embeds in the wall. Isobel uses this distraction to propel herself at Rogue through the air. She makes a stabbing motion forward as she comes into land but Rogue spins out of the way.

Isobel wastes no time in continuing to press her attack with a sweep down which Rogue blocks. Another stabbing motion which Rogue deflects to the side. Isobel continues to attack as Rogue backs up blocking every attack.

Isobel brings a powerful blow down and Rogue blocks, their swords locked. "Not bad," Isobel gives a reluctant compliment.

"Yeah well being a Goth energy leeching parasite has benefits," Rogue says back. Her knowledge of sword fighting comes from some of the people she has absorbed.

Isobel reaches behind her with her free hand and the sai shoots out the wall and comes to her hand. Rogue's response is to slam her head forward into Isobel's.

Isobel staggers back before glaring at Rogue, completely irate at the fact the mutant girl dared to do that. Isobel speaks in Latin and the two weapons in her hands glow with purple mystical energy. She crosses the weapons in front of her and they glow before releasing a purple fireball from the point they are touching.

Rogue dodges but more magical fireballs come at her and she has no choice but to run for the exit and regroup.

Isobel marches after her, determined to crush any obstacle in her way to gaining possession of the stone. Her mother included if need be.

* * *

Speaking of Isobel's mother, when Clark grabbed her he brought her outside for a couple of reasons. One just to get her away and two to give him more space to combat her.

Selene will not take the indignity of being carried like this! The black nails on her right hand grow in length and she slashes at Superman's face, cutting a few thin lines into his cheek.

The shock makes Superman drop her...which at superspeed means she goes bouncing along the ground a few times before she comes to a stop.

As Clark clutches at his cheek, Selene rises to her feet, her face murderously dark.

"You dare touch me you little light-swollen whelp!" Selene screams venomously and a corona of dark fire rises up around her. "Do you know who I am? I am Selene. Goddess of the Moon. Men have offered their very souls to merely be in my presence."

"Some advice. I wouldn't try and use that as a pick-up line," Clark fires off as a retort.

Selene smiles crookedly. "Funny. It worked on your father."

Clark's eyes widen at what that might mean and an involuntary shudder goes through him. "Ok. Yuck. I so didn't need to know that lady."

"There is so much you have yet to learn. Starting with new levels of pain!" Selene says, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper.

Selene summons razor-edged shards of ebony ice and sends them flying at him. Using his heat vision Superman melts every single one of them before retaliating by blowing out a blast of his ice-breath...which impact harmless off a black shield Selene raises.

"You will have to do much better," Selene tells him. "Your father was much better," she adds just to add a rankle. Selene vanishes in a black mist.

Clark looks around with all his senses but can't see nor hear her until black lightning strikes him on the back, knocking him down, scorching his uniform and really stinging. Before he can move black, oily vines rise out of the ground and wrap around him. The black oil starts to burn at his skin. Clark pushes himself to his feet, vines snap but more rise up and take their place. He grits his teeth and manages to get back to his feet as the vines strain to pull him back down.

"I am not completely without mercy son of Jor-El," Selene says as she strides closer as her vines continue to hold the Kryptonian youth. "Yield now and I will reconsider remaking my offer allowing you to serve me." Selene comes to within inches of him and her cold fingers glide over his jawline. "What say you?"

"Not a chance," Superman rejects her offer as he bends his knees and puts all his strength and focus into the one thought of breaking free. With a titanic effort he pushes off the ground, snapping free of the vines and soars into the air. His victory is short-lived as a ball of black fire smashes into his chest sending him spiralling out of the air and crashing down, carving out a small crater.

* * *

Isobel emerges from the temple pursuing Rogue who has seemed to have gone into hiding. In the air she spots Storm along with the human bug, or whatever her name is, fighting Firestar and Volcana. The sky begins to darken and thunder rumbles in the heavens as the intensity of the fight increases. Also she spots M and Frenzy still trying to slug it out as they crash through the temple gardens. None of them interest her at the minute since none of them are trying to interfere in her plans. Only Rogue was attempting to do that. Now where was she hiding?

"Come on out Rogue! I know you're here! Come out and I promise you a swift end!" Isobel declares.

No response. Isobel treads carefully through the gardens. Her ultimate aim is to find the tree where the stone is. Really she just needs Rogue immobilised long enough for her to do that and then she will be away from here as swiftly as she can chant a teleportation spell.

Isobel takes a step forward when suddenly her ankle is caught in the grip of two legs. She topples over to spot Rogue lying down, hiding under a fallen branch. Rogue swings a foot round and snaps it down on top of the sai. Isobel lets it go, rolls over a few time and springs to her feet to find Rogue has already swiftly risen to hers.

Rogue, with sword still in hand, attacks and strikes at Isobel who is forced to defend and block with the sword she still has in her possession. Rogue attacks fluidly, with all the finesse of a pro...she can mostly thank Kurt because most of the skills she is using come from his mind.

Isobel deflects an attack and uses her free hand to fire a purple ball of magic at Rogue. Rogue slides to the side, spins all the way round and brings her sword in hard almost knocking it from Isobel's hand. It leaves Isobel open to a kick to her gut followed by Rogue sweeping Isobel's legs from under her. Rogue brings the point of her sword to Isobel's throat. "It's ovah," Rogue declares.

"Hardly," a cold, pompous voice says from behind mere moments before Rogue feels a clubbing blow to the back of her head. She falls down and Isobel looks up and upon the diamond form of the White Queen who has delivered a knockout blow to the Goth.

Thing about being diamond is that Emma can't be hurt. So Jean may have thrown her but it never hurt. Jean will also pay for that. Emma swears.

Isobel gets back to her feet. "Thanks for helping me up," she mutters in sarcastic tones.

"You're welcome," Emma returns with a slight smirk.

A loud sonic boom gets their attention. Superman and Selene.

* * *

Selene almost glides over to the edge of the crater and looks down with pride at seeing her fallen opponent, his chest still smoking from where she struck him. "Should have taken up my offer," she says to him.

Superman's eyes snap open, glowing red and he unleashes a barrage of heat vision which impacts the black shield Selene has around herself. She raises her hands and pours more of her power into the shield to reinforce it from the attack.

A small bead of sweat forms on Selene's brow. She had forgotten how much of a wallop a Kryptonian can wield although the boy is not his father...not yet anyway. One day he could be but he'll never reach that day.

Clark stops. That's not getting him anywhere. He really dislikes magic. He has little to no understanding of it and it hurts him. He currently has the scars to prove that fact. He quickly thinks and remembers something Wanda was mentioning last time he spoke to her on the phone about how control of magic is about concentration, force of will. If he can divide Selene's focus then maybe he can get through her shield.

Clark zips off into a blur and starts running around Selene's little bubble faster and faster, punching it, firing his heat vision off. Faster and faster he goes until he breaks the sound barrier. To Selene, he hopes, it seems to her like he is in many place, hitting her from many directions almost simultaneously. Eventually one of his fists finds a weak spot and passes through clipping Selene across the jaw sending her spiralling away since even a glancing blow from Clark has a lot of impact.

Watching this Emma turns to Isobel. "You said your magic could make my telepathy work on him."

"I don't have time to cast a spell that sophisticated right now," Isobel dismisses what she assumes is Emma's idea.

"It doesn't have to be. I just need to be able to disorientate him with a psychic pulse."

Isobel thinks quickly. "This should work," she comes up with a spell. She touches her hand to Emma's head, who slips out of her diamond form since she can't do telepathy in that form. Isobel starts to chant while Emma summons up her psychic energies. If one could see Emma's psychic energy it would be diamond white in colour only with Isobel's helps streaks of deep purple appear. "Hit him. Now!" Isobel commands.

Emma releases her attack and it strikes Superman who grabs his head as a pressure he has never felt before invades his brain. It leaves him deeply disorientated.

It's all the moment of recovery Selene needs as her body transforms into shadow and she wraps herself, like a snake coils round its prey, around Superman's body. Her hands grab his face and she brings her lips close to his and does the trick that has kept her alive for so long. She drains his life-force and begins to cry out, in almost orgasmic bliss, at the sheer ecstasy of draining one who possesses so much power. Instantly the wounds Superman had managed to inflict upon her heal. "YES! YES! OH YES! SO GOOD!" Selene cries out, lost in her pleasure.

In response Clark cries out in the worse pain imaginable. The closest thing in comparison to this was when Parasite absorbed him, only this makes Parasite's drain feel like a pinprick in comparison. He tries to fight her, break free but feels another disorientating pressure hit his head, unknown to him courtesy of Emma who is making sure he can't concentrate enough to escape. By the time Clark has recovered enough to focus he is much weaker and Selene taking his life-force is only making her grip around him all the tighter. He can feel the air from his lungs being squeezed out. He continues to try and fight her but it is now a losing battle as he simply gets weaker and weaker, darkness starts to pervade into his consciousness.

"MOTHER!" Isobel screams and the whole air vibrates. She runs over and grabs her mother's shoulder and yanks her off of Superman who collapses to the ground barely conscious.

Selene reverts to her human form and glares hatefully at her daughter. "You dare!" she hisses.

"We need him alive!" Isobel reminds her mother.

Selene's face looks like she is seriously debating that before she lets out a sigh and forcibly calms her rages. She looks down at Superman and smiles, her face glowing with a post-coital like effect. The amount of energy she took from him could keep her going for a couple of years easily. "Hmm. I had forgotten how sweet a near immortal tastes," she says in pleasured moans. "Especially one whose blood is filled with light's power." She then kicks him hard in the head, opening up a cut on his forehead as she knocks him out. "Ah. Now that felt good," she comments. That's just one small payback on Jor-El.

Emma joins the small group as they stand over the defeated teenage hero just as more SHIELD agents surround the temple and fire tear gas rounds inside. It is only a few moments later that the fighting groups pour out the temple coughing and spluttering, tears in the eyes, barely able to see. Not normal tear gas. A sort of supercharged version SHIELD cooked up.

"When I suggested we had to get everyone out that wasn't what I meant," Beast complains to Fury in a croaky, raspy voice as he coughs more.

"Worked didn't it," Fury says making no apology.

"Scott," Jean says between coughs as she points. "Superman."

Scott looks and through his moisture laden eyes sees Clark, fallen at the feet of Selene, Emma and Isobel.

Now everyone has stopped fighting for a moment it calms the psychic froth enough for the Professor to contact the team. _"To me! My X-Men!" _the Professor issues the telepathic gathering. The X-Men regroup with Storm leaving her fight with the 2 girls to swoop in and join them. Beast spots and picks up the still out of it Rogue and makes sure she is safe.

Fury gathers his troops back around him. "Alright. Does anyone want to surrender now?" he asks.

Selene snorts in utter contempt. "Fury, you are the stupidest excuse for a mortal I've ever had the misfortune to meet and I've met literally more than you can imagine. What you fail to realise is that this temple was built on top of a grave of soldiers that fell in an ancient battle. I can feel them. Their souls trapped, crying out in eternal torment for a peace that never comes." Selene's dark lips curl up into a truly malevolent smile. "It's delicious."

"There a point here lady?" Fury asks in return.

A dark gleam comes to Selene's eyes. She raises her right hand and speaks, her voice echoing across the land. "Hear me fallen warriors! Selene, your mistress commands you, rise! Rise up! Rise and smite my enemies from my sight!"

A moment passes before a skeletal hand punches its way through the ground followed by another and another and literally hundreds more as the fallen warriors rise, in ancient armour in varying levels of decay.

"Oh my god," Kitty whispers in shock at the sight. Shock and horror. Everyone practically had the same expression. This was like some horror movie brought to life.

The dead warriors form ranks and make an impressive force between the two Hellfire Queens, Isobel, Superman and those that would try and stop them.

Selene smiles to herself, pleased. "Now then. Time to leave," she declares.

"Not without the stone!" Isobel protests.

"Nor my students!" Emma adds her protest.

Selene sighs in annoyance. "Very well," she relents in acceptance of Emma's and Isobel's demands. "Isobel get the stone. Frost summon your students. I will command my warriors not to hurt them...too badly," she chuckles lightly.

Emma's scowl is impressive but concentrates on the task at hand and telepathically commands her students of what to do.

Magneto, by now recovered, flies in to see the sight before them. "I propose a temporary truce Charles," he decides is the only prudent course for the moment.

"I agree. Colonel Fury?" Charles inquires.

Fury groans. He hates doing this. "Fine...but we're going to be having a talk about this, Xavier, afterwards," he promises.

"Warriors attack!" Selene commands. "Destroy them all!"

The undead hordes charge.

Cyclops releases a powerful crimson blast which literally tears the skeletons to pieces. Never in his life could Scott imagine fighting anything like this. He is so going to need to revise the training programs when they get home. Storm unleashes bolts of lightning, Domino fires off her guns. Everyone with the ability to fire long range attacks tries to thin out the numbers best they can but all too soon the undead army engulfs them and they now have to fight for their lives in close quarters.

Everyone except the Hellions who make their retreat as ordered as the undead warriors ignore them.

With this distraction Isobel dashes across the temple grounds as fast as she can trying to spot the tree she is looking for. It takes several minutes but eventually she finds it. She can feel the power humming below her feet. She reaches out with her hand. The earth moves as the object beneath rises until a horse statue rises through the dirt.

Isobel bends down and picks it up and smiles. She can sense the stone hidden within. She has it! Finally! After 400 years of waiting. She has one stone and she has the man who can deliver the other 2 into her grasp. Isobel does not make the same mistake as before of trying to take the stone in her hand. It can stay in the statue until she makes Clark make it safe for her. Mission accomplished Isobel darts back over to her mother, Emma and the Hellions. "Now we can leave," Isobel says with a broad, giddy grin.

Selene rolls her eyes at her daughter's foolishness...although she must admit there is a power that she can feel emanate from the stone. This might be of interest to her but for now they can simply leave. They have the two things they require. The stone and the son of Jor-El. Selene smiles wickedly. Oh the things she will do to the boy. With that happy, to her, thought Selene conjures a dark fog which surrounds the group before they all vanish into thin air, teleporting away.

As soon as Selene departs the magic animating the undead warriors departs with her and they fall down to the ground lifeless.

Seeing how this day is a failure Magneto wastes no time. "Sandman! Cover!"

Sandman dissolves into a dust storm blinding everyone. When it clears Magneto and the Acolytes have made their escape leaving the X-Men, Fury and SHIELD on the field as the only two groups left.

Before anyone can react to what has transpired Chinese military helicopters appear in the sky and many soldiers storm the temple grounds and surround them. Just when you think it's over another problem arises and who knows how they will talk themselves out of this.

* * *

**Magneto's base...**

Blindfold sits on her bed, her expression blank or far away perhaps as her gift allows her to see much that is far from her present location. She speaks, almost as if narrating a story. "And so the Star Child falls into the grasp of the 2 Queens, thank you. His inner light will dim but never falter for they do not know what it is they shall awaken, for their greed and lust for power blinds their foresight, yes, no. The 1 of 3 will return and the games will begin but who stands the winner when all is done is beyond my sight, please. You're welcome."

* * *

_Author's Note: And so Superman falls into the grasp of the Hellfire Club. Uh, that ain't good. If anyone could beat him I figured Selene could and she did. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the fallout from the battle as Emma and Isobel plot to get inside Superman's head and before the X-Men can come to his rescue a deal has to be struck with Fury._


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

**Hellfire Club, New York...**

Sebastian Shaw sits upon his throne and looks down at the 3 women in his presence. He looks upon the White and Black Queens and Selene's daughter as they inform him of what has transpired...after the fact. That he is not happy about and it shows through with the stern, heavy set expression upon his face. "I do not enjoy hearing of major events that affect us all after they have already happened," he tells them bluntly.

Selene rolls her eyes in contempt. "The world does not revolve around you Shaw. Never forget to whom you speak. I choose which of my affairs are to do with you and which aren't. You should be grateful I'm here at all," she says in a manner very like Sebastian should be grateful to be granted the great boon of being graced with her presence.

Emma chooses that a more conciliatory sounding line might serve her better. "Time was limited. We needed to act immediately and may I point out, my King, we succeeded."

"At the price of revealing yourself to the X-Men to be their enemy," Shaw casts the downbeat assessment, the downside of what has transpired as it ruins days, if not weeks, of planning and preparation.

"It was better than the alternative," Isobel says in her defence.

"Which would have been?" Shaw asks of her.

"Superman in possession of enough power to sweep us all away."

Shaw strokes his chin. That was a good point he supposed. "And where is Superman?" Shaw wants to know since he has now been told of the hero's defeat and capture.

"Restrained," Selene answers.

"Securely?"

Selene looks insulted. "It's one of my best spells. It suppresses all of his unnatural power."

"Down in the dungeon," Emma expands on Superman's whereabouts and yes it is an actual dungeon. It's a motif. Puts panic into the Inner Circle's 'guests'. "He has not yet awakened," she informs Shaw.

"He won't for awhile. Not after what I drained from him," Selene points out, a sinister little grin on her face as she remembers the joy of draining Jor-El's spawn.

Shaw looks at Selene carefully. "And what is he Selene? You've been very vague about answering that."

"A creature not of this world and beyond your understanding," Selene continues her evasiveness. In other words, as far as she is concerned, it is none of their damn business.

"You said you knew his father," Emma reminds Selene of what she said.

"I did...and for what his father did to me that boy will come to understand a new level of suffering," Selene vows.

"It's always the same with you isn't it," Emma accuses. "Always with inflicting the pain. There are other options."

"Such as?" Shaw inquires.

"Turning him to our way of thinking."

Selene throws her head back and laughs mockingly. "Ha! You're a fool Frost. You have no comprehension of the power that boy will wield one day. He will be akin to a God. Take my advice; get whatever information we need from him and then let me finish him. Don't and we will all regret it."

"Your daughter seemed quite confident she could help me get inside his mind," Emma mentions.

Selene's coal dark eyes fixate upon Isobel who shuffles nervously.

"It was all for the sole purpose of getting what we need from his mind. Nothing more," Isobel insists.

"And what is it we need?" Shaw asks.

"The location of the stone he already possesses," Emma guesses.

"Yes. That. Tell me of this," Shaw decrees.

Isobel sighs. She has no choice now. "It's a story. Of Gods who visited Earth and left behind an object of vast power. To keep it safe it was broken into 3 pieces, 3 Stones of Power, scattered and hidden across the world. When reunited they can bestow upon you the Gods' power. Superman has one. We now have another."

"I had it placed in the vault for safe-keeping," Emma informs Shaw. This was only because she can't think of a reason it should be in her personal possession. This way at least it is in a place she has access to but is not in the hands on any one person.

Shaw nods as this being acceptable.

"The trick is that you only require 2 of the stones and when joined they will lead you the the 3rd and final piece," Isobel explains.

"So if we can make Superman tell us where he has hidden his stone the power can then be ours," Shaw summarises, his expression one of deep thought as he considers the possibilities of what this power can bring him and by extension the Inner Circle.

"Precisely," Isobel confirms.

"I can make him talk," Selene promises with dark intent about what she'll do to him to make him talk.

"I have no doubt," Shaw says. "However I am amiable to allowing Emma to attempt what she proposes first."

"WHAT!" Selene screeches.

Shaw raises his hand as a gesture for Selene to stop before she starts. "But should Emma fail then Superman shall becomes yours to do with what you wish, Selene."

Selene glares. She doesn't have to take this from any of them. She could kill them for this insolence.

"Mother," Isobel speaks softly. "Think about it this way. If we succeed we will turn Jor-El's son to our side. Won't that, in its way, be payback on Jor-El to see his son standing at your side," she makes a case.

Selene's eyes narrow. "It won't work," she dismisses her daughter's idea. " Trust me. I can see too much of his father's stubbornness and insubordination in him and that doesn't even take into account Frost's incompetence."

Emma shoots Selene a deadly glare.

"My decision is made Selene," Shaw states firmly and stares at her, to demonstrate his seriousness.

Selene relents a little. "So be it," she accepts for now. "Now if you will excuse me I have my torture implements to sharpen for when Frost fails. Call me when she's finished making her sorry excuse at an attempt," Selene continues her insulting of Emma, already assuming her fellow Queen will fail, before she turns and leaves. She'll let Frost try only because she knows Emma will fail and that'll give Selene all the more ammunition to deride Emma over with.

Emma glares with a deep scowl at Selene all the way as the dark-haired sorceress departs.

Shaw clears his throat to draw the focus back on him. "I meant what I said Emma. If you fail he is Selene's and I'll be adding a permanent demerit to your record," he says in jest with a small laugh at himself.

"You pander too much to her," Emma accuses Shaw in regards to Selene.

"You don't show her enough respect," Shaw retorts, his tone sharp to make sure Emma listens to him. "You vastly underestimate her power."

"He's right. You do underestimate her and it is a grave misjudgment to not at least appear to show her respect," Isobel adds her two cents. "You cannot begin to imagine what my mother is capable of when enraged," she cautions and Isobel knows only too well what her mother can do.

Emma doesn't feel why she should. Selene doesn't show her any respect.

"The point, Emma, is that I am only willing to oppose Selene's wishes for as long as I see merit in your proposal," Shaw lays down his position. "A Superman turned to our side would be a great boon."

"That's why I proposed it. You heard Selene. Power akin to a God. That is why the Inner Circle exists. To have such power for ourselves," Emma makes her argument.

"I am giving you a chance am I not?" Shaw points out, showing he agrees with her. Sooner or later they would have to have dealt with Superman in all likelihood and there's no time like the present when he is relatively young(judging from his appearance) and easier to mold into what the Inner Circle desires. Shaw turns his gaze to Isobel. "This raises a question. What is he that even your mother calls him capable of being akin to a God?"

"I don't know. She won't tell me," Isobel says in rather sullen tones.

"What is he not?" Shaw turns the question around.

"He's not an actual God. He..." Isobel struggles for an appropriate descriptive term before deciding on, "...feels wrong. He is also not a mutant nor a sorcerer nor a demon. This I know with certainty," she rules out entities she is familiar with.

"So why does he let everyone think he is a mutant?"

"Why do you let everyone think you're just another rich industrialist?" Isobel asks back.

"Of course," Shaw says in understanding. "He's projecting an image to hide his true self."

"Everyone has secrets," Isobel points out.

"True," Shaw concedes. "He's an enigma. A being we cannot classify. I believe this is where you come in Emma."

"I'll get your answers Shaw and then I'll have him standing here pledging his loyalty to the Inner Circle," Emma vows.

"Bold promises."

"You expect less from me?"

Shaw smiles. "Never."

"I'll need time," Emma states. "I do not know the strength of his mind."

"Time, Emma, is one thing you have a limited amount of. Selene's patience will end and when it does I will not even attempt to restrain her. Clock's ticking," Shaw informs her as a boot up her backside to get moving on this.

Emma turns and departs and Isobel leaves with her.

"You can do what you said about getting me into his mind?" Emma asks Isobel to confirm once more.

"Yes. Magic works on a slightly different level and in a different fashion to normal telepathy. I just need to gather a few items for the spell."

"Then do so quickly."

Isobel heads off to her private chambers to do so while Emma retires to her chambers to mentally prepare herself. She is...close. So close to gaining vast power to elevate herself. She'll turn Superman. She does not doubt her own ability only she'll be turning his loyalty solely to her. He'll in turn deliver these stones to her and then, then who is going to stop her from obtaining whatever her diamond heart desires.

As Emma and Isobel depart another woman steps into the corridor watching where they went. She has long dark hair tied up in a bun and blue eyes below which are a couple of tattooed lines. She is dressed in the traditional female garb of the Hellfire Club; corset, thigh-high boots, thing, cape, all in dark blue. Her name is Sage and she is Sebastian Shaw's personal assistant. An assistant who has been kept out of the loop a lot recently.

Sage is also a spy for Charles Xavier and this...none of this sounds very good for many reasons for not just Charles. She better set up a meeting with Charles and let him know what is going on and she can set her computer like mind the task of coming up with a solution to this issue that gets the best result possible.

* * *

**SHIELD Hellicarrier...**

Fury had managed to get them off the hook with the Chinese authorities although it cost him several favours he had with certain members of the Chinese leadership. He had sold them some story where Magneto, basically, took the blame and that SHIELD, along with some assistant of the X-Men, had taken advantage of some intelligence on Magneto's movements and were simply trying to take him by surprise. Hence the lack of time to inform the Chinese authorities beforehand of their presence.

The price Fury extracted from the Professor for this was the X-Men returning with him to the Hellicarrier with him where they would have a 'talk'.

In a conference room the Professor, accompanied by Logan who insisted upon being here, sits opposite Fury who has brought Black Widow with him. The other X-Men are in the 'guest' suites.

Fury looks the Professor over, gauging the man's mood. "So shall we skip all the cloak and dagger games today and get straight to it?"

"I have always tried to be as honest as possible Colonel," Charles says.

"We both know why you, I and Magneto were there. How about you tell me about the other group?"

"The same reason."

"And who are they?"

"Like you don't know," Logan accuses in his gruff tones.

"Humour me."

"The Inner Circle," Charles just comes out and says it.

"Yeah. That's what I thought," Fury says in a tone like he doesn't like that answer because he doesn't. "Didn't learn your lesson last time Professor that Sebastian Shaw is not someone you get involved with."

"Isn't he the type of person you lock up?" Logan asks back.

"Been trying for 20 years since Division X ran afoul of him. Shaw always manages to come out smelling like a household air-freshener. It hides the scent but never really makes the stink go away."

"If I had a choice Colonel I would not get involved. It was Shaw that has decided to restart what he didn't quite finish 20 years ago," Charles says.

"And now he has one of the stones and Superman."

"Superman will tell him nothing," Charles says with total faith in Clark and as soon as they can finish this and get home he will be contacting Sage to see if she knows Clark's whereabouts and then they can begin planning a rescue.

"I wouldn't bet on that. Shaw has his ways," Fury takes the more pessimistic standpoint.

"Then stop wasting our time and release us!" Logan demands, barely holding in check his frustration. Not only did he not get to finish Creed off one of his kids has been taken. Someone is goin to get a serious hurting.

"You must learn patience Logan," Widow criticises him. "You're thinking only with your anger."

"You're damn right I am!" Logan barks.

Fury slams his hand down on the table to draw attention. "No-one is going anywhere," he decrees. "Because unless we resolve this now we're just going to end up fighting each other again over these stones."

"The position Superman stated to you has not changed Colonel," Charles states calmly. "No-one but him can have the stones."

"You're so sure of that, why?" Fury asks, suspicious of the Professor's motives.

"Because have you even begun to think through the consequences of possessing them. Magneto will not lie down and accept you having possession of them. It will push him to instigate an immediate war before you can make use of their power. Now I'm betting you've done some simulations of that scenario. What was the outcome?"

"He'd lose," Fury states with deadly seriousness.

"At what price though?"

"A high one," Fury states gravely. "But how does Superman possessing them change that?"

"Because he does not want to use their power for anything. He just wants them safe, away from where they can do harm, leaving us exactly where we are now."

"You seem so sure of that."

"Of Superman's intentions? If only you could get to see him as I do Colonel then you would see what a kind, gentle spirit he is. He only wishes to help and to protect and it is his desire to protect, above all others, that fuels his desire to gain possession of the stones."

"You're avoiding details," Fury points out.

"If you expect me to betray the trust Superman has placed in me by revealing his secrets you gravely misjudge me Colonel."

"Then we still have the same problem don't we. My orders are to retrieve those stones."

"And what are they worth to you?"

Fury blinks a little surprised by the implication in those words. "You offering a deal?"

"Perhaps," Charles says, not confirming he is but not denying it either.

"What have you got to offer?"

"20 years of insider information on the Inner Circle."

Fury looks at the Professor curiously but cautiously. "How?"

"I have an informant within the organisation who has spent 20 years learning how it works, its secrets and a complete list of its membership. Now what is that worth to you Colonel?"

Fury is surprised and intrigued. That sort of info is almost priceless. It still wouldn't probably be enough to take the Inner Circle down completely but he could cripple it for years.

Charles gazes at Fury. It may seem out of the blue he made this offer but he needed leverage and that is close to the most valuable he has.

"Why are you offering me this now?" Fury wonders. "If you have had someone inside for 20 years..."

"Because last time I assisted the government they tried to kill me. Can you blame me for not trusting them?"

"I'll give you that," Fury concedes and by the way that wasn't anything to do with him. He wasn't in charge of that whole Division X project. If he had it would have probably all turned out differently.

"Time is not something we have a lot of Colonel," Charles says in haste, eager to leave and trace down Clark. "Is it something we can make a deal over, yes or no?"

"You're asking me to disobey orders."

"I'm asking for a head start and while I sympathise this would be seen as a failure by your superiors you can offer up what I am offering on the Inner Circle as compensation."

Fury would love to get that information. He's been wanting for years to nail that slime-ball that is Sebastian Shaw.

"Come on Fury," Logan says. "All we're asking is that you look the other way for awhile."

"One other point Colonel," the Professor says. "This issue in regards to the stones is the main area of dispute between us. Once it is gone there is the possibility for a better, more productive relationship between SHIELD and my X-Men," Charles makes a case.

Logan plays a hunch to try and push Fury to agreeing. "What were your exact orders? To gain the stones or to make sure Magneto didn't get them? Letting us go and do what we need to will guarantee Magneto doesn't get them."

Fury rises to his feet and walks away a little while he thinks. "Go," he allows. "You can have your head start but be warned it won't be that big."

"Thank you Colonel," Charles says in some relief.

The Professor then rolls to the door with Logan before Fury stops them with one more, somewhat dire, warning. "One final point Professor. Should Magneto get those stones we will be the ones declaring war on him and the entire mutant race and the first people I'll be coming after are your X-Men."

"Magneto won't get them Colonel," Charles promises. That is the one thing he knows he must not allow.

"And if you do come the first person you'll have to go through is me," Logan vows.

"Is that suppose to be a threat?" Fury asks back, with a odd smirk.

Logan growls.

"Consider this a favour Logan. One I'll be calling in some day," Fury suddenly adds about the price for his latitude.

Logan growls deeper and gives Fury a stern 'I'm going to kill you one day' glare before he leaves with the Professor.

"Was that wise?" Natasha asks Fury about the decision he just made.

"Probably not. It's a gamble. It's also an opportunity."

"In what way?"

"They now owe me a favour. Superman now owes me a favour."

Natasha blinks. "This is about Superman? Why?"

Fury moves back to the conference table, built into which is a touch screen. He brings up some video footage. "This is data we pulled from the wreckage of the Sentinels in New York. Their mutant sensors managed to get a good long look at Superman...or the Bayville Blur as he was known back then."

Natasha watches as the Sentinel makes its assessment of Superman.

UNKNOWN BIOLOGICAL SIGNATURE DETECTED. SCAN FOR MUTANT DNA...NONE DETECTED. SUBJECT POSSESSES NO RECOGNISBALE GENETIC PATTERNS. ERROR...ERROR...NOT LOGICAL.

"Unknown?" Natasha questions, puzzled. "He's not a mutant," she can make the assumption.

"No," Fury confirms something he suspected for awhile before he knew for certain.

"Another Asgardian?" Natasha asks using the term they had come up with to designate the one who called himself Thor. They had Thor under surveillance and were still trying to learn more about him. They had made some progress on that front after he had taken an...interest in a female paramedic called Jane Foster and had told her about where he was suppose to be from and SHIELD had been listening in on their conversations.

"Can't say without doing a genetic comparison. It's a possibility but there has been no evidence of any contact between the two. It also wouldn't explain Superman's connection to these stones. The writing associated with them is not Norse but native American. So if I was to hazard a guess I would say Superman is something else entirely," Fury gives his judgement.

"The writing is also similar to the one from the ship," Natasha remarks. The ship she is referring to being the alien one that was shot down a few months ago and is currently in a SHIELD facility being studied. The writings they have discovered in its database is in a similar form to the language linked to the stones.

"Similar but there are distinct differences," Fury emphasises what he feels is an important distinction.

"Close enough to indicate a connection," Natasha argues and making certain implications about what Superman may in actuality be.

"I'm not jumping to that conclusion just yet."

"Any luck cracking the translation yet?"

"No."

"I'm guessing Superman might be able to help which brings us to that favour he now owes you doesn't it?" Natasha works out the game Fury is playing

"If we can't crack the language I'll use it but we're not at that point yet. Until then we keep trying to find the ship's pilot because it obviously is not Superman. He showed up before the ship did."

"Still doesn't rule out a connection," Natasha argues.

"I never said there wasn't one. I said I wasn't jumping to that conclusion. Something about all of this doesn't feel right," Fury says, going on a gut instinct. "I want you and Carter on the hunt for the ship's pilot. He or she or it has to be on this planet somewhere. Find them," he orders because by the time they recovered the ship the pilot was gone and without his ship he obviously can't have left. He, she or it has to be on Earth and they have to find them and discover their purpose in being here. As for Superman...he may be not of this world either and that is as far as Fury is willing to go in believing there is some kind of connection.

"Yes sir," Natasha replies to her orders.

"I'll keep on top of the stones and Luthor issue," Fury decrees. He'll see it to its end, whatever that is now. He just hopes he isn't making a mistake with what he has agreed with Xavier. On the plus side if he does what he agreed with Xavier he essentially has signed Lionel Luthor's death warrant so to speak. Lionel's pardon is dependant on SHIELD gaining that stones. That fact alone may make this deal worth it to see the end of Lionel Luthor.

* * *

With Fury's permission to leave the X-Men are soon back on the x-jet and heading home.

"So what's the plan Professor?" Cyclops asks.

"Home to regroup. I need to contact Sage and see if she knows where Clark is located. If she does we'll get a layout of where he is and then plan a rescue. I will also see about contacting Stephen because if we are to rescue Clark it means, no doubt, confronting Isobel and her apparent mother and I would like to do that on more even terms."

Scott nods in agreement. It was all perfectly sensible sounding. You don't rush in to a situation like this. They needed a plan.

"Do we really think that woman is Isobel's mother?" Domino asks because that seems hokey. No-one can live that long right?

"Sage's information on Selene is sketchy at best. Honestly I know next to nothing about her...but I think I know someone else we can ask about her," Charles replies.

"Who?"

"Selene Gallio is the name of the founder and former ruler of Nova Roma."

"The Princess?" Logan queries about who it is they ask in reference to Amara.

"Yes," Charles confirms.

"Is that it?" one irate sounding voice raises her objection. "Is that all we're going ta do? Just sit around and plan?"

"Rogue," Charles says gently.

"They took Clark!" she cries out, extremely agitated.

"I know Rogue," the Professor assures her. "And we will get him back, I promise you, but we need information. We don't even know where he currently is being held."

Rogue's face is pinched with emotion. How can this be happening to her again?

"Can zhey even hold him?" Kurt asks what he thinks is a pertinent question considering Clark's power. He was also deeply worried about his friend's well-being.

"We know Clark has some vulnerability to magic so I'm afraid more likely than not, yes they can." Charles says, his assessment grim.

"What will they do to him?" Kitty asks, deeply worried about her friend.

"Isobel wants the stones. That we know. My guess, therefore, will be they will try and make him tell them where the one we have is," Charles makes a little bit of a leap but makes sense because of Isobel's presence. It also explain why Emma was in China. Isobel being the Black Queen's daughter used that connection to get Emma and her students' aid. Again makes logical sense.

What doesn't is why Sage never mentioned Isobel to him in any of their recent correspondences is a question he will ask Tessa when they meet. Given the situation they are now in Charles moves on to addressing the issue of the security of the stone in their possession. "When we get back, Logan, I would like you to retrieve the stone from its hiding place and move it. We have to be sure it can't be found."

Logan nods although he hates going down into that cave they hid it in a few miles down the coast. He also hates the thought of what they might do to the Space Boy to make him talk. Telepathy doesn't work so that leaves, more likely than not, some form of torture. Logan is going to inflict a lot of pain of these Inner Circle scum when he gets his hands on them.

"You don't think Clark will tell them do you?" Jean asks.

"He won't," Rogue says with absolute certainty.

"From what we experienced today of Selene's power he may not have a choice," Charles gravely cautions.

"He won't," Rogue stubbornly repeats her insistence on Clark's resistance.

"We'll find him before they get a chance to try," Charles says more as a hope than anything. "But I must err on the side of caution. We'll move the stone just to be safe."

"Uh, who's telling Mr and Mrs Kent about Clark?" Evan asks, dreading having to drop this bad news on them.

"I will," Ororo volunteers herself for the unpleasant task. Martha's her close friend. The grave news about Clark should come from her. Ororo just worries how Martha will take it on top of everything else recently.

* * *

_Author's Note: At some point, some arrangement with SHIELD would have to be made, otherwise it could only end with the X-Men's arrest or attempted arrest anyway. As for the alien ship that may or may not have a connection to Clark that's just dropping a thread for later. __Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men return to the mansion and a catch up with Volcana and Magneto._


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

**Hellfire Club, New York...**

The Hellions had been teleported here along with Selene when they left China and had been shown to some rooms and basically told to wait until Ms Frost came to collect them.

Tarot was finding it extremely dull but that wasn't the thought that is her main occupation at the moment. It is her girlfriend who is sitting at the window, staring out that concerns her. Claire had been quiet since they arrived. Ok sure Claire isn't the most talkative person ever but this is more quiet than usual.

Marie decides to take action and slides in next to her girlfriend. "You're troubled."

Claire turns her head and gives Marie a look. "I'm always troubled."

"More than usual," Marie says with a soft smile.

Oh god that smile. That makes Claire's heart skip a beat. "It's nothing. You shouldn't concern yourself."

"Um, hello. Girlfriend. Kinda in the job description to worry."

"You've spent too much time watching American tv," Claire lightly criticises her girlfriend for where she picks up this sort of language.

"Blame Jen."

"I do."

Marie snorts out a giggle at that one.

Claire smiles a little. "Why are you here?"

"Here?" Marie asks, confused by what Claire is referring to.

"With the Hellions," Claire clarifies. "You're far too nice and sweet to be involved with any of this," she says softly as she reaches up and gently brushes a lock of Marie's hair back affectionately. It is true what she is saying. Marie isn't like most of the others who, frankly, are total tools apart from perhaps one or two other exceptions. Heck Marie is far nicer than Claire herself is which does leave the fiery redhead a little confused about what it is Marie sees in her.

Marie shrugs as she tries to explain how she ended up attending the Academy. "I had powers I didn't understand. Ms Frost offered to teach me. It's really that simple." Marie studies Claire closely. "What's bothering you? Please tell me."

Claire sighs. "Superman. We're just letting that Selene woman do what she wants with him." And Claire has heard stuff spoken about Selene. Stuff even she, with her rough life, would end up getting nightmares about.

"Nobody crosses Selene," Marie speaks in a whisper, as if afraid of being heard by the very woman whose name she is speaking. "Not even the Black King dares challenge her."

"Doesn't make it right to let her have her way with Superman," Claire argues and for some reason that is really bothering her. Following Ms Frost's belief in being more aggressive against mutantkind's enemies is one thing. Leaving Superman at Selene's mercies is totally another. From what she can recall of meeting and talking to him he was a nice guy. No-one Claire had any grudge against...although she can't help but think there is something she can't remember about him. It's frustrating as hell.

"If you want a truth I agree with you but what is there to do? We have our orders."

"There are some people who deserve what Selene can do to them but Superman isn't one of them. I...I'm not a good person but I'm not just some cold hearted bitch who doesn't care."

"You're wrong. You are a good person," Marie argues.

"No. Marie. I'm not. I'm done...things. Bad things." Claire's head drops so Marie can't see into her face.

Marie puts her arms around Claire and hugs her. "We have all done bad things."

"There's so much you don't know," Claire says in a strained whisper as she struggles to keep her emotions in check.

"Maybe...but I do know bad people don't feel guilt."

"I don't feel guilt."

"Liar," Marie accuses.

"It's the truth," Claire insists.

"Then why can't you look me in the eye and say it?"

Claire is caught because she can't look Marie in the eye and say it. She couldn't look Amara in the eye either. She took the coward's way out and wrote a letter instead but she did the right thing. Those MRD guys deserved it. She totally believes that. Claire raises her arms and hugs Marie back, burying her head into the petite French girl's shoulder. At least Marie's company makes it all a little easier to bear her burdens.

Marie doesn't know what Claire is talking about precisely but there is obviously something profound that bothers her girlfriend. Claire from the start has been closed off and for some people that might be off-putting. Marie was the opposite. She found it something she wanted to discover. What was under the very attractive surface appearance of Claire Selton...and Claire sure was attractive. Marie must admit to being a tad shallow in that regard.

Loud coughing interrupts the two girls who, upon seeing who it is, spring instantly to their feet.

"My King," Marie murmurs.

"Forgive the intrusion," Sebastian Shaw apologises before he enters the room. "I am just coming round to congratulate you on a job well done in China."

"Uh...thank you," Marie says, a little befuddled to be in the Black King's presence. She had never met him before but you work for the Hellfire Club long enough and you hear stories.

Shaw turns his gaze to Volcana. "You're Claire yes?"

"Yeah?" Claire says cautiously.

"Emma speaks of you highly. Says you have great potential. This pleases me," he says, almost with what sounds like a touch of...Claire would say almost pride. "You have a bright future ahead of you...both of you."

"Thank you my King," Marie says, beaming at the compliment. To get praise from the Black King can only mean good tidings for your future status.

Shaw gazes at Claire for longer than strictly necessary which makes her nervous as in what he is looking at that interests him about her. A strange smile comes to his lips and then he leaves without another word.

Marie exhales. "That was...good right? He said we had a bright future?"

"Yeah. He did," Claire confirms but she can't help shake the feeling that he didn't really come just to say that which leaves the question what was he here for?

* * *

**At the Institute...**

They all disembark from the x-jet, the weariness from the day's events starting to kick in. Kitty walks with Rogue, a little worried about her friend. Up on the Hellicarrier Rogue had looked like a caged tigress, ready to pounce. She doesn't look any less tense now. "Rogue. We'll get him back," Kitty tries to assure the Goth girl.

Rogue makes a low growl sound in the back of her throat.

"Speak to me, please," Kitty pleads.

Rogue pulls Kitty off to the side and let the others go by. "Kitty, ah...ah'm sick of it!" she says in a harsh whisper.

"Sick of it?" Kitty asks, puzzled.

"Of this! Of having mah heart be put through tha damn blender all tha freakin tahme! It hurts Kit. It really hurts."

Kitty's face morphs into one of deep sympathy. "I'm sure Clark felt the same way when Stryker kidnapped you. In fact I know he did."

"And ah felt it ovah tha summer. Ah almost didn't take him back because ah didn't want ta go through this again."

What are you saying? That you want to break up with him?" Kitty asks, totally shocked that Rogue might be thinking that. Clark seems to make Rogue so happy.

"No. Ah don't want that," Rogue says in a quiet voice. "It is just...how many freakin tahmes do we have ta go through this? Is this our life where Clark gets abducted or ah do or someone tries to fry mah brain ta get his secrets or ah get possessed and ah'm pretty certain that's only half tha things that have happened."

"You're frustrated and worried Rogue...and that's alright," Kitty assures her friend and hopes that is all that is behind Rogue's words. "As soon as we get Clark back I'm sure you'll think it's all worth it. Isn't love worth it?"

"Maybe...ah guess," Rogue says, not sounding 100% certain. She lets out a breath. "You're probably right. Ah'm just..."

"Worried?"

"Yeah...and angry. When ah get mah hands on that Frost lady ah'm kickin her ass!" Rogue swears, in what is basically revenge for the way Emma clocked her from behind.

Kitty watches Rogue rub her head where Emma clocked her. "Your head alright?"

"It's just a bump," Rogue casually dismisses the concern.

"You should probably have Mr McCoy look at it just to, you know, be safe," Kitty suggests.

"Nah."

"Rogue," Kitty says more seriously. "Don't make me nag you," she warns with her 'resolve' face.

Rogue wonders if she should point out Kitty's resolve face ain't all that scary. Then again she doesn't want to listen to Kitty's constant nagging. "Alright. Ah'll go. Ok?"

"Yep...and Rogue we'll get him back," Kitty repeats her assurance while she places a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Rogue smiles a little. "Thanks Kitty."

* * *

Jean was worried about Scott. She was walking beside him and therefore could strongly feel how personally he was taking this. "It'll be ok Scott. We'll find him."

Scott almost growls in a way Logan would be proud of. He was really pissed at himself. Clark is so powerful that you can almost take it for granted he can survive anything that is thrown at him and Scott therefore feels he let himself get complacent and let Clark go off and battle that Selene woman by himself and look what happened. He had been caught totally unprepared by the situation and failed to adapt sufficiently to what confronted them.

"Scott," Jean pleads quietly for him to talk to her. She hated it when he took all the blame on himself and worried one day he would take too much and it would break him which she was determined she would never let happen.

"You were right. About Emma. I'm sorry," he finally apologises for all the times he has been defending Emma lately during their arguments. "I just..." he ran his hand through his hair in frustration

"Just?"

"I don't know. I just...I know she could be a bit of a snob."

"A bit?" Jean questions with an arched eyebrow.

"Ok a lot of a snob but she wasn't a completely bad person. I don't think even you thought that."

Well maybe Jean might give him that one. Then again Jean doesn't really think anyone is completely bad.

"I just wish I knew what happened to her after she left that turned her into what we saw today. It's like the Professor said about wishing somehow to have reached her."

"Scott, you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. Emma has made her choice. We have made ours."

"You're right. I know. I just..."

"Scott thinking about what ifs will make you crazy and as your telepathic girlfriend let me tell you that isn't fun."

Scott lets out a breath. Jean's right...as she usually is. He will drive himself crazy if he isn't careful. He's so lucky to have her. "I wonder how they knew where we were," Scott changes topic slightly.

"Hmm?"

"Fury, I can guess, followed us since we know he spies on us but how did Magneto and Emma know where we were and what we were doing?"

"Huh? Never thought of that," Jean has to confess. It doesn't make sense. "So what will we do now?" she asks.

"Like the Professor said we get Clark's location and then we go rescue him and we go through anyone and everyone who stands in our way," Scott says with utter determination.

"What about Emma? I guess the whole playing game of deceiving each other is over."

"Perhaps that is for the better. Now we know just clearly she and her Hellions are our enemies and we don't have to pretend otherwise," Scott states coldly, overly coldly perhaps, as he tries to push any lingering emotional fondness for Emma out of his mind. By taking Clark she had made herself his foe and now Scott's only intention is to take her down. Emma will learn to regret the day she crossed Scott Summers.

Scott feels Jean wrap an arm around his waist and lean her head on his shoulder. His anger lessens almost immediately. _"Love you," _he hears her send the telepathic thought to him and can feel the emotion behind it.

Scott returns the feeling in kind. "_Love you more," _he sends back to her.

* * *

**Magneto's base...**

Magneto had retreated to the sanctity of his private quarters to brood over their failure. It was not good...but it wasn't a hopeless cause yet. He wasn't happy the Hellfire Club had one stone but that meant no-one had 2 of them. One had been in Superman's possession. At a guess Magneto will say Charles is making sure it is safe now that Superman has been taken. It is what Magneto would do as it is only prudent.

The Hellfire Club. Magneto's anger rises up at the memory of them. They have much to pay for...especially the one who betrayed him and Charles all those years ago. One of these days Angel's reckoning will come. She can't hide from him forever.

Magneto rubs his brow as he ponders his next action. He can't know where the Hellfire Club took the stone or Superman and attacking Charles' Institute would be a waste of time. Charles would not keep it within the building. Magneto is certain.

The priority must be finding and gaining possession of the 3rd stone. That would put him in a stronger position because to get it his rivals would have to come through him. Once he has that stone then he can contemplate the harder course that would be required to get possession of the other 2. To get them will mean fighting the Hellfire Club and eventually Charles.

Magneto has no wish to fight his old friend but needs must. He will ready himself and prepare his Acolytes for the fight but first where is the 3rd stone? He hadn't had much luck in finding it. He knows it was in Rome until the Western Empire collapsed but where is it now?

He may have to hope Blindfold has a vision.

For now he and his Acolytes need to rest and recover before he launches into another campaign.

"Dad?" a softly spoken, tentative voice queries.

A soft smile comes to Magneto's lips. He raises his head to see the girl with green hair standing there. "Lorna," he warmly speaks her name.

"Are you alright?" Lorna asks with worry over her father.

"I am fine. Is that what brings you here?"

Lorna nods. "I was worried. I mean with mom...and what if you had been hurt," she says, sniffling slightly.

"Come here," Magneto says to her. Lorna does so and Magneto takes her in his arms and embraces her. He should have thought more on how this might affect her. She is so young still. "It's alright. Nothing shall happen to me. You have my word but I have many responsibilities to our kind I must fulfil."

"I know," Lorna accepts. "But that doesn't mean I don't worry."

Magneto smiles. Such a caring child he has discovered Lorna is.

"I wish I could have been there," Lorna expresses a desire.

"No," Magneto says gently but firmly. "Far too dangerous."

Lorna pulls back so she can look her father in the eye. "But I can help!" she insists strongly.

"I have no doubt you can...one day but you must learn mastery of your powers first."

"And then can I help?" Lorna asks, an expectant, pleading, doe-eyed look on her face.

Magneto remembers that look. Pietro and Wanda would try it on him when they were little and wanted something. He sighs. "How about I'll think upon it when you have mastered your powers," he compromises.

Lorna bursts out into a grin. "Thanks dad!" she says cheerfully and then hugs him.

Magneto must admit this is nice. He had almost forgotten the nice aspects of being a parent. He pats Lorna gently on her back. "Have you visited your mother?"

Lorna pulls back and nods. Her features become sad. "I just came from her side."

"Good. I'm sure she appreciates your visits."

"So, uh, what was it you were after exactly in China?" Lorna asks, curiously.

"The future born from the past."

"Wow. Way to be cryptic dad," Lorna teases.

Magneto decides to relent a little. After all she is his daughter. "A magic stone," he tells her.

"Seriously?" Lorna asks as if she can't believe she heard him right.

"Perhaps. I haven't decided on its true nature yet. As the ancient stories go it is one of 3 that when united grants you the power of the Gods," he says with a sort of mysterious air to play it up.

"And you would use this power to defend our kind right?"

"Precisely."

"You really think they're real and not just some stories?"

"All myths have a basis in fact. There are other factors I have taken into account which makes me suspect what they truly are."

"What factors?"

"Ah. I don't think you're ready to suspend your disbelief that much today."

"Try me," Lorna dares him.

"Nice try," Magneto compliments his daughter's attempt to goad him. "But it is best if my theories remain private. It is not because I wish to keep secrets from you Lorna. It is just I lack proof either way as things stand."

Lorna pouts and tries a puppy-eyes routine on her father.

"That doesn't work on me. Your brother and sister tried that one when they were little. I'm immune."

Lorna pouts more. "I can cry you know. You wouldn't be able to take that," she threatens to unleash her secret weapon.

"Then you seriously underestimate your father," he counters.

Lorna throws her hands up. "Alright you win."

"Of course I do. I'm your father."

Lorna raises something now her dad mentioned it. "What do we do about Wanda? I mean it isn't right she's not here with us," she argues. She means her father told her how, in his grief over his wife's death, he hadn't been attentive enough to Wanda and her grief. That grief turned to anger and eventually Wanda walked out on him and yeah, ok, Lorna can see why Wanda might be angry, she isn't blaming her sister for that but if they sat down and talked Lorna is certain they could make Wanda understand and then they could all be reunited as a family.

"Wanda must choose to return of her own volition. She can't be forced."

"I could give it a go," Lorna offers, half-joking.

"Lorna," Magneto says in a sterner tone.

"Alright. Alright. Forgive me for wanting to meet and get to know my sister."

"In time I'm certain Wanda will see sense and you two can...bond. Until then I think it best we let her be. I keep an eye on her from a distance so I know she is safe," Magneto tells a white lie. Lorna doesn't need to know the absolute truth. In time Wanda may indeed see sense. Her residence at Charles' is mostly out of her anger at him but no-one can stay angry forever. One day Wanda will calm down and common sense and the bond of family will prevail on her. Call it a belief Magneto has.

"So can I ask a question?"

"Anything you wish."

"What happened to that Sinister guy? Haven't seen him around lately."

"Which no doubt you're glad about."

"Well...he does have this rather whole creepy mad scientist vibe going for him. You have to admit." Lorna had been in his lab once. The place gave her the shivers. So all mad scientist. Like clichéd movie type.

"He is taking care of a few tasks. Tracking down some mutants." More of Stryker's lost 'children'. "And then he is going to secure a new home for us."

"Home?" Lorna queries.

"As I told you Lorna, when you arrived, this base and the others are not our future. It is a temporary measure. I have plans to secure a place...a homeland of our own. A place in which to build the future for all mutantkind, safe from the persecution of humanity."

"I...wow! Really?" Lorna says in total astonishment at that idea.

Magneto smiles and rises to his feet off his throne. "Come with me. I'll show you."

Magneto guides Lorna to the computer console at the far end of the room and brings up a satellite image of the Earth from space.

"Is that the South Pole?" Lorna asks.

"Indeed. Even in this age there are many secrets and wonders this Earth has to behold." Magneto highlights a part of the Antarctic continent. It shows a deep valley hidden completely by clouds with only the tips of the mountain peaks visible. "I discovered it many years ago."

"Discovered what?" Lorna wonders.

"Let me show you images from beneath those clouds I took of the valley."

Magneto brings them up om screen but instead of an icy wasteland, which is what Lorna expected, it shows a tropical jungle. Her jaw drops. "But...but...that's impossible," she says in complete disbelief.

"The mountains are a ring of volcanoes that heat the valley making it a tropical paradise. It is referred to in a few ancient documents, mostly dismissed and discredited by the mainstream scientific community. I, however, have a much more open mind and decided to investigate and this is what I found."

"I...wow...ok. Is that a dinosaur?!" Lorna exclaims at one picture that suddenly comes up.

"Yes," Magneto says calmly. "There are also humans and mutants living there, in total isolation from the rest of the world."

"There's real life dinosaurs?" Lorna asks, her inner child threatening to explode with excitement.

"Yes," Magneto confirms. "They survived there when the rest of their kind went extinct. Obviously there are dangerous species and that's why I will send Sinister ahead to secure a space where we can settle...and no-one knows this valley is there. It is constantly shrouded by those clouds. That is why it is perfect for our new homeland."

"I'm...I'm in shock here, give me a minute," Lorna says as her mind reels from this.

Magneto smiles amused.

"Does this place have a name yet?" Lorna asks.

"Yes. It is called the Savage Land."

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Ororo hated to have to do this but there was no choice. Martha and Jonathan needed to be told. She finds them together and her face must instantly give it away.

Fear becomes etched into Martha's face. "Clark's missing isn't he?"

"I'm sorry Martha."

"How did it happen?" Jonathan asks, his stomach twisted, his heart seemingly feeling more than its usual slight twinge as worry for his son eats at him.

"He was taken."

"Clark?" Martha queries, unable to see how Clark of all people could be taken.

"Isobel was there...with her mother."

"Mother?" Jonathan asks, his confusion evident.

"You may want to sit," Ororo advises. "It is a bit of a story."

Martha and Jonathan do just that as Ororo retells what happened in China.

* * *

There were many things the Professor needed to do. Contact Sage. Contact Stephen. He had already left messages for both. Next immediate thing was that he needed information from any source he could get. Selene is a name he is familiar with. First from the history he knows of Nova Roma and second from what Sage passed onto him. What troubles him is that Sage never made mention of them being the same person. Surely she had to know which makes him a tad suspicious. Is the reason she hasn't been too forthcoming with information lately is that she is deliberately withholding it because, as Hank mentioned as a concern, she has been corrupted by spending too long in the Hellfire Club?

Charles can only pray that that is not the case. He will need to have words with Sage in person so he can judge for himself. That's for later when he can set up a meeting. For now he needs more on Selene from a certain Nova Roman princess. There is a knock on his office door where he retired to upon their return. "Come in Amara!" he beckons her.

Amara pops her head round the door. She wonders what this is about. Last time they came back from being away she got the revelation that Claire, whom she has...had...has...had strong feelings for, was now at this Emma Frost's Academy in Boston. Amara has often wondered what happened to Claire since she left. She wondered what the hell happened to Claire when Stryker kidnapped them that made her leave in the first place. It was frustrating not knowing. "You wanted to see me Professor," she says.

"Yes. Please sit," Charles says while holding his hand out at the chair.

Amara sits with a certain poise one might expect from a princess.

Charles steeples his hands together on his desk. "Amara I need to make a request of you and I need you to answer me as fully as you can."

"Of course Professor," Amara agrees without knowing quite what this is about.

"Tell me everything you know of Selene."

"S-S-Selene?" Amara stutters. She gulps. "Why?"

The Professor has little time so gets straight to it. "Because she has taken Clark."

"S-she's alive!" Amara gasps. "You met her?"

The Professor nods once.

Amara just looks at the Professor as total, utter and complete terror fills her features as if her worst nightmare possible had just come true. In fact, if Amara is being truthful, it just has.

* * *

_Author's Note: Yes what is it that Shaw finds so interesting about Volcana? The answer is coming. Magneto's part in the hunt for the stones isn't over yet but I thought some father/daughter time would be fun. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Amara shares her knowledge of Selene and the X-Men get some volunteered help in the form of an old friend to battle the Inner Circle._


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Logan returns to the mansion, after having picked up and rehidden the Crystal of Fire, the stone they possess. He finds Ororo standing outside the door, her face sad. It pains him to see that expression upon her face. To see anything but a smile on her is a crime...and he's not just saying this because they're dating. "What's the matter Ro?" he asks softly.

A brief smile flashes across Ororo's face at seeing Logan before it fades. "I just came from Martha and Jonathan."

"Ah," Logan says in understanding.

"It's not fair, especially on Martha," Ororo complains. "First there was the revelation of who Sebastian Shaw is, then there is where we found Volcana and now her son is missing. No-one should have to endure all of that."

"No. No-one should," Logan agrees. "But Martha's strong. Jon-Boy too. They'll get through it and we'll get Space Boy back. None of us are resting until we do."

Ororo looks at him. "And how are you doing Logan?" she asks. "I know these things upset you."

"What upsets me is that Creed sneaked away...again!" he complains at the fact he never got to finish Sabretooth off before the tear gas started.

"What is it with you two?" Ororo asks.

Logan looks incredibly frustrated here. "I wish I could remember. I really do. I just know that I hate him. Have for a very long time."

Ororo places a hand gently on his shoulder. Logan was a surprisingly complicated man at times. On the surface it may not seem it but he is. It's part of what she finds so fascinating about him. "I won't tell you who and who not to hate but just don't let it consume you. There is much more to life than that." And Ororo will make personally make sure Logan doesn't lose himself to his angers and hates.

Logan gives her a wry look. "Still trying to see the good in me?"

"Always and it's not too hard to find."

Logan turns his head away a little. Ororo gently touches her hand to his cheek and turns it back before planting a gentle kiss on his lips.

"What are ya doing with me Ro?" Logan asks a question he does often in regards to why the hell she, of all people, is dating him. "Do you know the kind of things I have done?"

"A man's deeds do not sum up his life. A spirit cannot be weighed. You are judged by the intentions of your actions and the strength with which you face your challenges. You have endured that which would have broken other people to pieces, yet here you are, still striving to do what is right by the children you chose to take under your guardianship."

Logan looks at her curiously. "Where do ya come up with this stuff?"

Ororo laughs. "Why do you always have to ruin a nice moment?" she asks him back.

"It's what I do."

"And you're the best there is at what you do, yes?"

"Darn right...and those Inner Circle punks are going to learn it first hand when we go to rescue Space Boy," Logan swears.

* * *

Down in the infirmary Hank had just let Rogue leave after examining her. Luckily it was only a bump on her head and she will be fine. He wished he could say the same about Clark. He deeply worried about the young man in the hands of the Inner Circle.

Just then his private communications line he has down here rings. Hank lightly frowns and wonders who it is that could be calling him. There weren't that many people that had his number so to speak. He activates it and on the video link the image of a brown haired woman pops up. "Moira?" he queries.

Moira McTaggart smiles. "Henry!" she greets him warmly in her thick Scottish brogue. Then she notices his puzzled expression. "Bad time?" she asks.

"What? No. Never. I always have time to talk to you Moira. What's the matter?"

Now Moira has a puzzled expression. "Matter? Nothing's the matter Henry. This is me normal weekly call. We have them every week. I think I should be asking ye what's the matter?"

"Everything's fine," Henry says with a forced smile, not wishing to burden Moira with their problems. They do talk every week. Catching up, discussing ongoing issues they both have with caring for mutants, picking each other's brains so to speak but with everything going on he had forgotten about it.

Moira fixes him a look. "Henry Phillip McCoy," she says sternly.

Hank cringes. Only his mother ever spoke his name like that when she was telling him off.

"Ye seem tae forget that I know ye and I know when yer lying. Ye always were a terrible liar."

"Thanks Moira," Hank says with a dash of sarcasm.

Moira folds her arms across her chest and glares at him. "Now will ye tell me what is going on?"

Henry rubs the bridge of his nose a little. "It really is better that you don't know," he tries to appeal to her not to ask. It will only bring unpleasant memories.

"Why? Henry...is it Charles?" she asks, concern deep in her voice. Charles was...and always will be special to her.

"Charles is fine," Hank assures her.

"Then what is it? Tell me. Don't make me come over there," she warns him sternly.

An amused quirk comes to Hank's lips. "Moira you're 3,000 miles away."

"And when has that ever stopped me, hmm?"

"Good point," Hank concedes. "You will not like it," he repeats his caution.

"Let me be the judge of that. Maybe I can help."

"One of us has been taken."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Moira says with instant sympathy. "Who? By whom?"

"Superman."

Moira's eyebrows rise significantly. She had met the young man called Superman when Nitro was dropped off and her scientific curiosity was immense due to how unusually powerful he was. He was a nice boy. Lacking any kind of arrogance or ego one might expect such power to give someone. She is surprised, therefore, he could be taken. "By whom Henry?" she repeats the second half of her question.

Hank hesitates.

"Henry. By whom?" Moira demands to know more forcefully.

Hank relents since he can see Moira won't let it drop. "The Inner Circle."

Moira's face pales as colour drains away. "T-they're back?" she asks, her voice barely a whisper now.

"They never went away. They just stopped caring about us until now."

"Why would they take Superman?"

"Oh...that's a long story and involves aspects of Superman that are kept in trust and we are not in possession of the full facts at the moment."

"Why didnae ye tell me ye were involved with the Inner Circle again?"

"Do I really need to answer that Moira?" Hank asks back.

"I didnae need protecting Henry," she says in a raised tone, aggravated by that idea. "Ye can tell Charles that if this was his idea."

"Our problems, Moira, aren't your problems nor do you need the burden of them. Besides isn't this exactly why you pulled Rahne out and took her home because you didn't want her involved in this sort of thing?"

"I pulled her out because Charles promised she would be safe and that obviously wasnae true," Moira explains her reasons. Rahne is her daughter. She wasn't leaving her somewhere where she wouldn't be safe. The mansion getting blown to pieces proved it wasn't safe for her daughter.

"Therefore you just confirmed the point I was making. This place...this ideal we set ourselves to defend...you know as well as I do Moira it comes with risks. I understand why you wished to be away from it. So did I for many years but the world has changed Moira. Mutants are public knowledge now. Someone has to fight for our equality. That attracts enemies as much as we wished it didn't. Unfortunately those enemies include Sebastian Shaw and his Inner Circle. He has taken one of us and we're going to get him back no matter who stands in our way. X-Men never leave anyone behind."

That stings Moira more than anything because her last memory of the X-Men was them falling apart and leaving for their separate lives.

"How is Rahne?" Hank asks, changing subjects for the moment to give them both a little space to think.

"Still angry at me," Moira says with a sad sigh. "I thought she would understand I just did it tae make sure she was safe. If she was hurt..." she trails off at that unthinkable thought.

"I know it can't have been easy for you Moira. I understand why you did it," Hank says with a nod of his head.

Moira smiles slightly. "Thanks," she says grateful to Henry for being understanding.

"She is missed," Hank says about Rahne.

"She misses being there," Moira admits. "I know she enjoyed it but..."

"If anything what I have told you makes it more dangerous than it was already," Hank can guess Moira's internal debate. "You're her mother Moira. You do what you feel you need to to keep her safe. As for us here...we have made our choices even knowing the risks involved. The Inner Circle have forced this confrontation upon us and it wasn't about protecting you Moira that I didn't say anything. You made your choice not to be involved with this any more. The Inner Circle just isn't your problem. Keep safe and I'm sorry to cut our usual talk short but I think you'll understand I have a lot of work to do."

"I'll talk tae ye soon," Moira promises.

"Of course. I look forward to it as always," Henry says with a smile before he signs off.

* * *

**Muir Island...**

On Muir Island Moira raises a hand to her head. The Inner Circle. God is that a name she wished to never hear again.

"Moira?" a voice with a strong Irish lilt to it queries her name.

Moira smiles as she turns in her chair at her desk in her study to see Sean Cassidy standing at her door. His head full of its red curls. "Yes Sean? Is there a problem?"

"Ye tell me," Sean replies with a pointed look. He can tell from her expression something is wrong. He's known her too long. For the last few years he's been here assisting her run her research facility.

"It's nothing," Moira tries to dismiss it.

Sean folds his arms across his chest and leans against the door frame. "Want t' try that again only this time try th' truth," he says in a flat tone.

Moira glares at him and he just smiles back at her. "Ye know it's days like this I wonder why I havenae fired ye yet."

"Must be me charming personality and beautiful singing voice," Sean proposes, with a lazy grin, as a reason why he hasn't been fired.

"Well yer half right," Moira dead-pans.

"Which half?" Sean asks cheekily.

Moira gives him her patented look of disgruntlement at his cheek.

"I can wait here all day," he argues.

Moira gives in. "It's the X-Men."

A partially sorrowful smile comes to Sean's lips at hearing that name. It use to mean a lot to him and now others use it. "Can I get more than that?"

"Ye winnae like it," she ends up repeating Henry's words.

"I pretty much got that from yer expression," Sean points out.

Moira hesitates for a moment before saying, "The Inner Circle."

Sean's face darkens like Moira has rarely ever seen it. He straightens up. "What have they done?" he asks, his voice taking on a deadly seriousness that is the opposite to his usual light personality.

"Captured Superman."

"Right. I'll be borrowing th' jet then."

"What?" Moira asks in complete puzzlement.

"Ye think I'm going t' stand here and let th' Inner Circle have their fun with th' lad. Super or not ye know what they'll do t' him Moira. I shouldn't have t' explain this."

"Excuse me. Ye left before I did," Moira reminds him that he was away from the Inner Circle before she packed it in.

"Aye. I did," Sean confesses with a tad of shame. "But I've had 20 years t' think on it. We should never have let them tear us apart. Look at where we ended up. Just look at Magnus," Sean uses as a prime example of how badly they failed at what Magnus has become going around calling himself Magneto, inciting war.

"Ye could have gone back any time," Moira points out. There was nothing that was stopping him choosing to go back to the Institute if he had truly desired to.

"Aye. True enough but I had other obligations. Theresa. You...and I still have those but I will not let the Inner Circle harm that lad when I have th' power t' do something about it. I assume Charles will be working up a rescue plan."

"I didnae ask for details."

"That's fine. I'll ask when I get there."

"Get where exactly?" a female voice with an equally strong Irish lilt to it asks from behind Sean.

Sean turns to look into the green eyes of a 16 year old girl of slender, but athletic build, who has a halo of long red hair framing her pretty, freckled, face. The face of his daughter, Theresa Maeve Rourke Cassidy.

"Get where exactly, father o' mine?" Theresa repeats her question.

"I have t' go away for a few days," Sean says.

"Tae the Institute," a shorter red-headed, 15 year old, girl to Theresa's right surmises what the two girls overhead. "Who's the Inner Circle?" Rahne Sinclair then asks.

"No-one ye need tae know about," Moira warns her daughter off sharply, almost desperately.

Rahne and Theresa share a look. "I may be being naïve here Rahne but I think they're hiding something from us," Theresa says.

"Aye," Rahne agrees. "And who is it precisely they've taken?" she asks giving a hint at where she and Theresa ran across this conversation. Benefit of turning into a wolf is much sharper than human hearing.

"This is nothing ye need tae know," Moira warns the two girls off.

Theresa snorts. "Right and now we'll just be off and pretend we never heard any o' this," she rolls off sarcastically.

Sean pinches the bridge of his nose. "Ye are far too much like yer mother," he complains about his daughter.

Theresa smiles at that one. "Thanks."

"So who's going first?" Rahne asks as in who is going to explain what they were talking about.

"No-one," Moira says as she rises to her feet. "The Inner Circle is something neither of ye need tae know about and are certainly going nowhere near," she tries and stamps her authority and protect them.

Rahne scowls. "I thought ye said it was wrong for me tae keep secrets from ye but apparently ye can keep secrets from me. Is that how it works, mum?" she accuses.

"I'm protecting ye, Rahne. That's all I ever want tae do," Moira tries to explain and make Rahne understand.

"By lying and keeping secrets," Rahne shoots her mother's defence apart.

"That never ends well," Theresa points out. "I mean do we have t' replay what happened with Uncle Tom again?" she asks, with a pointed stare at her father about his secrets in regards to his cousin Tom Cassidy. That's a whole story right there.

Sean can feel the migraine forming already. "Look th' Inner Circle are just...a group o' very bad people I use t' know a long time ago. Th' type o' people that make Black Tom Cassidy look like a shoe-in for sainthood by comparison and they have captured Superman..."

Rahne's screams cut Sean off. "What!"

Theresa winces. "Gee and I thought I had a loud voice," she mutters as her ears ring.

_'They have Clark? How could they have Clark? How could anyone hold Clark?' _These are all questions Rahne asks herself.

"Ye two were involved in this together weren't ye," Theresa can work out. "How?"

"It was before ye were born Terry. It was before I even met yer mother," Sean explains.

"Not answering th' question," Theresa says sternly.

Moira places a hand to her head. She can see it is pointless to keep trying to fob the two girls off. "The answer is simple. We were X-Men."

The two girls have identical expressions of disbelief. "What!" they screech.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

It had taken the Professor several minutes to fend off Amara's panic attack before he got the teenage princess to calm down enough to talk to him. "Are you alright Amara?" he asks with gentle worry.

Amara nods, although she is still shaking slightly. "Yes. I am. It is just...Selene is a nightmare. She ruled Nova Roma for 1500 years and did...terrible things. The stories that get told..." Amara shivers in fear. "You don't want to know Professor."

"I'm afraid I must ask Amara. She has taken Clark," he repeats that fact.

Amara's eyes widen in worry for him. Gods. The things Selene will do to him. She steadies her nerve. "What do you need to know?"

"Everything you can tell me."

Amara tries to recall everything her tutors and parents taught her about Selene. "I know back in the time of the Empire she was worshipped as a God. Selene; Goddess of the Moon."

Charles is a well educated man, including the classics. "Selene was the Greek Goddess of the Moon. Are you saying the myths actually refer to the person we met today?"

Amara nods in confirmation. "She's not really a God. She just likes to be thought of as one. She's an immortal sorceress of the darkest of black magics. As time passed and the new religion of the One God began to dominate the empire her followers and worshippers began to dwindle," she tells the story of what happened as Christianity began to take root across the Roman Empire. "When Rome fell she only had a few hundred left. Determined to keep herself in the comfort she was accustomed to she took her remaining followers and founded Nova Roma upon an uninhabited island where no-one would come. From that day to the day she was exiled we were forced to worship her, sacrifice for her."

"Sacrifice?" Charles says with a dark look of foreboding about what that means.

"Selene lives by draining the life-force from people. Every so often one of us would be given to her and she would take their life to extend her own. We are all told this story so we never forget what kind of monster it was that enslaved us," Amara states in grave tones.

"In China we encountered Isobel again and she claimed that Selene was her mother. Now we know Isobel was born in France so is that possible? Would Selene leave for periods?"

Amara is astonished at that revelation. She tries to think. "Um...it's possible I guess. Selene had little interest in the day to day running of Nova Roma. That was left to the Senate and her personally appointed Consul. It is well known that Selene tended to bore. That is when we would suffer the most as she tried to 'amuse' herself," Amara says with complete hatred in her tone of Selene. "I guess another way she might have alleviated her boredom was to leave Nova Roma for the outside world for awhile but I can't know for certain without going home and talking to our scholars and historians," she says half-apologetically. She should have listened to her tutors more closely.

"We'll do what research we can into Isobel's history although we already know it's sketchy." Since they first met her they had been trying to research her but huge chunks of Isobel's life are missing. The Professor moves on for the moment. "Tell me of Selene's exile," Charles requests of Amara.

"It was over 50 years ago, when my grandfather had been a young man. A benevolent God came to Nova Roma and led us in a rebellion against Selene's rule. With His power we defeated her. She was exiled from Nova Roma and He used His power to erect a great barrier around our island through which Selene cannot pass. In honour of Him we hold a week long celebration. The Festival of the Child of the Stars."

Charles blinks. "Child of the Stars?"

Amara nods, a sort of awed light in her eye as she thinks of her people's saviour. "His true name I do not know. It's what He is called by my people."

"While I do not approve of killing I am curious why your people did not execute her if Selene's crimes were as heinous as you say," the Professor has to ask, knowing capital punishment is practised on Amara's home island.

"We would have but Selene managed to escape and flee the island before she could be stopped. Her exile is more that it was made sure she could never return and from what my parents told me she tried. After the Child of the Stars left she battered her magics against the barrier for weeks to no avail. Eventually even she tired of it and left and has never attempted to return again."

The Professor takes a moment to absorb that. He has been to Nova Roma. He went there after Cerebro found Amara and there was no barrier he saw. He wonders briefly how it works before realising he can't get that answer right now and moves on to raising something Selene mentioned. Charles brings his hands to lay atop his desk. "Selene said Clark's biological father wronged her."

Amara looks puzzled. "I don't understand."

Charles looks at her. "I think what I'm hinting at is fairly straight-forward."

Amara gets it. "Y-you think Clark's father was the one who defeated Selene," she says, her mind reeling from that thought.

"We know Kryptonians have visited Earth for millennia and were often thought of as Gods by many cultures."

"Oh Gods," Amara whispers in dread. "She'll...the things she'll do to him Professor," she says in terror for Clark. Her lower lip even tremors slightly. "You can't imagine the torments she inflicted upon us over the centuries because it amused her."

"We'll get him back Amara," Charles promises. "Clark's strong. He'll survive. Do you know how she was defeated?" he asks, in the hope it could aid them in their rescue endeavour.

"There was a great battle but the stories use colourful metaphors which sound great but don't exactly give great detail. Sorry."

"You have no need to apologise Amara. None of us were aware of any of this until today."

"If I can help I will," Amara offers.

"I'll take it under consideration. For now try and think back on every story you know of Selene for anything that might be helpful to us and let me know if something occurs to you."

"Of course Professor," Amara says. With the talk done she takes her leave. Once the door is closed behind her she lets out a shaky breath. Gods. Selene. Why did it have to be Selene? That's beyond a nightmare. When Amara imagines what Tartarus is like she imagines Selene is there waiting to inflict the eternal punishments on the damned souls sent to that Gods forsaken place.

If she hasn't had enough issues lately what with finding out Claire, whom she has...had...Amara is still getting over it. Anyway she did have a serious crush on Claire and now she is at this Frost woman's school. That had shocked her as matter of fact. She knows Claire comes off as this angry, tough, uncaring, somewhat aloof and cold person but she's had a hard life and under it all there is still a streak of something in Claire that aspires to be better. Amara has seen that it exists. Therefore what is Claire doing with these Hellions Amara wishes she could understand. It didn't seem to quite fit...or maybe, as Tabby might say, she is looking at Claire through rose tinted glasses. A saying she has come to understand the meaning of. It could be the case. Amara doesn't have the answer.

Now, on top of that, she has something that has a major impact on a core of herself; her faith. The Child of the Stars, Clark's father, if that is what he is, is one of the most worshipped Gods on Nova Roma. He has 3 temples. She's prayed in all of them and the festival held in his honour is Amara's favourite. If Clark truly is His son then...then can he still be her friend? To her does this makes Clark, in all actuality, a God? Should Amara have been worshipping him and not helping Tabby play pranks on him?

Amara cringes. Gods what will her parents say when they find out she once stole the underwear of the son of the saviour of Nova Roma. She can't just blame Tabby. She's a princess. She has to take responsibility. That's what the Child of the Stars asked of them when he left. To step up, take charge of their own destiny and never let themselves be subjected ever again and they have. Amara is proud of her kingdom and what it has achieved since coming out of Selene's Dark Age.

Amara has no clue how to deal with this but for now she has to focus on doing what the Professor asked. If she doesn't help save Clark this won't be an issue because Selene will kill him and one thing Amara is certain of is that she won't just do nothing and allow that.

* * *

**Hellfire Club, New York...**

Down in the dungeon Isobel was standing over a simmering cauldron while she prepared her spell that would elevate Emma's telepathy and allow her to enter Clark's mind. She looks up from her casting to gaze at her 'partner' in this. "Admiring the view Emma?"

Emma smiles a very genuine smile of admiration for the unconscious young man stripped topless and chained to the wall. She glides a finger down the chiselled plains of his torso. "There is much to admire you must admit," she says and this is true despite the faint scars still visible on his body from his battle with Selene. Despite Selene's drain of his life-force and suppression of his powers his injuries were healing remarkably quickly.

Isobel would concede Clark is very pretty to look at but it does not compensate for his annoying hero complex nor does it assuage her fury for his interference in her plans.

Emma brushes her hand through the errant curly lock of hair over his forehead which flops back into place. She then brushes the back of her hand against his jaw and his head shifts slightly. He groans quietly and his eyes start to flutter. Emma watches and observes his reaction as his eyes open and he starts to figure out where he is. Those were a very interesting colour of blue his eyes possess and so expressive as she watches his emotions flicker through them. He tests his chains which rattle against his strength but come nowhere close to being broken.

Superman sighs. "This is so redundant," he complains. "Couldn't come up with anything original Isobel?" he asks at finding himself strung up...again!

Isobel smirks. "Not my doing."

Superman fixes his glare on Emma, trying to hide how sore and tired he is. "The dungeon theme really? It seems so clichéd. I expected better."

"Well I do hate to disappoint," Emma admits a truth.

"Where's Selene?"

"Around. First you and I will have a 'chat'."

"I think you'll find we won't," Superman states. "And I don't fall for the same trick twice Isobel," he adds in case she tries what she did before to make him reveal the location of the stone. He'll be on his guard this time.

"Oh this is a whole new trick Superman," Isobel promises, still keeping her knowledge of his true identity from Emma for now. "I'm going to use my magic to enhance Emma's telepathy to get inside your impossibly thick skull."

Superman hides any worry off his face. Clark does have many worries but he is pushing all the questions and concerns to the back of his mind. If he is to escape he must remain focussed. "Give it your best shot," he dares her, sounding remarkably blasé about it.

"Oh I will darling. I promise," Emma says, with dark intent in her cold smile.

Superman looks at Isobel. "I'm sorry Lana," he says with guilt flowing from his words.

"Sorry?" Emma queries, puzzled

"He's apologising to my vessel for his continual failure to _save _her," Isobel mocks. "Really you must get over this do-gooder complex," she advises.

"I suppose I would waste my breath trying to appeal to you to let Lana go," Superman says.

"Indeed. You would," Isobel confirms. "But don't worry your pretty little head about Lana. She remains asleep and unaware of anything if it is any comfort. Besides I'm making much better use of her life."

"Sure. Crying all the way home to mommy because you got beat is so much better."

Isobel fixes him a death glare while Emma chuckles amused at the stinging remark. Isobel glares at Emma for that as well. She grouses a few words under her breath about the two people. "Ignore him," Isobel advises. "He's just trying to stall us until he figures out how to escape," she explains what she knows he is doing. "By the way escape is impossible this time. My mother made those manacles around your wrists. They're magical and are suppressing all your power."

"Funny. Didn't stop me last time," Superman counters. He lost his powers last time and still managed to escape, track her down and beat her...ok with help from his friends but still he won and she lost.

That was true Isobel must admit but then again last time she had been betrayed by Madeleine. Also one might ask why hasn't she just stripped his powers like last time. Problem is she no longer has her book and is incapable of performing that spell at the moment. Her mother could...in fact her mother could have already done so if she desired but didn't. Isobel isn't certain of this but she doesn't know if that spell would work twice in all actuality. The way Clark was healed previously seems to have changed him slightly, from what she can sense, as if his powers are now more deeply rooted into his body. Isobel isn't saying it can't be done to remove his powers. It probably can, only it would take more effort and magical power which, rather than waste, her mother obviously just decided it was easier and quicker to conjure up the manacles which is just, in essence, as effective. In reply to Clark she says, "This is a very different situation. You have no idea what you're up against this time."

"I didn't last time...and yet I still won. Either I'm really good or you really just plain suck at this."

Isobel scowls at him. Maybe letting her mother torture him is a good idea after all she is starting to think. Maybe that would finally silence his insolence.

Emma must admit this is amusing and she is finding Superman fascinating. She cannot wait to see what goes on inside his head and find out who and what he truly is. "You're a lot more conniving and cunning than this boyscout image you project aren't you," Emma is starting to realise already from what his words are truly intended to do.

"Look in my head and find out," Superman dares her.

"I will soon."

Superman actually laughs. "Go ahead because you have no idea who or what I am and as I once said, to the most obnoxious person on this planet, you have no idea how I think. Look in my head and you'll regret it, Emma."

"Is that a threat?"

"A friendly warning. I'm protecting you just like I do everyone else. My mind is not a sunshine holiday in the Caribbean."

"I do find it interesting how you use a metaphor that would involve me in a bikini," Emma says with a sly, suggestive, smile.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Superman says with a sort of deathly calm seriousness.

"The spell is ready," Isobel announces.

Emma grins in eager anticipation. "Then let us begin."

* * *

_Author's Note: It will be something to be explored later about how does Amara deal with the reality that, to her, Clark is essentially a deity and how does Clark deal with the fact that a nation of thousands worships his father as one and might do the same with him. Anyway that's for later. For now we are going to get an insight into Clark's head which if you think about it must be a really complex and scary place considering how much his head has been screwed with by Jor-El...and yes, I'm working towards a partial reunion of the first X-Men. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Emma takes her first journey into Clark's mind while the X-Men continue their efforts to find and rescue him._


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

**Muir Island...**

Dr Moira McTaggart's research facility was deliberately set up on an island, away from a populated place where she could research unstable mutant powers while providing relatively safety to the general population and secrecy for her patients. It meant she was only supplied by boat or by private airfield where she kept a jet that Charles had in fact managed to obtain for her.

Right now, on-board that jet, Sean Cassidy, once an X-Man known as Banshee, is just going through the pre-flight checks before he leaves. The Inner Circle. Just the thought of that name makes his Irish blood boil. As soon as he heard Moira say they were involved he just instantly knew what he had to do and that was to not only save the boy but to confront a few ghost from his past that he hadn't been able to completely lay down.

The sound of footsteps from behind gets his attention. Sean looks behind him to see his darling daughter is on-board...with a bag. "Now where do ye think ye are going Terry?"

"With you," Theresa says back with a pleasant smile.

"Ok I'm not prone t' taking th' Lord's name in vain.."

"Since when?" Theresa scoffs.

Sean scowls lightly at her before he continues. "But Jesus Christ, no way are ye coming," he tells her.

Theresa throws her bag down onto a seat and looks crossly at her father. "What makes ye think I'm just lettin go off on yer own without me t' watch yer back."

"Terry, ye have no idea who these people are or what they are like. Th' Inner Circle have no morals or scruples. At least Tom, as twisted as it is, has a code he follows. They don't."

"Which only reinforces why I should come," she argues stubbornly. "And short of picking me up and carrying me off this jet I'm not leaving," she tells her father and means it.

Sean looks to the heavens and utters a prayer, asking for strength. Why, oh why, did the Lord have to give her his stubborn streak. It's not that he doesn't want her around. He does. Like Moira with Rahne he just doesn't want to see her harmed. She is all he has left of her mother. However, he can see, from her determined expression, she won't leave of her own volition and no argument he can think of will work so he'll just have to compromise this time he can see. After all, as much as he wishes she was, she isn't a little girl anymore. She's becoming a young woman, capable of making her own choices. After a few moments thought he comes up with the following. "Alright. Here's my terms. This is X-Men business which means Professor Xavier makes th' calls. Should he say ye stay at th' mansion and I go that's what ye do or I will pick ye up and throw ye off right here. Clear?"

"Clear," Theresa accepts. At least she'll be there and not thousands of miles away. She already lost her mother. She isn't losing her father while she can have a say on it. It would be why when Rahne went to the Institute she stayed so she could remain near her father.

"Ye cracked pretty quickly there Sean," Moira comments as she climbs aboard, bag in hand.

"Yer coming?" Sean asks in complete surprise, making the only assumption he can about Moira's appearance here.

"Aye," Moira says. "Because ye were right. We all walked away when we shouldn't have. Time tae lay this down once and for all."

"What about Kevin?" Sean asks after Moira's son, who is a mutant with an extreme condition. Essentially he can't leave a specially engineered room that contains his powers.

"It'll only be a few days. John can manage to run things along with my assistants until then. If we can't get Superman back by then..." Moira trails off not wishing to finish that thought of what could be a grim fate. "I've spoken to Kevin about it," she says.

Everyone's attention is then caught by yet another bag being flung on-board as Rahne climbs in.

"Rahne," Moira address her daughter. "What do ye think yer doing?"

"Going back to the Institute," Rahne states.

"Excuse me?" Moira asks, not quite believing she just heard that.

Rahne gives her mother a sour look. "I'm not leaving my friend in the hands of these Inner Circle people and really where do ye get off trying to dictate anything tae me? You lied tae me!" she says bitterly now she has gotten the story off her mother about her true history with the Professor.

"I was protecting ye!" Moira insists.

"Ye let your personal experience cloud your judgement!" Rahne accuses.

"Oh boy," Theresa murmurs to her father, seeing this was going to go south fast. Rahne had been fuming ever since she got back during the summer and now its seems months of anger are about to come out.

"Being an X-Man isn't safe!" Moira argues, her voice rising in pitch and volume.

"Then why did ye let me go in the first place?! Yer being completely hypocritical!" Rahne shouts back.

"There's a big difference from when mutants were unknown tae now!"

"Apparently not if ye were finally telling me the truth!" Rahne points out using what her mother said about these first X-Men to reinforce her argument.

A loud piercing whistle interrupts the mother/daughter spat courtesy of Theresa...and when she whistles loudly she really whistles loudly. Like loud enough for dogs 10 miles away to hear her.

Sean has a finger in his ear ringing them out from his daughter's intervention. "Deafen me why don't ye darlin."

Theresa smirks.

"Ok. Enough," Sean says to Moira and Rahne. "Look, Rahne, ye might have a point about lying t' ye but never doubt that yer mother loves ye and is always just trying t' do th' best by ye."

"I doubt it," Rahne mutters viciously, glaring at her mother.

"Yes she does," Sean insists passionately. "Ye didn't see how worried she was when ye all went missing after th' Sentinel attack. Ye didn't see her crying for hours before ye managed t' contact us. Ye can disagree with her decisions but don't ye ever, EVER, doubt that she loves ye lass."

Rahne is a little stunned. Sean was always so...laid back most of the time. It was odd to hear him so serious. She looks at her mother and sees the deep worry lines on her face. She never really thought about what her mother must have gone through during that period. Rahne's gaze softens. "I'm sorry," she whispers.

"So I am Rahne," Moira returns it.

Rahne throws herself into her mother and hugs her.

Moira's face lights up into a small smile at this as she returns it.

"I still want tae help save Superman," Rahne mumbles into her mother's shoulder.

Moira looks to Sean who just shrugs as in might as well let her come.

"Alright," Moira agrees. "But rest assured this doesn't mean I'm letting ye stay at the Institute," she says before Rahne thinks it.

"Can ye at least think on it, please?" Rahne pleads.

Moira sighs. "I make no promises my mind will change but I'll think on it."

"Thanks mum. Love you."

"I love you too honey."

"I feel an Irish ballad coming," Theresa says with dread as she looks at her father who just loves to sing.

Sean smirks. "Aye." He clears his throat and begins while they all strap themselves in and prepare for the flight to Bayville.

* * *

**Hellfire Club, New York...**

Everyone has a unique mind-scape. A reflection of their experiences and personality. The moment Isobel's spell was cast, Emma found herself experiencing Superman on a whole new level. Before his thought patterns had been completely alien to her as if he spoke a strange language. Now it is like someone bought her the dictionary. Instead of not understanding them, she can sense them being hidden away from her probing. Still they feel...alien. Different to anything she has ever encountered before.

Emma probes around the edges, looking for a way in. Too many telepaths just try and use blunt force to batter their way in and therefore never learn there is an artistry to telepathy. When the situation calls for it Emma can just use her raw mental power in such a fashion but it is so uncouth to do so. Besides she doesn't want to damage Superman's mind. Just learn how it works and how to change his thoughts so he serves her...she means serves the Inner Circle of course.

"Your desires are painfully transparent."

Emma spins...or the mental projection of Emma spins in a dark space to find... "Superman?"

"A foolish attempt by humans to define what we are," Superman dismisses it...only Emma isn't sure this is Superman. This mental projection is dressed in a black one piece suit with that raised symbol on his chest and he gives off an air of aloofness, arrogance and superiority.

"And this is a foolish attempt on your part to enter our mind. Magic may have enhanced your telepathy but I am more than familiar with the techniques required to shield us from your probing," 'Superman' states confidently.

Our. Us. Plural terms as if there is one than more person inside. Also there is something else in what he said that intrigues her. "You speak of humans as if you aren't one. You aren't one are you?" she asks him, not expecting him to answer it. From what Isobel had said Emma had basically already come to that conclusion anyway but this seems to confirm it.

'Superman' does not confirm her question but instead says in reply the following. "And you, Emma Grace Frost, so pitifully are an example of what our father saw is wrong with humanity. Greedy, selfish, only interested in elevating yourself. Everything encapsulated that proves how foolishly naïve my other is in believing in humanity's potential to do good if only shown the way," he derides her and humanity. "Now leave," he commands.

"I don't think so," Emma states. "Neat trick shrouding it all in darkness but I've seen it done before," she says in reference to the darkness surrounding them. Hidden somewhere in the blackness is the door into the deeper parts of his mind. This is only skimming the surface.

"Simple, perhaps but with a disciplined focussed mind it can be very effective and you will find I am not burdened by the distraction of petty human emotions. Now I asked you to leave. This time I am telling you. Leave," he states in icy-cold tones but tones that carry immense authority.

Emma's snow-blue eyes narrow. The 'ground' beneath her shakes and rising out of it around her is a crystal hand that grabs hold of her tightly. Emma struggles against the grip but it is too strong. Next thing she knows is being thrown far away.

Back in the real world Emma recoils a few paces before being caught by Isobel. Emma brings a hand to her head at the shock of being forcibly ejected from Superman's mind.

"What happened?" Isobel asks.

"He won the first round but I shall win the war," Emma states confidently.

"Wouldn't count on it," Superman says, still chained to the wall. He leans back against it. "I warned you, you didn't know what you were getting into." His words are not smugly spoken, just a reiterating of the fact he did say it.

"I'll be back," Emma states, needing a moment to refocus herself which she won't show in front of their 'guest'.

Emma departs, leaving Clark all alone with Isobel.

"You would be wise, Clark, to consider the following. Should Emma fail you shall be handed over to my mother," Isobel warns him in a, probably doomed to fail, attempt to get him to, essentially, give up the struggle.

"So I should just what? Forsake everything I stand for and hand over the stones to you?"

"That would be the wisest course, yes."

"You don't honestly expect me to do that, do you?"

"Honestly? No. People, such as yourself, with hero complexes always choose to do this the difficult way."

"I find people such as yourself, Isobel, always tend to have an ulterior motive for their actions," he accuses her.

Isobel's eyes narrow. "What do you mean?"

"Foe example, I do find it curious how Emma still does not know my name when you do. Care to explain Isobel?"

"Do you care to explain how no-one can see you are Superman?" Isobel asks him back before giving him her theory. "My guess is that you had someone cast a spell."

"That you can entirely blame on Madeleine. She was trying to erase the memory of my existence so she could keep me for herself," Clark feels there is no harm in revealing because what is Isobel going to do about it.

"And she messed it up," Isobel can assume. "You have no need to explain further," she tells him while she mentally mutters some uncomplimentary remarks about her former sister witch.

"Give this up Isobel," Clark says. "You're mistaken about the stones. You don't know what they truly are. They are not the answer to what you seek. Why do you continue this struggle when you could have moved on to your eternal rest?"

"Nice try but you have little understanding of what follows this life. Trust me restful is far from what it is and these stones are my destiny. I will not rest until they belong to me."

"People who crave power look back upon the mistakes of their life, pile them together and call it destiny."

"Ah a philosopher as well as a hero."

Clark grins his goofy one. "Nope. Got that one off He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, 1987, starring Dolph Lundgren. It sounds good though right?"

Isobel rolls her eyes. From Lana's memory she can remember sitting with Clark watching that once too. Terrible movie. "Think over my warning farmboy," she says before she makes moves to leave.

"Sure. It isn't like I have anything better to do than _hang _around here," he quips.

Isobel rolls her eyes again as she leaves. She can't believe he actually said that.

Clark tests his chains again. Damn these were made well. His powers were not gone. He could feel them but couldn't access them. He closes his eyes and thinks.

Inside his mind he appears, dressed in blue shirt, red jacket, jeans and work boots where he meets his not so friendly 'other' self. "Kal-El," he greets the echo of the personality Jor-El imprinted.

"Clark Kent," Kal-El says back, his voice devoid of emotion.

"No hug?" Clark quips.

Kal-El fixes him a look. "Really, must you demonstrate your humanity so openly," he criticises.

"I freed you didn't I," Clark retorts, because that decision, to free Kal-El from his sub-conscious, could be considered due to his human qualities

"Your first wise decision in quite some time," Kal-El says as a partial compliment.

"Well first off I could have blocked Emma too. I remember everything you do including all the techniques for mental defence Jor-El stuck in our head. I just thought seeing you would throw her off and it worked."

"For now but our father only gave us the very basic techniques. We are far from a master of psychic warfare."

"We just have to buy time."

"Until your human friends come riding to the rescue?"

"You have a better plan?"

"Not presently I'm annoyed to admit. This magic is irritating."

"Tell me about it and if all else fails I do have a back-up plan."

"Which is?"

"It involves the other one of us in here."

Kal-El looks at Clark like he's mad. "You would think of releasing that aberration? He cannot be trusted."

"Hey! He's still me!" Clark protests.

"That's what I meant."

Clark blinks. "Was that a joke?"

"Certainly not. I am unburdened by such frivolous emotions."

Clark eyes Kal-El closely. That sounded suspiciously like a joke to him. "I'm still hopeful that we can work out a way to escape rather than my friends risking themselves by coming after us. We just have to figure out a way to get these magical restraints off."

"Sadly I have to agree that is our best course of action for the moment," Kal-El says, sounding disappointed that he has to agree with that assessment because he can't come up with a better plan either.

"Just remember our deal. No trying to take over," Clark reminds him of the bargain they struck to let Kal-El out.

"I gave my word didn't I," Kal-El says, sounding annoyed that his word would be questioned.

"Yes. You did," Clark concedes. "Still I can't believe it's healthy for me to have 2 separate distinct personalities running around in here," he says, gesturing around himself, meaning his mind and his expression is one of concern about what it means, mental health wise, the current state of his mind.

"It is not," Kal-El confirms about the state of the mind they share. "One of these days you must accept we are part of you and be properly reintegrated into one."

"I thought you said he was an aberration," Clark reminds Kal-El about the other one of them.

"He is. However he is still part of you and therefore part of us. It is your own doing he exists," Kal-El blames Clark for the other's existence.

"Is that so?"

"He is a consequence of your unhealthy habit of repression."

"I'm working on that," Clark argues.

"Hardly," Kal-El dismisses Clark's argument.

"I can't be blamed for the effects of red kryptonite," Clark says, sounding a tad over-defensive.

"It merely lowers your inhibitions like alcohol does in humans. It should not bring forth a distinct personality," Kal-El argues to reinforce his point.

"He's still me and so are you and...ugh, I really need a degree in Kryptonian psychology," Clark complains as he rubs his face. His mind is a mess which he is mostly blaming Jor-El for. It wasn't this messed up before his 3 month mind wipe and brainwashing. Frankly it's amazing he's even remotely sane.

"Once you have the stones you will have access to all you need."

"Which brings us to why we have to keep Emma out and escape. The Inner Circle can't be allowed to have the stones."

"Agreed."

Clark hopes they can escape. He really doesn't want to resort to his 'if all else fails' back-up plan. That is high risk. After all who knows what Kal would actually do if freed.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Charles had gotten a reply from Sage and a meeting place had been arranged. Unfortunately the quickest that could be would be tomorrow night according to Sage's message. That leaves Clark in the hands of the Hellfire Club for over 24 hours.

Rogue had already been in to vent her fury about that. Charles had let her vent, knowing it came out of deep worry. He was worried too.

Also too little of this made sense. From talking to Fury he knew how SHIELD knew to be in China but Magneto? Emma? How did they know?

He and Scott had talked. They had to concentrate on getting Clark back. That was the priority closely followed by getting the stone out of the hands of the Inner Circle. Only by talking to Sage could they even begin to plan on how to do that which now left a time lag where they could do very little but wait.

It was now very late and had been a very long day but Charles didn't feel like sleeping. Not when one of his students was in the hands of people he knows are capable of doing terrible things.

He felt for Jonathan and Martha who must be really feeling the loss and worry profoundly.

They will get Clark back. Charles swears. Shaw will not succeed twice in tearing apart all that he has built.

Just then the intercom goes off. It's Beast.

"Yes Henry?"

"Charles. Radar has picked up a plane incoming from the East," Hank informs him. He had been alerted and was down in the War Room currently checking it out.

"I'll be right down," Charles says while he wonders who it is that is coming now.

* * *

A brief time later Charles rolls into the war room. "Any ID?" he asks from Hank.

"None yet," Hank informs him. "I'm trying to contact them." He activates the radio. "Come in unidentified aircraft. This is Dr Henry McCoy of the Xavier Institute. Please identify yourself or we may have to consider you hostile and take the appropriate measures," he warns. After all they're are no flight paths over the Institute. Therefore any aircraft heading this way has chosen to come this way deliberately for some purpose.

There is static until a voice speaks up. "Ach, Henry, I know ye and th' others use t' tell me t' stop me singing but I never thought ye would go as far as shooting me down."

Hank and Charles share a confused look. That voice sounds like... "Sean?"

"It makes me heart glad t' be remembered. I feel a song coming on."

"Dad! Please, no!" a feminine voice breaks in, pleading not to hear another one of his songs.

Charles speaks. "Sean. What are you doing coming here?"

"I heard ye were having a spot o' bother with some old..._friends _o' ours and I've come t' offer me services."

Charles is surprised by that. Hank less so because he can work out Moira must have spoken about what he and she talked about. Although Hank is surprised they actually flew all the way from Muir Island to assist.

Charles is still puzzled but the only way to solve that is to let Sean explain when he gets here. No point in telling not to come when he's almost here. "Hank will guide you in Sean and then we'll talk," he says over the radio.

"Roger that," Sean acknowledges.

* * *

A short time later Hank and Charles are down in the underground hangar where Sean's jet has landed. They are simply waiting for the door to open which it does soon enough and the man with red hair pops into view with a smile on his face. "Now then there's a sight for sore eyes...although Henry ye look like ye need a shave," Sean says with a joky smile and attitude.

Hank shakes his head. One thing he hasn't missed; Sean's so called sense of humour.

Behind Sean a girl with long red hair pops her head out. "So this is th' famous Institute huh?"

Sean walks down the steps out of the jet. "Ye remember me daughter, Terry," he says.

"Indeed," Charles says, remembering the few previous times he has met the teenager. "Welcome to my Institute Miss Cassidy," he says as this is the first time Theresa has ever come.

"Call me Terry," Theresa insists as she follows her father down the steps.

"Moira?" Charles queries his eyes at the sight of the brown haired woman as she exits the jet.

Moira smiles brilliantly upon seeing Charles as she descends the steps. She walks over to him, bends down and gives him a hug. "Hello Charles."

Charles returns the hug. "What are you doing here?" he asks, still surprised although it is a pleasant surprise.

Moira stands back "The same reason as Sean. We're here tae help...and tae lay some ghosts tae rest."

There is an impatient cough from behind Moira. Charles smiles upon seeing the girl standing there. "Rahne."

Rahne waves. "Hi Professor. Miss me?"

"Of course."

Sean is greeting his old friend Hank. "Well now I still can't get over this new look o' yours. You've done something different with your hair, right?" he jokes about Henry's transformation. Light-heartedly jokes and Hank takes it in the spirit Sean means it.

Hank just gives Sean a look in return. "I live with over a dozen teenagers Sean. I get worse teasing than that before breakfast."

"Is that a challenge?" Sean asks, pretending he's taking it as such.

"No," Hank says before he turns his attentions to Theresa. "Nice to see you again Terry."

"Aye. I'm sure it is," she says with a wide cheeky grin.

"Moira," Hank moves on.

Moira smiles and gives Hank a hug too. "Henry. It's always nicer tae see ye in person."

"Indeed it is," Hank shares the sentiment. He turns to Moira's daughter. "Rahne. Welcome back."

"Thanks Mr McCoy. It's nice tae see ye."

"We haven't decided if she's staying yet," Moira says with a pointed look at Rahne not to get too comfortable about being back. "First things first. We're here tae help rescue Superman from the Inner Circle."

"That's going to need a long discussion. I don't know how up on events you are," Charles cautions. Not only that there is the question of how much to reveal about what all this involves and entails Clark's identity and secrets. That's certainly not a discussion for this late...uh early in the morning as it is now. "How about we find you some rooms and we can talk over breakfast. At the moment there is little we can do."

"How's that then?" Sean asks.

Hank answers while avoiding certain details. "We have an informant within the Inner Circle but she is unable to meet us until...well it would be tonight now. It's too risky for her to contact us any other way. Until we speak to her we simply have no idea where Superman is currently be held so can't even begin to plan a rescue."

Moira and Sean are surprised by this information. "Ye have a spy within the Inner Circle?" Moira asks Charles.

"I had to keep an eye on them," Charles explains.

"Who is it?"

"Lets discuss that later in the morning Moira," Charles puts off that talk. "It has been a very long day for us as you can probably imagine."

Moira and Sean did have to agree that it was very late, especially for them since their body clocks were telling them it was 5 hours later than it actually is. They all agree to grab a few hours sleep and continue this discussion after breakfast.

* * *

The next morning the mood at breakfast is unsurprisingly glum and gloomy as everyone is worried about Clark. Paige had tried to cheer up Jamie but it wasn't working...probably because she wasn't feeling too cheery herself.

Jamie morosely chews on his morning toast, feeling down when suddenly, from behind, two hands come over his eyes.

"Guess who?" a familiar Scottish brogue asks.

"Rahne?" Jamie asks.

"Bingo!"

Jamie jumps to his feet, turns round and there is his best friend standing there. "Rahne!" Jamie cries with a big smile before he hugs her.

"Hi Jamie," Rahne cheerfully greets his friend.

Jamie pulls back and looks her over. "What are you doing here? Are you back for good?"

"Uh...mum hasnae made her mind up on that," Rahne says hesitantly. "But we're here because we heard about Superman."

"Who is we?" Paige asks, a little annoyed frown on her face at being completely ignored.

"Oh," Jamie suddenly realises he hasn't introduced Paige and Rahne yet. "Rahne this is Sam's sister Paige. Paige this is Rahne Sinclair."

Rahne offers out her hand and Paige takes it. "Nice tae meet ye."

"Nice ta meet ya too."

"Welcome back were-girl!" Tabby says from across the table.

"Thanks Tabby," Rahne says with a broad grin.

The others says hello to her too.

"It's great tae see ye guys again."

Paige raises her hand. "Who is we?" she repeats her question.

"Well me mum, Sean and..."

"Me!"

Everyone looks to the door as Theresa enters. For the New Mutants, who have never met her before, seeing her for the first time has an effect...especially on the hormone driven boys.

"Everyone this is Theresa Cassidy," Rahne introduces her.

"Call me Terry," Theresa insists upon.

"Oh man so digging that accent," Bobby whispers to Ray about Theresa's Irish lilt.

Ray nods in agreement.

Scott speaks up, confused about a few things. "So wait, let me get this straight Rahne, you, Terry, Mr Cassidy and Dr McTaggart flew over to help look for Superman," he says, remembering to not say Clark in front of Theresa. "That right?"

"Aye. That sums it up. I'm sure the Professor will explain it all later but basically me and Terry overheard me mum and Sean speaking about Superman being missing and we got the whole story on them once being X-Men and the Inner Circle and well..."

Theresa picks it up. "Long story short we all decided to come and help although that does miss out on all th' shouting and tantrums."

"I never threw a tantrum!" Rahne protests.

"I was speaking about me father," Terry smirks.

"Oh," Rahne says a little embarrassed at her outburst.

Roberto saddles up to Terry. "Hi. I'm Roberto," he introduces himself in his usual suave manner.

Rahne fumes instantly since she and he were dating...sort of right up until her mother pulled her out the school and hey look not even a hello. Rahne can feel her inner wolf itching to get out and bite him on the bum.

Theresa is aware of who Roberto is, since Rahne has told her about him and she's totally on top of this. She clears her throat a little. "Terry," she introduces herself. "Can I ask ye a favour Roberto?"

"Anything," he offers.

Scott can feel a headache coming on. It seems Roberto has learned nothing from the whole Cat Grant incident.

Theresa's voice takes on a strangely melodic sound here. **"**_**Why don't ye drop yer trousers and show everyone yer underwear."**_

"Ok," Roberto agrees instantly and drops his pants to reveal a pair of rather...ahem, erotic boxer shorts.

"What in the world is going on?" Ororo demands as she walks in to find Roberto standing there, his pants around his ankles. "Roberto! Pull your pants up!" she snaps.

Roberto snaps out of it and does that as everyone laughs and points at him.

Ororo folds her arms across his chest. "I think we need to discuss what is appropriate clothing choices Roberto. Follow me," she commands.

Roberto doesn't know what happened there and follows Storm with a very confused expression.

"Terry. I cannae believe ye did that," Rahne says, although she is giggling madly.

Theresa smirks. "He had it coming."

"What just happened?" Evan asks the question everyone else is thinking.

Rahne explains. "Theresa can elevate her voice into hypersonic frequencies. It can _influence _people."

"Think of it like a strong hypnotic suggestion," Theresa goes on to explain further. "Like hypnosis if yer strong willed enough I can't make ye do anything but it tends t' work on most people. Me dad can do th' same. I inherited his powers."

"That's was like really awesome," Kitty compliments Theresa.

"Well thank ye," Theresa takes the compliment as what it is, going as far as to throw in a theatrical bow.

"Alright darlin' what have ye done now?" Sean asks at seeing his daughter do that bow just as he enters the kitchen along with Moira.

Theresa points at herself and puts on her best innocent expression. "Me? Do something? I'm insulted ye could imply such a thing, dad."

Sean looks to Hank sitting off to the side, drinking his morning coffee.

Hanks waves his hand as in 'Don't involve me in this'. "Don't look at me. I've learned the best way to cope with the madness is just to sit off to the side and let it pass you buy." He then makes the following announcement. "For everyone who doesn't know this is Sean Cassidy and Dr Moira McTaggart. They have come to help us find Superman so no blabbing secrets in their presence please."

"Secrets?" Sean queries.

"You're surprised we have them?"

"Well no."

"Superman is our friend and we all swore to keep certain aspects regarding him secret. Now you may be told about them later. Charles is discussing that with...certain people as we speak."

Moira looks at her daughter, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Rahne."

"Mum. Inner Circle, mum. Ye know what they say about people in glass houses," Rahne cuts off what would be her mother's reprimand about secret keeping.

"We also discussed what damages secrets can do."

"I know...but he's me friend and I promised. Ye wouldn't have me break me promise would ye?"

Moira groans quietly. "No," she reluctantly concedes.

Ororo returns from telling Roberto off, greets their guests, whom Charles had already told her about first thing this morning and offers to make them breakfast.

* * *

Meanwhile Martha and Jonathan are in the Professor's office discussing the arrival of Sean and Moira.

"I think there are obvious reasons why I asked you here this morning," Charles says.

Martha and Jonathan hadn't had the best night, their deep worry of Clark meaning they couldn't really sleep, and it shows in their appearance. "How much about Clark do we tell them," Martha guesses.

Jonathan runs his hand through his hair. "This is only going to become more an issue the more students come here," he points out in regards to Clark's unique origin and he knows, having been part of the discussion, that bringing more students in is something they will be working on soon.

"It is," Charles concedes. "And a day may come where we have to make a choice about what we are going to do. However, equally Clark won't be here forever. He only has one more year of school left after the current one and then he shall, like all young people must, be taking steps to go live out in the world."

That was true, Martha and Jonathan would agree. With Clark's seeming focus on journalism now it seems likely he'll go to university to study for the necessary degrees. At that point it is conceivable he'll leave home and while Martha and Jonathan are not kicking him out the door, any parent knows a day comes when your child has to step out into the world on their own.

Martha returns to topic. "You know these people better than us Charles. If you feel that they can be trusted and that telling them will aid in rescuing Clark then we'll allow it." She just wants Clark back above all else. His secrets don't mean a damn if his life is in danger and if Clark is in Sebastian's hands then Martha fears Clark is in a lot of personal danger. At least it was slightly better than the summer. At least they had the means to find out where Clark is and at least she has Jonathan with her this time.

"It is more that they have a right to know what has led to this situation, why the stakes are so high and what the dangers are they could be getting themselves into. Rescuing Clark is, of course, priority number 1 but we can't leave the Crystal of Air in the hands of the Inner Circle. We must also retrieve it. To answer you, Martha, I would trust Sean and Moira with my life and have done so in the past."

Jonathan shares a look with Martha. Like her the only thing he thought mattered was getting Clark back. They could deal with the fallout once Clark was safe. "Do what you need to Charles," he gives his permission. "Just get our son back."

"I will," Charles promises. "Now do you wish to be here when I talk to Sean and Moira?"

Both Martha and Jonathan agree. They should be here.

Charles sends a telepathic summons to Sean and Moira to come to his office. The two adults soon arrive, still eating their breakfasts as they walk through the door.

Sean has this odd expression as he swallows a mouthful. "Been awhile since I heard your voice in me head Charlie-boy," he comments at what has weirded him out.

"Indeed," Charles responds. "Let me do some introductions. Moira McTaggart, Sean Cassidy, may I introduce you to Martha and Jonathan Kent."

There are the obligatory hand shakes before Charles adds. "They are Superman's parents."

"Superman's parents?" Moira queries with a confused expression. "Wait...the boy Clark. He's..." she begins to work it out.

"Yes," Jonathan confirms. "Clark is Superman."

"I don't get it," Sean says with some confusion about why he didn't see it before and why they are keeping the boy's identity a secret. "Why have ye been portraying them as two separate people?" he asks.

"Yes...you may want to sit down for this," Charles proposes. "It's a long story."

Moira and Sean sit themselves down and Charles begins...

* * *

_Author's Note: Yeah, so Clark has issues. Lets go with that. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men get more help, the meeting with Sage and Emma's attempts to probe Superman's mind continue._


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

After breakfast Kitty had returned to her room to finish getting ready for whatever today held. She was suppose to be getting ready for school but she really didn't feel like it. She means how can she concentrate on school work when Clark is who knows where, probably being tortured or something.

Kitty sits at her dresser brushing her hair and lets out a prolonged sigh. Why does this stuff keep happening to them?

"You know I hate to see a pretty lady looking so sad."

Kitty spins round and finds a certain red and blue clad figure hanging upside down out her window. "Peter!" she cries out in surprise at seeing him. She bounds over and opens her window fully and Spider-Man climbs in. He pulls his mask off to reveal that cute face Kitty loves so much. She throws her arms around him.

"Whoa," Peter says taken by surprise at the ferocity of her hug. "This is better than my usual reception," he quips.

Kitty pulls back and makes a face at him. Before even his spider-sense can react Kitty punches him on the arm.

"Ok, ow," Peter whines as he rubs his arm. "What was that for?"

"Two things. First I always give you a great reception," she argues, annoyed at him. "And second what are you doing here and why didn't you tell me you were coming over? "

"That's 3 things," Peter points out which earns him another punch to his arm. "I really need to learn when to shut up," he mumbles to himself.

"Yes you do," Kitty confirms. "Now why are you here?"

"Well funny thing," Peter starts off his story with. "There I was about to turn in at 2am when I get a phone call from this upset sounding girl saying that my part-time partner in crime fighting has been taken...and you know I can't stand to see very pretty girls upset especially when I happen to be dating said pretty girl," he says, his expression full of soft caring as he raises a hand to Kitty's chin and gently lifts her head a little so she looks at him right in the eye to see he means what he is saying.

Kitty did phone Peter and tell him what was going on. She just felt he should know. "So you like skipped school and came over to help?" Kitty asks him, astounded at him.

"Pretty much."

Kitty's eye sort of glaze over with deep affection and she leans forward and gives Peter a kiss. She smiles gently. "You're a great boyfriend," she says, truly touched deeply that he would go through the effort of coming all the way from New York.

"Well I know like a few hundred girls that would disagree with that...OW!" he yells as Kitty punches him again for the several hundred girls comment. "I'm kidding! You know I'm kidding. There's only been one." That's Gwen. Peter doesn't really think the symbiote influenced fling with the Black Cat really counts as a relationship.

"You really didn't need to do this Peter," Kitty tells him. "I know you're busy dealing with that Green Goblin weirdo." Kitty did worry over Peter's safety considering the injury he suffered at Tony Stark's party.

Peter was busy, as the Green Goblin, since Stark's party, had begun to try and muscle his way in to taking over the criminal underworld. However, "My friend's in trouble Kitty. My Goblin problems can wait. I'm pretty certain he isn't going anywhere...unless Kingpin sits on him or something. Man now that would solve all my problems. I wonder if I could arrange that..."

Kitty giggles as Peter gets this far off expression and she knows he is actually imagining that. She snaps her fingers in front of his face to snap him back. "I appreciate you came Pete but for the minute we're like totally stuck. We don't even know where Clark is. The Professor is going to talk to this lady tonight who is like an informant and hopefully she'll know."

Peter shrugs. "So I came up with an excuse to drop in on my special lady...not that I need one," he adds before Kitty hits him again.

That makes Kitty smile. "You bring a change of clothes?" she asks him as she points at the bag on his back.

"Yep."

"You'll need them if you're staying all day. We have guests. I think it'll be easier to explain off Peter Parker, my boyfriend, visiting rather than Spider-Man."

Peter understood. "They're not mind-reading guests are they?" he asks, not particularly wanting to hang around telepaths he doesn't know.

Kitty shakes her head. "Nope."

That makes Peter breathe easier. He starts getting his regular clothes out his bag. "How's Rogue doing?" he asks.

Kitty bites her lip. "Been better," is all she can come up with. "I don't think she has come out her room today so far."

"Yeah. I can imagine it is not easy."

"Well it's not like it's the first time...and I think that is like actually making it worse. This seems to happen to Clark and Rogue a lot and she's a little fed up of it."

Peter wonders what that means.

* * *

Hank had retreated to the sanctity of his lab. It was his refuge when he needed to be alone...except today it seems when the door opens and Moira walks in. Hank can see a rather stunned expression on her face. "Is everything alright Moira?"

"Hmm...what?" she asks, not really catching that.

"Are you alright?" Hank asks again.

Moira sits down in a chair near Hank and the eerie quietness is starting to get disconcerting to the blue furred mutant. Finally, after what seems an eternity, Moira speaks. "Hank."

"Yes Moira."

"During this last year, all the times we've talked and ye never mentioned ye have an actual extraterrestrial living here!"

Ah. Hank understands now. "Promises were made that secrets were to be kept."

"But...but..."

Hank almost laughs at Moira's expressions as she tries to get her brain around the fact aliens are real.

"But he's an alien! A real, life sentient being from another planet!" she exclaims. "I-I talked tae him when ye were dropping Nitro off and...and...he was so...so...normal!" she cries in disbelief.

"Well it could be worse. He could have tried telling a joke," Hank jokes dryly about Clark's sense of humour.

Moira just looks at Hank in sheer disbelief. "How are ye so calm?"

Hank shrugs. "Because I've known him for over a year. I've had time to adjust."

"But...but it's what every scientist has dreamed of. Confirming we are not alone in the universe. My god I can only imagine what his biology is like...how it functions...wait a minute," Moira says as something suddenly strikes her. "You've had an entire year tae study him," she says to Hank with an intense gaze.

"We try to avoid the word study. It makes Clark uncomfortable," Hank says first off.

"Why?"

"Because one of his worse fears is that, because he is otherworldly, that one day he'll end up strapped to a table being dissected for study. We try to use the phrase, a process of discovery."

"Oh," Moira says. She had never considered that the boy would feel that way. "But ye must have made some amazing discoveries," she soon returns to the topic her curious scientific mind is desperate to know about.

"Indeed I have," Hank confirms. "I have also only barely scratched the surface. Clark is...well he makes even the most powerful mutant look simple by comparison. I doubt I'll live long enough to fully understand him...and stop giving me that look Moira," he suddenly tells her off.

"What look?"

"That look," he says, pointing at her face. "I know you want to look at Clark's file but that is out of the question. I must uphold doctor/patient confidentiality," he states his position firmly.

Moira's hopes are shot down but she accepts Hank's position. "There must be some general information you can give me," she asks, nay pleads, of him.

Hank silently groans. He thinks what he can say if anything. "Clark...Clark's body processes almost all forms of electromagnetic radiation. Specifically the light of the sun seems to fuel his abilities and the process is so efficient he does not need to ingest sustenance."

"He doesnae eat?"

"He eats...more than you can imagine," Hank says with a wry grin at the amount of food Clark actually eats, "but he strictly does not require to. He also requires next to no sleep...and he is also a lot brighter than he ever lets anyone think."

"In what way?"

Hank looks around his lab and points at one his impossibly thick books on the shelf on the all. "Remember that book?" he asks Moira.

"Yes."

"Do you remember how long you took to read it?"

"Weeks."

"As I recall Clark read it, cover to cover, in about 15 minutes and can recall every single word of it perfectly. My belief is he has an eidetic memory. He also taught himself Chinese in a day and I'm pretty certain has knowledge on a wide range of subjects. He absorbs information like a sponge. By human standards he is a genius."

"And by his people's standards?"

"No way to know nor ever likely to either. His world is gone."

"Aye. His parents mentioned that," Moira says with more than a twinge of sympathy for the poor laddie...and more than a twinge for his parents. She can imagine, from when Rahne vanished after the mansion was stormed by the MRD, what they're going through now. It isn't pleasant which only adds to her determination to see this through and help rescue the lad.

"You're not going to get Rahne in trouble over keeping this from you, are you?" Hank asks about Rahne keeping Clark's nature a secret. He is concerned about Rahne's and Moira's relationship.

Moira sighs lightly. "I could...but I winnae. I understand why."

Hank is satisfied over that. "How's Kevin doing?" he asks after her son.

Moira's face falls a little. "I'm still no closer tae stabilising his powers," she admits, saddened at her complete failure to help her son.

"His x-gene is unusually unstable," Hank points out which is what makes Kevin, first off, extremely powerful and second off, makes stabilising his power extremely difficult. He places a supportive hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure it out in time," he promises her.

"I hope so Henry. I hate it that I have tae lock him up as I do."

"It's the only way. You know what happened last time he was outside that room."

That's the only reason Moira can bring herself to keep her own son locked up. The fact that the alternative is worse.

Hank decides perhaps he can distract Moira with a problem he is having. "As you're here I was wondering if I could pick your medical brain in regards to Domino."

"Domino?"

"The one with the black spot around her left eye and compulsive need to talk."

"Oh, yes. Domino," Moira says as she recalls who Henry is on about. "What about her?"

"She has this control chip tethered to a nerve in her neck and so far I have not come up with a way to remove it without paralysing her."

"Control chip?"

"That's a long story. It involves a man called Colonel William Stryker."

"Well if I can help, ye know I will," Moira offers her services. "Now why don't ye show me Domino's scans while ye tell me about this Colonel Stryker," she proposes as a start.

* * *

Up in the Professor's office Sean has stayed behind when everyone else had left. He had promised Martha and Jonathan that he would help get their son back because no parent should be separated from their child. Trust him. He knows how it feels having had it happen to him courtesy of his cousin. "So, interesting people ye have around here these days Charlie-boy," Sean says with that crooked joky grin of his. An actual alien...well that's a new one even for him.

Charles smiles lightly. "The world is more complicated than it use to be Sean. The x-gene is not the sole method for people to obtain our special gifts and they all need help just the same as you did."

"Aye and ye never could stop being th' good Samaritan could ye Charlie-boy," Sean reflects on the reasons the Professor would help.

"I always offer help to those in need of it as you'll recall...and please refrain from calling me Charlie-boy. I do believe I have mentioned this before," he lightly scolds Sean because he use to call him that infernal nickname all the time back in the day.

"Whatever ye say. So Tessa is a spy?" Sean moves on to that. He sees no reason to dwell on the revelation of what Superman is. It's a shock but nothing has changed in regards to what needs to be done. They had talked about everything involving Superman, these 3 stones and the Inner Circle including Sage's role and Sean wants to ask about his old friend Tessa.

"She volunteered. I never asked her. Though I am concerned about her."

"In what way?"

"Lately it seems her reports are...sketchy. Now either she is truly out of the loop..."

"Or th' Inner Circle have gotten t' her," Sean can make the assumption thanks to the not so pleasant experience with Angel.

"I'd like to believe that isn't the case," Charles expresses his sincere wish.

"Aye, so do I...but in case it is I think I might just tag along when ye see her tonight," Sean offers his protection essentially.

"If you wish," Charles says not refusing the offer. Sean was more than capable of doing that. After all he did spend many of the last 20 years working for the police and Interpol and...some more black ops type organisations who officially don't exist.

"At th' very least it would be nice t' see her again. It has been far too long since we were all together," Sean says, almost nostalgic sounding for those days.

"It has," Charles says with some sadness at that fact. "But if you're planning a reunion don't expect Magneto to show," he jokily cautions.

"And I wouldn't invite Angel," Sean says with a tinge of anger at saying her name.

"No," Charles says in a flat emotionless tone.

"Ye ever seen her again?"

"No."

"But ye could find her if ye wanted t' couldn't ye," Sean knows.

"For what reason? To get revenge. That's not me Sean. That's not you either. As long as she chooses to stay out of my affairs I'll stay out of hers. I think that is what works best."

"Probably...but ye have t' wonder if Shaw will dust her off t' try and rankle ye."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. That assumes she is even still alive Sean. I truly have not attempted to locate her so I couldn't even tell you that."

"I still can't believe she turned on us," Sean says still angry and disbelieving about how Angel betrayed them. "Ye did everything for that lass. Gave her a home, a purpose."

"It was obviously not enough for her. It's best not to dwell on it Sean. Trust me I have already done enough of that to last a lifetime. I moved on."

"Aye and brought back the X-Men. Interesting bunch from what I've seen."

"They're good people dedicated to what they believe in," Charles praises them with a small warm smile.

"What they miss is that charming Irish rogue who can melt the ladies' hearts," Sean smirks as he describes himself.

Charles chuckles. "You are always welcome here any time you wish Sean."

"Thanks but I have me life with Terry."

Charles accepts that. "She's a wonderful girl."

"Aye, that she is."

"You've done a great job raising her. I know it must have been hard losing her mother when she was so young."

"It was," Sean says with a sad smile as he thinks back on his late, dear, beloved Meave.

"Takes after her father I hear."

"Well maybe a little."

"God help us all," Charles jokes.

Sean bursts into laughter.

* * *

**New York...**

The sun had long since set and the cold, dark November night had set in as a figure in a black hooded cloak moves through the streets to reach her destination. It had been easy enough to slip away for Sage, what with everyone busy. Shaw was strangely obsessed with the Hellions, especially the one called Volcana. He had had Sage try and trace her history which she had done to the best of her ability. She still didn't understand why and Shaw was choosing not to explain himself.

Selene was...who knows where doing what. Nobody ever dared ask. Emma and Isobel were busy with Superman and the various other members of the Inner Circle were off dealing with their own petty concerns at the moment.

It had all meant that, as soon as her normal day as Shaw's assistant was over, she could meet Charles without questions being asked, which she was off to do right now. Right turn, down a darkened alley to a rather disreputable drinking establishment. It was perfect. The kind of place where people didn't ask too many question and wasn't linked to the Hellfire Club in anyway.

Sage wanders in and spots Charles easy enough at a table. She makes her way over and sits down. She pulls her hood down revealing her long dark hair, curling at the ends, as it frames her attractive face.

"Tessa," Charles greets her with a smile.

"Charles."

"I think we can dispense with the usual pleasantries and get down to business," Charles says in a very business-like manner.

"You wish to know where Superman is," Sage has calculated to a very high degree of probability would be Charles' first question.

"Yes," Charles confirms.

"He's imprisoned in the dungeon at our main headquarters. Emma is trying to access his mind so as to turn him."

Charles frowns. "She'll fail."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

"Oh and why is that lass?"

Sage frowns. That voice. It sounds like... "Sean?" she queries as she turns her gaze to the neighbouring table and there sits Sean Cassidy. Sage is an icy cool person by nature but she is completely shocked to see Banshee. "What are you doing here?"

"The same as me," a voice from behind says.

Sage turns round and looks up to a figure standing there. "Moira?" she says in the same surprise at seeing Sean.

"We decided on a little reunion," another voice behind and to the right says.

Sage turns to see a figure in a trench coat and derby sitting at another table. "Hank? Is that you?"

Hank lifts his hat slightly to show a little more of his features. When, during the day, Sean mentioned he was coming along Hank and Moira decided to join in.

Sean, Moira and Hank move to join Charles and Sage at the table.

"What are you all doing here?" Sage asks.

"To stop th' Inner Circle from harming th' lad," Sean explains the reasons. "Now why don't ye continue with your story. Emma is tryin' t' access Superman's mind," he prompts her.

Sage is completely befuddled and off her stride now. She can remember precisely how long it has been since they were all together like this. It was a long time ago. "Y-yes," she stammers slightly as she continues her story. "With the help of one I think you know. Isobel. Selene's daughter."

"She's planning to use her magic to help Emma access Superman's mind," Charles concludes.

"Yes."

"Will that work?" Hank asks with a puzzled expression.

Charles strokes his chin. Preferably he would like to ask Stephen that except all his attempts to get a hold of his friend have failed so far. It seems Stephen is too conveniently occupied and out of reach. "It may do. Still I don't believe Superman's mind would be a push over."

"It's not," Sage can confirm. "She's been at it all day and as far as I know hasn't been able to get through his mental defences...yet."

But how long can Clark resist is a question Charles doesn't want to find out the answer to. "We need a way in, Sage, so we can rescue him," he requests.

Sage sighs. "That won't be easy," she warns. "It's just not the normal top of the line security measures you have to get around. Selene has the place surrounded with magical protection wards. The technological side I have already created a few holes in for you. The magical side I can't help you with."

"And who is Selene?" Hank asks. "It seems you know little from what Charles tells me of what you have passed on."

"No-one knows much of her. She joined the Club about 50 years ago and interacts as much or as little as she chooses. No-one dare ask otherwise of her. Even Sebastian panders to her. Selene keeps her secrets to herself. All I know is she is an immortal sorceress of the darkest of black magics."

Hank and Charles share a sceptical look. They knew more than that about Selene and hadn't been inside the Inner Circle for 20 years. It raises some more fears about Sage.

"And her daughter? You never mentioned her showing up," Charles probes.

"I didn't know about her until yesterday. Shaw has been keeping me at arm's length recently," Sage explains that off.

"Is there anything else ye can tell us?" Moira asks Sage.

"I do now know Shaw's renewed interest in you has to do with Superman. That he is the key to a source of great power."

"Isobel told him," Charles can make the grim assumption and now it all makes much more sense. Emma's particular invite to Superman. It wasn't about him and the X-Men directly. It was about getting to Clark and the stones.

"Isobel must have fled to Selene after we defeated her," Hank makes the next deduction as to how this must have began.

"What about China?" Charles asks Sage. "How did they know we would be there?"

"Isobel had a vision from a conversation I overheard. It was all unplanned. Sebastian wasn't happy about that. It ruined what he was planning previously when I warned you he had turned his focus back to you."

"Getting in Superman's mind is about getting these stones as much as turning him isn't it?" Sean deduces.

"Probably."

"Then we must make the rescue attempt," Charles determines. "Sebastian Shaw cannot be allowed to have such power. We must get Superman and the stone."

"Where is the stone?" Hank asks Sage.

"In the vault which I don't have access to. The lock is DNA encoded so only a very few have access to it and the door is feet thick. You couldn't even blast through it quickly."

"Superman could simply tear the door off its hinges in moments," Hank argues from knowing how strong Clark is. "If necessary he could, in all likelihood, rip the entire vault out and carry it."

Sage blinks, a little caught in surprise by what Hank is saying. She hadn't been aware Superman was that powerful.

"So th' plan would be t' free th' lad and then have him use his strength t' get th' stone," Sean summarises.

"Perhaps," Charles cautions. "It depends on his state." He looks at Sage. "How is he being restrained?"

"Selene cast a spell and created mystically enchanted manacles that suppress his power."

"So he still has his powers?" Hank asks, just to be certain since Isobel managed to rob Clark of them last time.

"As far as I know."

"Do you have the plans for the building where Superman is?" Sean asks, knowing from his personal experience how vital planning this in advance to the finest detail is.

Sage reaches under her cloak and pulls out a memory stick and hands it over to Hank. "I've already added on where I have put the holes in the security and my best idea for how to infiltrate the building. Even then I calculate the odds of success at 50/50."

"Odds that are all any man can ask for," Sean says. "Th' rest is up t' th' Lord."

"Yes, quite. As usual Sean I leave matters of faith to you. I deal with what I can analyse and quantify which sadly doesn't include acts of God."

Sean grins. Sage hasn't changed that much. "One o' these days Tessa you'll learn there is more t' life than what can be analysed by that computer ye call a brain."

"Oh joy. I can hardly wait," Sage replies drolly.

"Is there a best time to attempt the rescue?" Charles asks.

"The details of the guards' shift patterns are on the stick," she replies. "When they change over is obviously the best time."

"Thank you Sage," Charles says to her grateful for all her help.

Sage accepts the gratitude with a nod. "I best be off. Sebastian gets suspicious if I can't be contacted," she makes her excuses to leave.

"It was good tae see ye again," Moira says.

"Yes. It was," Sage says in a quiet tone.

"Aye," Sean shares the sentiment. "Yer lookin lovelier than ever."

Sage rolls her eyes. "Sean that didn't work 20 years ago. What makes you think your attempts at flirting will work now?"

"I've matured beautifully," he quips with a grin and a gleam in his eye.

Sage rolls her eyes again.

"Take care of yourself Tessa," Hank says.

"You too Henry. I'm...sorry about what your mutation has done to you," she says, recalling from when he was young how much he feared what he was turning into.

"One must learn to accept who they are to move forward," Hank replies.

Sage smiles politely before pulling her hood back up and departing.

"Well she hasnae changed," Sean remarks.

"Perhaps but is she truly herself?" Hank asks.

"Do ye think she has been corrupted by the Inner Circle?" Moira asks the question they all have.

Charles contemplates this. "It still troubles me how little she said of Selene. You can type her name in a search engine and get a basic biography. The Sage I know would not overlook something so simple."

"And yet she said next t' nothin o' th' witch," Sean summarises the problem they now have whether they can trust Sage.

"Charles, we are relying on her plans to rescue Superman," Moira raises the issue of concern.

"We'll look them over and then double check as best we can what she has given us. I won't blindly follow her plan if we can concoct a superior one."

"That leaves Superman in their hands for longer," Moira points out.

Charles sighs. "I know," he says with much regret but they couldn't afford to get this wrong. In all likelihood they will only get one shot at this. They must get it right even if that means taking a risk in leaving Clark in the hands of the Inner Circle for a little longer.

* * *

**Hellfire Club, New York...**

Emma has to confess that Superman was a cunning foe. Inevitably she got past the first line of his mental defences only to find herself in a labyrinthine collections of, if you could visualise it, corridors that look like the ones at Charles' Institute as far as she can remember their appearance. The end result of this labyrinth is that, essentially, Superman has managed to keep her running round in circles in a maze, a maze that is constantly shifting and rearranging itself just to make her life more difficult. It meant so far she was still at a loss to explain who or what he is because she hadn't found a way into the deeper recesses of his mind. He was still keeping her out.

"You can't keep this up forever!" she yells down the hallway in front of her out of sheer frustration partly and just to see if she can get a response and a direction to latch onto.

"Bite me!" is the retort from a bodiless voice.

"Oh how mature!" Emma retorts snidely.

"I learned it from the best!"

"Your secrets will be mine!"

"Never! You'll never get the secret to my world famous peanut butter and jelly sandwich!" he denies her.

Emma's mental projection places a hand to her head. For a whole day it was like...well it was like she was dealing with 2 different people. There this cold, hard, emotionless side that frustrated her with logic and this other side that frustrated her with illogic. What kind of being is Superman?

Just then she hears...singing?

"_**In a cavern, in a canyon,  
Excavating for a mine  
Dwelt a miner forty niner,  
And his daughter Clementine."**_

Emma tries to work out where it is coming from. When she thinks she has the direction she walks towards the sound. The singing continues.

"_**Oh my darling, oh my darling,  
Oh my darling, Clementine!  
Thou are lost and gone forever  
Dreadful sorry, Clementine."**_

The singing is terrible and off-key but she follows it anyway. Emma takes a right and then a left and the singing gets louder.

"_**Light she was and like a fairy,  
And her shoes were number nine  
Herring boxes, without topses,  
Sandals were for Clementine."**_

Emma comes to a door. An actual door. The first one she has found...or hasn't been hidden from her. The door is chained and padlocked shut with various signs stuck on it like 'Danger!' and 'Keep Out!'. 'Never to be released under any circumstances'. 'Contents inside is extremely hazardous...and obnoxious...and arrogant...and cocky...and...', well you get the idea. It's a long list.

The singing is coming from behind the door.

"_**Oh my darling, oh my darling,  
Oh my darling, Clementine!  
Thou are lost and gone forever  
Dreadful sorry, Clementine."**_

Emma has to say this is promising...or more accurately the most promising lead she has had so far in trying to crack Superman's mind. She knocks on the door and the singing stops.

"Ooh company!" an excited sounding voice from inside says and Emma can hear the person inside move to the door.

"So let me guess; Jehovah Witnesses right?" the person guesses as to who is at his door. "Man you guys really do get _everywhere,_" he comments with a snigger.

"I'm not a Jehovah Witness!" Emma insists righteously.

"Girl scout? I do love me some cookies."

"I'm not a girl scout!"

"Cubs? Girl guides? Kissogram?"

"Aren't you at lest bit interested who is at your door?"

"You're not my ex are you. I swear that girl was kissing me! I never touched her!" he plays the role of the caught boyfriend.

"Oh lord give me strength," Emma pleads.

The voice laughs. "I'm just messing with ya. I know who you are Emma Frost."

"You do?"

"Just because _they_ are like the biggest party poopers ever and lock me up doesn't mean I don't know what is going on inside our head." He sighs painfully. "The hottest woman ever and I can't even see you. It's inhuman this confinement I tells ya. I mean to rob you the pleasure of meeting me in person is just cruel and unusual," he says cockily.

"Who are you?" Emma asks the very simple but often informative question.

"Open the door and find out," he dares her. "Otherwise what is my bargaining chip if I just go ahead and tell you our dirty little secrets...and I'm betting you're the sort of woman who likes it_ dirty," _he says, his voice dropping to a deep husky tone.

Emma can practically hear the smug smirk from here. This is her best shot so far at getting somewhere. She reaches for the chain when she is grabbed roughly and thrown away. It's the Superman dressed in the black that is responsible.

"That is quite far enough Emma Frost," he states sternly. "Now leave."

Emma picks herself up and dusts herself down. "If you could stop me you would have done so already. You're weakening. I can feel it."

"Perhaps he is."

Emma spins round to be greeted by another Superman dressed in a red jacket, blue t-shirt, jeans and work boots.

"But he's right. Time to leave."

"Boo!" the voice behind the door complains. "You guys are no fun!" he complains and you can hear the pout.

"Silence aberration!" the Superman in black bellows.

"Oh bite me!" the voice behind the door retaliates childishly. "Come on. Just look at her! You're with me right? After all I am you. We both know deep down you itch to just let me out so we can have some fun."

Emma thinks the voice is talking to the Superman in the red jacket when it asked that question.

"Can we discuss this when we're not chained up in a dungeon?" the one in the red jacket asks back, sounding a little exasperated.

"Please, like you aren't as turned on as I am by being at that woman's mercy," the voice behind the door insinuates.

"Ugh, I am so needing therapy," the red jacketed Superman complains as he rubs his face.

"Yeah but what can ya do right?"

"You see what I have to live with," the Superman in black mutters in complaint.

"Shut up!" the other 2 snap together.

"Like you're so easy to live with," the red jacketed one says disparagingly.

"Like totally!" the one behind the door agrees with the sentiment. "I, on the other hand, are simply a delight," he says in a high-call snobbish tone heaping praise on himself.

"You are a psychological aberration caused by repressive tendencies," the one in black gives his assessment of the one behind the door and he isn't meaning it as a good thing.

"Sounds delicious. Does it come with fries?" the one behind the door quips.

The one in black rolls his eyes while the one in the red jacket sniggers slightly.

This is...well this is certainly an experience Emma can say. It's certainly giving her a little fascinating insight and perhaps a plan of action. Before she can makes her next move she feels herself being pulled out of Superman's mind. She jerks back into her body, in Superman's cell, uncomfortably hard. She glares at the one responsible. "Why did you pull me out?" she snaps waspishly at Isobel.

"Shaw is demanding a meeting for an update. He didn't sound patient," Isobel explains herself.

Emma frowns. She isn't happy but she'll do what Sebastian wants for now. She looks at Superman, whose head has dropped down as he has fallen unconscious. He was weakening, both mentally and physically. They had cut him off from his powers and weren't feeding him or giving him water. Weaken the body to weaken the mind. She'll have to remember to get the guards to wake him back up on her way out. Lack of sleep also weakens the mind.

"Isobel could you please go ahead and inform Sebastian I will attend to him momentarily. I need a moment to refresh myself," she requests of the witch.

"Very well," Isobel says but not sounding happy about it. What is she? A delivery service? Emma better start getting the answers Isobel wants soon or she may just end up helping her mother torture them out of Clark. That's not an entirely unappealing idea.

As soon as Isobel leaves Emma cups Superman's chin and lifts his head. He was really very handsome. "Soon,"she says in a whisper. "Soon you'll break and all your secrets will be mine," she promises. She brings her white-coated lips to his ear. "Soon you will belong to me mind and body," she promises with a dark smile. After all power such as Superman possesses should be at her command. With him at her side...she gets a pleasant shiver just contemplating the possibilities.

Emma brings her head back and then brings her lips to touch his unresponsive ones. Once done with her kiss Emma strokes his face for a moment. It's strange that the key to her future lies within such a pretty package but as the saying goes never underestimate a pretty face...or at least that is Emma's saying. After all she is the living embodiment of that saying.

Superman will be hers and the power he is the key to will soon be in her hands and then...well Emma did remark once how Lady Imperial does have such a nice ring to it.

* * *

_Author's Note: I thought as soon as Peter learnt Clark was in trouble he would show up to help so that's what I had him do. Lets face reality you'd be more surprised if Emma wasn't planning to double-cross everyone. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark surprises everyone when he manages to escape...or has he?_


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

**At the Institute...**

It had to be getting close to 2 days now since Clark was taken by Rogue's reckoning and it was all as painful as she remembered. There's just sort of this hollow ache in the centre of her chest. It was driving her up the wall.

The last 24 hours had been worse than the 24 hours before that because for the last day they knew where Clark was and weren't doing anything but sitting around and planning how to rescue Clark. Rogue was so frustrated she was almost tempted to go and try a solo rescue effort.

Of course, logically, she knew that wouldn't work but it had seemed, at moments, a better alternative than sitting around here.

It was like the summer all over again. Rogue felt like screaming and she actually had once when working out her frustrations on the punching bag in the gym. It was the outlet that was keeping her from going postal on everyone.

It didn't help to see all the couple around here supporting each other. Peter and Kitty or Kurt and Amanda or Scott and Jean or...yes even Logan and Storm...although don't ask Rogue to imagine too much what her father gets up to with Storm. She has enough nightmares as it is.

That would be why she is back in the gym working the bag. Her body had a sheen of sweat to show how much effort she was putting into it. She is so focussed she doesn't hear another person enter until they start holding the bag for her. "Don't want ta talk about it Dom," she grumbles at her sister.

"I can see that," Domino says with a certain expression. One of sisterly concern.

Rogue continues to punch the bag.

"You know we could be going any second. I hear One-Eye and the Doc have almost agreed a plan but you're not going to be much good if you work yourself to a heart attack," Domino argues trying to get Rogue to ease down.

Rogue pauses and gazes at the monochrome mutant. "Why Dom?"

"Why, what?"

"Why does this happen ta meh? Why is it when we need help everyone is conveniently out of touch? Clark goes out night after night helping people and yet no-one is around ta help save him. Why is that?" Rogue asks because they still had not been able to get hold of Dr Strange.

"We're around," Domino reminds her. "Look wherever Dr Bizarro is I'm sure it's important. He is Earth's protector from mystical threats or something," she gives what is in essence a defence of the fact Dr Strange is out of reach but she is fairly certain that to be accurate. After all he probably has his own enemies to deal with just like they do. "We'll get Clark back Rogue," she promises her little sister.

Rogue sighs and her arms fall to her side. "It hurts Dom."

Domino's face takes on it's own pained expression. "I know. Believe me I do," she says with stark pain in her voice which is rare since Domino tends to joke.

Rogue looks at Domino.

Domino takes a moment. "Stryker ruined my life Rogue. Took me away from the people I cared about...from the man I cared about," she reveals for the 1st time.

"Ah didn't know," Rogue says in a regretful whisper because shouldn't she know. Domino is her sister.

"Of course not. I didn't tell you...and don't take this the wrong way but I'm not ready to spill my guts today."

"Ah understand," Rogue says and she does. God how much of her life has she still not even told Clark about.

"Just recall what I said about that there is nothing for me to go back to of that life so I know what you went through Rogue over the summer because I went through it after Stryker took me. I survived. You survived. We have that in common that we have the strength to get through it."

"Maybe once but ah think this is lahke tha 3rd tahme at least."

Domino moves over to Rogue and leads her to the bench against the wall and they sit down. "Look no-one can answer this for you. You have to decide whether the love you share with Clark is worth the price of going through the pain."

"Tha problem is Dom ah have no idea when this will end. There always seems ta beh that next person. Clark does attract a lot of attention even if he nevah wants it."

Domino could see that. Even in the short time she has known Clark, he seems to pull in very dangerous people, looking to learn the secrets around him. "I can't tell you the answer Rogue, sorry...but it's not like we don't do the same. Mutants ain't exactly loved," she points out that they pull in their own share of dangerous enemies.

Rogue rests her chin in her hands. "Some days ah almost prefer it when it was simple, before we went public," she confesses.

"Ah, who doesn't. I preferred it before my mutation kicked in, when I could go out and no-one would blink twice at me. I didn't enjoy being reduced to a night-owl going around under a hooded cloak before we went public and I could do with going at least a day without someone throwing the term 'mutie' at me but this is the choice we made isn't it? After all no-one makes you stay here."

That was true Rogue guessed. She did choose to be here and that means accepting taking everything that comes with being here and being mutants out in the public gaze. She's sure as Clark is back her depressed thinking will lift. Clark always lifts her spirits. All she can hope is that he hasn't been too badly hurt at the hands of the Inner Circle.

"_Everyone please gather in the War Room urgently," _the Professor's telepathic voice speaks into their minds.

Rogue's spirits lift. Perhaps, finally, they're ready to go rescue Clark.

* * *

Soon enough she and Domino reach the War Room where the rest of the X-Men are gathered along with Banshee, Dr McTaggert, Martha, Jonathan and Spider-Man. Peter had stuck around because he felt he needed to help even if that meant feeding his aunt another fib to explain where he was. That always eats at Peter to have to lie to his aunt.

Spider-Man's presence raises an awkward question illustrated when Sean and Moira give the Professor and Hank a questioning gaze but they manage to brush it off with a vague answer about how he is here and then press on with starting the meeting.

"Does this mean we have a plan?" Kitty asks.

Scott and the Professor share a look before the younger man answers. "We did but it may have become irrelevant."

"What does that mean?" Logan asks, a little confused.

The Professor answers. "Cerebro has detected massive mutant activity coming from the Hellions."

"Vhich means?" Kurt asks.

"It appears they are fighting someone just outside New York."

"Clark?" Rogue queries hopefully as in perhaps he escaped and now the Hellions are chasing him and trying to recapture him.

"That's a possibility," Scott hedges his bets. "Cerebro couldn't detect what it was they were fighting." Which strongly indicates it's Clark because he doesn't show up on Cerebro. "In either case something big is going on and we need to find out what. The Hellions have answers at the very least and we're going to get them. X-Men, suit up and prepare to leave immediately. Time is of the essence," Scott directs.

* * *

In only a few short minutes everyone is getting on-board the Velocity, even if some of them are still zipping up their uniform...or in Evan's case still trying to get his right boot on...his left foot.

Sean too had changed into a mostly green outfit with a yellow upside down triangular section down the middle and yellow gloves and boots. Attached from his arms to his waist were these yellow and black striped flaps. Terry wasn't coming, despite her wish to. There were plenty of them for this mission and she was safer here and as per their agreement the Professor was calling the shots and he said she was staying.

Dr McTaggert too had a uniform of a sort. An all in one silvery-grey suit that reminded Logan a bit of what Black Widow wears only less skin tight. It raises a question in his head he can't shake it out as to what inspired the Scottish woman to wear that. There is still a lot he doesn't know about the woman Logan realises.

A few moments later they are into the air and heading off in the direction the Professor detected the Hellions.

It doesn't take too long to reach their destination, just some of the natural wilderness once you get outside the built up areas of New York. It is a clearing in the forest that they spot what they they are looking for. They quickly try and make an assessment of the situation from the air.

There is a sort of purple energy dome within which, through the partially translucent field, they can catch glimpses of a fight between the Hellions...and they spot their foe. It is Clark. As for the dome it is being generated by a figure hovering directly above it; Isobel.

"We need to disable that field and that means taking Isobel down," Cyclops declares the first order of business. "Once the field is down we strike at the Hellions hard and fast before they have a chance to react."

"So how do we deal with Isobel?" Jean asks.

"Leave that t' me," Sean volunteers himself.

"You sure Sean?" the Professor asks. "Isobel is a powerful witch," he cautions.

"Aye that she may be but she has never had th' pleasure o' hearing me sing," he says with a crooked smile.

Kitty is confused. "Uh, how will singing like do anything to her?"

Sean's smile tightens. "Ah, ye have never heard me sing in battle lass. There's a reason I got th' name Banshee." He walks over to the side door. "Open th' door and be ready," he says to them.

Scott looks to the Professor, unsure what Mr Cassidy is about to do. Charles has an enigmatic smile on his face. "Do as he says, please," the Professor says.

Beast at the controls flips the switch for the door while Scott and the X-Men get ready to follow on immediately once the energy barrier drops.

Sean stands at the open door and eyes his target whom seems too focussed on her spell to notice the helicopter. Well that's all the better. He jumps out and stretches out his arms and the flaps do what they were designed to do. They let him glide. His voice has such strength that he can use it to propel himself through the air but for the moment he is going for the sneak attack. He glides into position and inhales deeply before letting loose his sonic scream.

It impacts Isobel who goes tumbling from the air. She crashes into the ground.

As soon as Isobel is disabled the energy field drops and the Velocity swoops in low.

"X-Men, go!" Cyclops orders and they leap from the helicopter and straight into battle with the Hellions.

Cyclops drops to the ground firing off his optic blasts at any target that presents itself as the X-Men smash into the Hellions hard. He runs over to Clark who is tussling with the large blond boy. Clark locks in a throw and Beef goes flying.

Clark's gaze spots Cyclops. "You're late," he complains, trying to sound serious but failing.

Scott manages a small grin. "Sorry. You know how it is. How did you escape?"

"It wasn't easy," Clark tells him. "But how about we save the details for after we kick these guys' butts?"

"Sounds like a plan," Scott says in agreement.

Taken completely by surprise and outnumbered the Hellions are soon forced on the defensive. Spider-Man contributes his usual witty banter.

Back with Isobel she is spitting dirt and leaves and stuff out of her mouth. To say she is angry is a very severe understatement. The one responsible lands a short distance away from her.

"Now lass how about ye surrender and we can set about freeing that poor girl yer possessing," Sean proposes.

"How about you go jump in a manure pile!" Isobel angrily yells back.

"Such language shouldnae pass th' lips of such a pretty lass," Sean rebukes her.

Isobel's eyes flash deep purple as she summons her magic within her.

Sean inhales and lets loose his sonic scream.

Isobel raises a hand and a shield. The scream buffets it, tearing up the ground around her but it holds. She summons a ball of mystical energy to her hand and sends it at Banshee.

Sean has a trick against that. He can tighten the sound waves he generates to create, in essence, a sonic shield around himself. The ball deflects off it and hits a tree nearby, shattering the trunk, and causing it to start falling...right where Sean is. He throws himself out of the way. When he regathers his senses and looks around for the girl he finds she is gone.

The Hellions, some now unconscious and being carried find themselves surrounded on all sides as the X-Men encircle them. The surprise attack had worked better than Scott could dream.

"Surrender," Cyclops demands.

"Not a chance!" Hellion yells in defiance.

"Why do the bad guys always hire the stupid ones?" Dom asks at that reply because it's over. They're beaten. Surely they must see that.

"I know, right," Spider-Man says in agreement. "I mean you should see the calibre of stooges I have to fight. I doubt any of them can do their Times Tables."

"I'm not sure you can either," Superman quips, with a smirk.

"You know I'm starting to think I shouldn't have come and saved ya," Spider-Man says, making himself sound stroppy.

"I'm hurt," Superman says with a pouty face. "I thought you and I had something."

"You do," Dom says before she smirks. "Lame humour. I just hope it isn't contagious."

"Like you can talk!" Spider-Man and Superman say together, hitting back at Domino.

"You all talk too much!" a ghostly voice says before a purple mist start to form around the Hellions. "This is not over heroes!" what is Isobel's voice vows.

"You don't think..." Jean starts to say to Scott about what Isobel is about to do.

Scott's hand goes to his visor and fires off a shot that goes right through the mist. When it clears the Hellions are gone. Scott grinds his teeth in total frustration at yet another escape.

Rogue, meanwhile, sprints from the other side of the circle and literally leaps into Clark's arms and kisses him senseless, not caring that she is putting on a display. She is just so happy to see him.

Once she is done Clark holds Rogue up, in his arms and grins that boyish one she loves so much. "Now I may be mistaken here but I think you missed me."

Rogue playfully slaps him and rolls her eyes. "Don't get cute," she tells him off.

"I'm pretty sure it's physically impossible for me to not be cute."

Kitty rolls her eyes. "Yep. He's fine," she answers the question before it is even asked.

"So how did you escape?" Evan asks.

Clark gently places Rogue back down on the ground as he explains his escape. "Ah well you know how it goes. Incompetent witches whose spells aren't nearly as good as they think they are. A spell was cast to suppress my powers but it seems my powers can only be suppressed for so long. Once the spell wore off it was...well it wasn't easy to escape. Selene really doesn't like me but I managed to get past her and was on my way back when Isobel and the Hellions literally appeared in my path to try and recapture me and then you guys showed up. Thank you."

"Zhat's vhat friends are for," Kurt says, with a grin, happy that his friend is back.

"Yes. Yes they are," Clark says with what Rogue has to say is an odd little...smirk?

Beast raises a concern Sage told them about. "Clark, we heard that Emma might have found a way to access your mind?"

"Oh yes," Clark says as if suddenly just remembering that. "Well she did give it a go but I am a Kryptonian. My mind isn't that easy to access. Maybe if she had a month she might have gotten somewhere but I scarpered away before then."

"Your parents will be glad to hear that," Storm says. "They have been gravely worried."

"Of course," Clark says.

Rogue frowns a little at how casual Clark seems to say that. It sounds...well a little off for him.

The Professor lands the helicopter nearby as Sean joins the group. "Nice t' meet ye again lad. Glad ye could escape th' clutches of th' Inner Circle."

"Mr Cassidy?" Clark queries in surprise at seeing him. "You came all this way to help rescue little ol' me. I'm touched."

"Don't mention it."

"Can we like go home now?" Kitty asks.

"Fraid not," Clark says to her.

"What?" Jean asks, puzzled. "Why not?"

"Because while I did manage to escape I didn't manage to retrieve the stone and if we still want to get it we would have to go now before they have a chance to move it."

"I wouldnae bet on that lad," Sean says. "One thing I'm betting hasnae changed about Sebastian Shaw is his arrogance. He probably thinks we wouldn't be stupid enough t' try."

"Well he obviously doesn't know us," Spider-Man proclaims. "I do stupider stuff than that on a daily basis."

"I wouldn't advertise that webhead," Logan says in his gruff tones.

Clark looks to Scott. "We can do this," he insists. "Before I could break free my x-ray vision came back and I had a chance to have a good look around. There are hidden tunnels...escape tunnels I think, under the building. One is not too far from the vault where the stone is. We can get in, get the stone and be gone in 10 minutes tops. If I have to I'll do it myself because I can't risk leaving that stone in their hands."

"Clark," Rogue says sternly, warning him off about going on some foolhardy scheme. That's her job in this relationship.

Clark looks at her, a look of irritation. "I can't leave it Rogue. I told you that the stones are dangerous. They have power and in the wrong hands destructive power. The Crystal of Air is especially dangerous. Remember the clue talking about turbulence creating the wind?"

"Yeah."

"It can do exactly that. Generate turbulence a twister would envy. You can level buildings with it," Clark gives the dire warning of what the stone can do. "I can't...I won't leave it there. Now I could go charging in at full speed and do it all in moments but my bet would be the place is mystically protected and my powers, as we have discovered of late, don't do well around magic. That's why I suggested the sneaking in approach," he says, sounding almost impatient.

Rogue is getting little warning lights in her head because Clark is usually the most patient one of all of them. It takes a lot to get him this wound up which makes her wonder what happened to him during the 2 days he has been missing.

Logan shares a look with Storm. "He might have a point," Logan says to his girlfriend.

Domino picking up on what Logan is saying adds, in what sounds like support for Clark's idea, "Going now would also take them by surprise before the Hellions have a chance to regroup."

Scott could see both arguments had merit. The going home and planning one was more appealing to his nature but the taking them by surprise also appeals. If Clark is right in his judgement that they can quickly sneak in, grab the stone and leave within minutes then they can, essentially, put an end to this stone hunt tonight. His gaze turns to the helicopter. "Lets discuss it with the Professor," he decides. It wouldn't hurt to take a few minutes to bounce the idea around in a discussion and hear what everyone thinks.

* * *

"First off can I say how glad I am to see you unharmed Clark," the Professor says to the young man as they all stand around the helicopter now.

"Thanks Professor," Clark says back. "And I take it our two guests now know who I am," he assumes in regards to Moira and Sean since they have been using his proper name from the get-go.

"They volunteered to help and I felt it only right they should know what they were getting involved with. Your parents agreed."

"Of course," Clark says, with a little bit of a dark look. It is only momentary but it is there.

Rogue notices it and it brings up this unsettling feeling she is getting that something is off about her boyfriend. Don't ask her to explain what though.

The Professor moves onto Clark's proposal. "The tunnels you mentioned weren't on the plans given to us by Sage," he mentions and that concerns him.

Clark shrugs. "I don't know what to tell you Professor. I saw them with my own eyes. I can find where they emerge. They'll get us right in, bypassing all the security. There's a few guards around the vault but we can deal with them easily enough and the vault is probably alarmed but once we have the stone we don't have to hang around, just leave as swiftly as possible."

The Professor ponders what to do. Clark seems very determined to go get the stone now, by himself if he has to. Clark is right in that if they wait they risk the stone being moved. The thought of Sebastian Shaw having such power makes Charles' stomach turn. "I am open minded to attempting this," he expresses his view. "However if any of you feel differently, please speak your mind freely," he offers because it is only prudent to listen to any concerns.

Concerns are raised about stepping into what is their enemy's stronghold but in the end they agree to proceed with Clark's proposal because sooner or later they would have to do this anyway. It might as well be now. That agreed they all squeeze onto the helicopter which takes off for New York and the Headquarters of the Hellfire Club.

* * *

They land the helicopter on a flat roof some distance away. The Club is inevitably situated in the most upmarket part of New York.

The decision is made to split into 2 groups. One goes in to retrieve the stone. The other stays behind with the helicopter as back-up should it go wrong.

The group going in consists of Cyclops, Jean, Clark, Rogue, Kitty, Nightcrawler, Logan and Spider-Man. In theory Kitty could simply phase her way in but, as Clark expressed concerns about earlier, if there are mystical protections they can't be certain even Kitty's powers will work. Kurt can be emergency exit...assuming they can't apply the magical protections to teleportation as well. This is why it is best they try and sneak in as if they don't have powers. Where magic is involved relying on one's powers could be a mistake. Jean's presence is obvious. Her telepathy to detect any guards. Logan is because he has experience with stuff like this from his SHIELD days and if they do end up having to fight their way out no-one is better in a brawl than Logan. Spider-Man volunteered, making the case for his inclusion due to his spider-sense. Scott could see the obvious advantage of Peter's ability to pre-cognitively sense danger. Clark's presence is self-explanatory. His power and only he knows how to handle the stone safely. Rogue was...well Scott wasn't going to be the one to tell her she wasn't coming along. Besides, after Logan, Rogue was arguably the best fighter in the team.

It was a balancing act. Too large a group was more likely to be spotted but not enough risked not being able to fight their way out in case something happened. Scott can only hope he has gotten the balance correct.

"If I'm right I can find the entrance to the tunnel I saw but I don't think you'll like it," Clark cautions.

"How so?" Rogue asks.

"It was below the building," he says with a sheepish expression.

Logan groans as he gets it. "Ya mean the sewers," he says with total loathing.

Clark shrugs.

Logan hates the sewers.

"If that's the way in that's where we go," Scott decides. "X-Men, move out," he commands and the group make their way towards the fire escape so they can descend and find a sewer entrance.

"Think we'll find the Ninja Turtles?" Clark quips.

That makes Kurt and Peter especially laugh.

Rogue rolls her eyes while all the while she still has this nagging feeling about Clark being off his norm. She knows it probably sounds crazy because no-one else has seemed to notice it but then again who know Clark better than her. Rogue hopes it is just her seeing something that isn't really there.

"I hope th' lad knows what he is doing," Sean cautions, speaking to Charles.

"I have complete faith in Cyclops, Sean," Charles says and means it. "I know you would wish to go with them but Cyclops is team leader. Final decisions are his and in a situation like this it is best he takes along those he trusts and has trained and fought with and therefore knows best."

"I'm nae doubting your words Charles but this is th' Inner Circle we're talking about," Sean warns.

"Which is why it is best we are here, ready to move in if anything goes wrong. I do hear you Sean. I do. Just remain alert."

"Not a problem," Sean assures his old friend.

Across the street a figure, dressed in black, pops his head above the roof line, binoculars over his eyes taking in the scene with the remaining X-Men. He speaks into a mic under his black balaclava. "My Liege, they're here," he informs the person on the other end.

"Good. Have the men move into position and await my command...and don't be seen or you shall know the displeasure of your King," the voice replies darkly.

"Of course. We await your command."

* * *

It doesn't take too long for the X-Men to find a way into the sewer and, with Clark's eyes, not much longer to be heading in the correct direction.

Kitty is making a face and trying real hard not to think about what it is they are walking through while Peter babbles on about his many(far too many!) trips down into the sewers. "I thank the Lord I wasn't bit by a radioactive rat or lizard...although the lizard thing is usually more to do with some one-armed scientist who tries and grows his arm back by using an experimental serum with lizard DNA which then mutates him into this giant lizard-man and then he tries to turn everyone in New York into lizard-men and then I have to stop him with the fighting and the scratching and the biting and the 16 near death experiences and..."

Logan cuts him off. "Webhead is it compulsive you joke more the more nervous you get?" he asks and he can tell the kid is actually nervous by Peter's scent.

"Oh come on, I don't do that," Spider-Man insists. He then looks to Kitty. "Do I?" he asks.

Kitty smiles at him while trying to block the smell of this place out so it is a little forced.

Spider-Man starts up again. "So this guy walks into a bar and...ouch!"

Logan punched him on the arm.

Peter rubs his arm. "You're not a summer person are you?" he says to Logan.

Clark chuckles. "I don't think a season has been invented that describes Logan." He points to the right. "That way," he says and they all head in that direction.

"Any security you can see Superman?" Cyclops asks.

"Nothing here. Maybe when we get to the tunnel but really if they're escape tunnels wouldn't you try and not draw attention to them?"

"Can't be too careful," Logan warns off them being complacent.

"Perhaps but you've got me and the walking danger magnet here," Clark jokes as he points at Spider-Man. "On second thoughts you have a point," he smirks.

"I'm not a danger magnet," Spider-Man protests.

"Methinks you doth protest too much," Kitty says, lightly riling her boyfriend.

Spider-Man shakes his head in denial of that. "Nay, fair maiden. I doth protest the correct-eth precise amount-eth."

Kitty covers her mouth with her hand and snorts out a giggle.

"This is it," Clark interrupts the banter between the couple as they come to a gated off passageway. He simply rips the metal gate off its hinges. There is little point in being subtle.

As they go through the tunnel Scott has to say so far it is going extremely well...perhaps too well or is he just being paranoid?

Caution is a necessity in this situation.

They reach the apparent dead-end. "This it?" Scott asks Clark.

Clark nods. "Yep. It's clear."

Rogue looks twice at him. When he uses his x-ray vision his eyes flash an electric blue but right there he...maybe she missed it but she didn't think he used his x-ray vision there so how can he know it's clear?

Clark pulls what is a hidden door back. It opens up into a plushly decorated corridor. "We're not too far from the vault and there are guards there," he informs the rest of the team.

"We have to take them down before they can set off any kind of alert," Cyclops states.

The X-Men move silently through the strangely quiet corridors of the Hellfire Club, incapacitating the odd guard they meet as they go until they reach the vault which has half a dozen guards protecting it.

"Superman, Nightcrawler," Cyclops says in a low voice. "Go," he orders.

Kurt vanishes in his puff of blue smoke and Clark blurs. Kurt's appearance distracts the guards while Clark moves at superspeed to incapacitate them. It takes merely a few moments. The rest of the X-Men join them.

"That leaves the door," Jean says as they turn to the huge circular vault door. The vault must be an entire room judging from this, like a bank sized vault.

Clark shudders slightly. "There's magic here."

Logan sniffs the air. "Space Boy's right. I can smell it."

"Then it is magically protected," Rogue makes the only conclusion possible.

"We might as well just give it a go," Clark shrugs as if there is no choice which in his view there isn't. After all they came all this way.

"Shadowcat," Cyclops says her name, giving the instruction for her to try and phase through the door.

"On it," Kitty replies as she walks up to the door. She raises her hand and tries to phase that carefully through the door to test whether she can. Her hand hits the metal door. Her expression is a mixture of surprise and confusion at her failure as this has never happened to her before. "I can't do it. I phase but my hand still hits metal."

"Time for the less subtle approach," Logan decides this situation merits.

"Alright," Scott agrees. "Superman, Spider-Man and Jean. Lets see if the 3 of you together can force the door open," he decides to just try and use over-whelming force.

Clark and Peter get a grip on the door while Jean telekinetically does the same.

"Any spider-sense flaring?" Kitty asks her boyfriend.

"Nothing so far," Peter reports.

"Then pull," Rogue says.

"On 3," Jean instructs. "1...2...3!"

The group of 3 combined slowly manage to rip the locks and the door swings open to reveal a large room full of artefacts.

The X-Men take a few careful steps inside.

"Vhat are we looking for?" Kurt asks.

Clark's eyes roam around the room until he spots what he is looking for within the horse statue. It sits upon an antique dresser. He points at it. "That's it."

"Then grab it and lets get going," Logan says, on edge.

"I think not," a viperish hiss suddenly cuts through the air just before the room is plunged into complete darkness.

Peter's spider-sense suddenly goes crazy as the very darkness seems to come alive and wrap around him. From the sounds around him, he can see literally nothing, he guesses that everyone else is suffering the same fate. The darkness crawls over his skin until it envelops his face and starts to suffocate him. He struggles but no matter how hard he tries the shadows just morph around him until he can struggle no longer and consciousness slips away.

* * *

Back with the remainder of the X-Men at the helicopter nerves were starting to fray as all they could do was wait.

Domino paces, a little twitchy. She swears she feels like they're being watched. Her eyes dart to a rooftop opposite. This is a terrible place to park. So many buildings around and blind angles. Huh...just like typical parking in New York she jokes inside her own head. "Ow!" she suddenly yelps as something stings her. Her hand goes up to her neck and she finds something lodged there. She pulls it out and finds a dart. "Oh..." is all she gets out before the sedative kicks in and she collapses.

Domino isn't the only one. Everyone exposed gets hit almost at the same time with little, what are, tranquilliser darts. Then shells land on the roof expelling a blinding, choking, white gas. The roof entrance door is kicked open as men in black paramilitary clothing pour onto the roof, all wearing gas masks. They quickly go to work subduing whoever isn't already unconscious with stun batons. It is an expertly executed assault that soon has the remaining X-Men down and out.

* * *

Rogue isn't sure how much time has passed before light filters back into her eyes. The last thing she remembers was the suffocating darkness that clawed and crawled all over her. It was horrible. It felt like a thousand cold, clammy hands trying to claw their way into her soul. Her eyelids flicker open and her green eyes try to make sense of where she is.

A small rectangular room.

This is horribly familiar.

It's a cell.

Another freakin cell!

And...

Rogue's hands go up to her neck to feel for whatever it is that is wrapped around said neck. It feels like...

_'It can't be!'_ she thinks in denial of the situation because otherwise what is around her neck is a power inhibitor just like Stryker stuck on her when he captured her. Rogue finds her wrists shackled to her ankles.

'_Just great,'_ she mentally grouses. This can't be good.

Rogue jerks up off the bare bed she is lying on as the sound of the bolt on the door being opened hits her ears. Two guards appear, armed with pistols aimed at her. They are dressed in these black suits with red trimming and are wearing these plain white, faceless mask.

"Try anything and you'll regret it," one of the guards warns her. "His majesty wants to see you."

_'His majesty?' _Rogue mentally queries in her head as she debates whether she should clock these two clowns and try and find her friends or let them drag her along and see if a better opportunity presents itself.

Rogue's dilemma is solved when the two guards step apart to let two more by her. 4 might be pushing it even for her when they're armed and she is possibly powerless. She lets the 2 guards haul her to her feet and 'escort' her out of her cell. Eventually they lead her into an oval shaped room where she finds everyone else shackled like she is and with power inhibiting collars around their necks...well everyone apart from Spider-Man who is not here. Same for Logan and most worryingly of all to Rogue, Clark isn't here either.

Suddenly there is this amused laughter as a well-built, well-dressed man with dark hair and green eyes enters the room escorted on either side by Selene and Emma. He comes up to a stop in front of the Professor.

"Charles Xavier. It has been awhile," Sebastian Shaw says as a form of greeting to his old foe.

Charles glares at the man not feeling that should be dignified with a response.

"Not long enough," Banshee says, with little to no respect for their captor.

Shaw turns his gaze to the Irishman. He had been a little surprised to find both Banshee and Dr McTaggert had been amongst the X-Men when they were brought back after being captured on that rooftop. "Mr Cassidy. How I have missed your wit...well half of it," Sebastian says, being deliberately insulting.

"What do you want Sebastian?" Charles asks, not in the mood to play games with his old foe. Those games are simply for Sebastian's amusement anyway and Charles will not indulge him. All Charles really wants to know is how Sebastian managed to get the drop on them so completely.

Shaw turns his gaze back to the man in the wheelchair. "What do I want?" he asks. "You think this was about me?"

"It always about ye," Moira spits out with hate-filled tones.

"Dr McTaggert, please. There is no need to be so hostile. You are my _honoured _guests," Shaw says with a smirk. "You are here to bear witness to the initiation of the newest member of the Hellfire Club." Shaw turns to the door. "You can enter!" he says in raised tones.

The doors to the room open and in walks...

"Superman!" Scott gasps.

Rogue blinks. No. It can't be possible. Clark wouldn't betray them.

Superman walks up to right in front of Scott, his face caught in this smirk that looks like he is laughing at this joke only he gets. "Scotty!" he mocks Scott's reaction. He then chuckles a little insanely. "The answer to the incredibly obvious next question is that yes, I led you all into a trap."

"Why?" Kitty asks. "And where's Spider-Man?!" she demands to know, her heart pinched with concern over Peter.

"Ah, pretty Kitty," Superman breathes. "Spidey's fine. It is just those collars around your necks were designed for mutants which he isn't. He's chained up securely...in titanium chains which even he isn't breaking."

"You never answered why," Storm points out.

"Oh neither I did," Superman says lightly as if it doesn't matter. "Well you remember me saying Emma tried and failed to get into my mind...well I lied," he laughs. "Oh my God and you guys fell for it!" he laughs louder. "You are so gullible! I don't know why I ever hanged out with you," he says that as an insult. "Losers," he snorts disparagingly.

"That they are my boy," Shaw says. He then looks down at the professor. "Betrayed twice. Tsk, tsk Charles. We are sloppy aren't we. Well at least no-one died this time," he mocks, knowing that stab will hurt his old enemy a great deal.

The jab about Darwin stings but Charles pushes it aside. "Where's Wolverine?" he demands to know.

"Oh yes, the animal," Selene says with insulting tones which earns her a severe, sharp look from Storm.

"Too dangerous to be released from his cell even with his powers suppressed," Emma explains and she knows how dangerous Logan is.

"Where did you get the collars?" Hank asks because as far as he knew only Stryker had these mutant power inhibiting devices. He's been trying for months to recreate the technology with no success so far.

"Oh we've been in possession of those for quite some time," Shaw answers. "After all do you think an organisation like ours wasn't aware of Weapon X?" he asks rhetorically.

"Knowing these guys they probably did think that," Superman says. "They aren't the brightest bulbs in the shop," he slanders his _friends._

"How could you?" this quiet voice, unable to remain silent any longer, says.

A large grin comes to Superman's face at who asked that question. He moves to stand in front of Rogue. "Aw Rogue, snookums. Don't you fret about what's going to happen. Someone of your..." he smirks and gazes at her chest, "_attributes _would definitely have a place by my side."

"I have a boyfriend," Rogue retorts and whoever this is standing in front of her isn't her boyfriend. She is still trying to work out who it is.

"Kent?" Superman snorts. "Why would you want that loser when you can have me?" he asks, weirdly insulting himself in the process. "We both know, deep down, you want the bad boy just like I am now," he insinuates something about Rogue's character. "Choose me and trust me you'll be getting the thrill of your life soon enough because lets face it I am _super _all over," he says with cocky arrogance.

Rogue looks at Clark closely and now she sees it. Sees what what was irking her so about his behaviour. She can see _him._

Superman points at her. "Oh look. You can see the cogs grinding round. You know don't you Rogue. You know who I am...who Emma has unleashed upon the world, don't you?" He cups his ear. "Come on say it! Say my name!" he demands of her.

Rogue says the word with a little tremble of fear. "Kal."

Superman...Kal grins all the wider. "Hi there," he says, his eyes gleaming with dark mischief. "Did you miss me?"

* * *

_Author's Note: And so Kal returns. Well that'll liven things up won't it? Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; How did Emma manage to free Kal and the X-Men have to start to deal with their friend's betrayal._


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

**Hellfire Club, 12 hours earlier...**

On this occasion Emma had managed to hide her intrusion into Superman's mind which meant she has reached the chained up door without drawing the attention of the other 2 personalities. While she couldn't be certain, Emma was hopeful, that what was behind this door was the key to what she wanted to achieve. It is what she had told Shaw when he had wanted an update.

In reply Shaw told her she was almost out of time. Apparently Selene's patience is running thin so this could be Emma's last opportunity before Superman is taken out of her hands therefore she must succeed in getting through this door. She may not have the time necessary to make Superman her willing servant but she should be able to come up with something that would appease both Selene and Sebastian for the short term and that would grant her the time required to finish her work.

Emma stands at the door and examines the chains. They're metaphorical chains of course. Representing mental barriers and defences. Now she has to break them and get through this door. Emma closes her eyes and focusses her considerable mental energies on the chains. Her mental projection turns to diamond and she pulls at the chains which, after some effort, break. Emma drops them to the floor and raises her hand to the door knob. She turns it and opens the door. She is blinded by a brilliant light but is not deterred and she steps across the threshold.

When the light fades away and Emma can see again she finds herself in a very...interesting position. She is lying on a bed, her wrists tied by silk scarves to the posts of the headboard. Looking down she can see her clothing had been reduced to...how shall she phrase it...to a risqué lace white bra and panties. Not that she is embarrassed in anyway. Modesty is a useless commodity within the Hellfire Club.

"Now if I was I charge this is how I would have all women dress all the time."

Emma looks up to where, at the end of the bed is...well another version of Superman it seems, dressed in...hmm is that a black silk shirt? Expensive and tasteful...even if not her colour. There are black pants to match and he is examining her carefully, every inch of her with this little cocky grin. "That would be rather chilly come winter," she points out in reply.

His grin gets wider. "I'd keep you warm," he says with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"I'm certain," Emma says dryly. "Now is there a reason I'm tied here?"

Superman shrugs as he walks round the bed towards the head of it. "This is my little corner of our mind and what I say goes and..." he gives her another once over. "Well damn, I just wanted to have a good look at _that _body."

"And who are you precisely?" Emma asks, remaining firmly fixated on business. She has a deadline to meet.

He grins and waggles a finger at her. "Tsk, tsk Emma, darling. I won't be falling for that. I'm even smarter than I am good looking...but if you require a name, you can call me Kal." He sits down on the end next to her. "So since I already know why you're here why don't we skip to the part where you offer to free me from my confinement, hmm?"

Arrogant this Kal most certainly was. Emma can use that. "And why would I? You have offered me nothing in return."

"Oh I can offer you more than you can ever handle Emma," he says with a lazy smile as he brushes his fingertips over Emma's exposed shoulder and arm.

"And who are you? Which part of Superman are you? I would need to know, otherwise for all I know I'm freeing his inner serial killer."

Kal chortles. "Well I must admit a killing spree does sound like fun," he says, not being serious at all. "But really I'm the cute funny one with all the personality," he boasts.

"Then why are you locked up?"

"Because I'm the side of us the other two are ashamed of. They're all about selflessness and making the world a better place, etc etc, yadda, yadda, all that boring hero crap," he derides what his other selves do before he explains who he is. "I'm the selfish side. The one who only thinks of himself. The one who right now is thinking how damn good getting into your panties would be."

"That is more than you would ever be able to handle," she retorts, turning his words against him

"Toosh."

"I think you mean touché," Emma corrects him.

Kal's hand cups her butt. "No I mean toosh," he says with that arrogant grin. "And boy what a toosh it is eh? Not as good as mine but then whose is?"

"Of course," Emma says dryly while trying to restrain an eye roll. He was like an oversexed horny teenager. Still she can use that. "I believe we can help each other."

"Oh I know we can," he says suggestively.

Emma does roll her eyes this time. "I can help free you, put you in charge of this mind," she proposes.

"And in return what do you want? My secrets? Forget it. I know who you work for," he dismisses her. "I'm the smart one, remember."

"If you know who I work for then you should know what they can do for you. You can have anything you desire. Money, power, influence."

"Hot women?"

"If you want."

"You?" he asks with a deep, lustful gaze.

"That can be...discussed," she says in a non-committal fashion because she does want him by her side, loyal to her but she is not offering him a blank cheque.

"Still leaves what you want," Kal inquiries what Emma would want in return for aiding him.

"The 3 stones. That should go without saying."

"That can be arranged. I care little for them in all honesty. What else...and please be honest. Time is limited. My others will discover you're in here eventually."

The clock was ticking, Emma agrees, although her reply is mostly what Shaw is wanting. "A pledge of loyalty to the Inner Circle."

"I can consider it. What about Selene though? She doesn't like me."

"She did consent to my attempt to persuade you round. If she goes back on her word it would harm her standing within the Circle," Emma argues that even Selene would have to accept him.

"Hmm so let me summarise this. I get power, wealth, women and you get the 3 stones and all the vast power they possess. That right?"

"As a starter."

"And what do you want Emma?" Kal asks, with a penetrating gaze. "I remember your words. What were they again? Oh yes, I would belong to you, body and mind," he says with a crooked grin.

Emma fidgets a little where she is tied up, caught out. She hadn't been aware he heard her say that.

"Should be more careful what you say," he playfully chastises her. "Now I'm more than willing to share _body space _with you but I'm not going to be used as a pawn in a game," he warns her, his gaze suddenly growing darker, almost menacing.

"It's no game," Emma insists, her tone serious. "Your power combined with the stones, what could stand against us?"

"Oh so it's us now is it? What are you proposing? A partnership of equals? We're hardly equal. I have all the power. I have all the knowledge of the stones."

"I have all the knowledge on the Inner Circle and where it's influence stretches...and my power should not be underestimated. After all I got in here didn't I?"

"Point!" Kal concedes. "So you're planning to double cross your associates hmm?"

"That is not how I would describe it. I have ambition and they are simply obstacles in my way. Besides every single one of them would betray me in a heartbeat to elevate themselves."

"Nice little club you have there," Kal says drolly.

"When we're in charge we can reform it to function better."

"When we're in charge? Hmm, well my dear old dad is always going on at us to change the world," Kal says with an expression like he is considering her proposal.

Emma stares at him, wondering if she can make an arrangement here. "We can reshape the world anyway we desire," she tempts him and she believes it is true. Her power, his and the stones combined. The world would be theirs to do with as they please...and her students would have a place. Emma isn't forgetting them. They will be rewarded for all their work.

"But what makes you think that I won't tell your associates what you're planning?"

"Because you're smart. Isn't that what you said about yourself? None of the others can be trusted. Tell them and you gain nothing."

"And you can be trusted?"

"No...but at least I admit it," she says with a smile.

A deep rumble escapes Kal's chest as he laughs hard at that.

"Are you not tired of being locked away like this?" Emma asks, appealing to his obvious sense of anger at being imprisoned.

"Oh you have no idea," Kal says, bitterness leaking through his voice at his long incarceration.

"Then how about it then? I help free you. You help me. We both gain_...benefits," _Emma says that as suggestively as possible to be interpreted as openly as possible. She adjusts her position and her face takes on an open looking expectant expression.

Kal leans in and brings his lips to Emma's ear and whispers to her. "Truth is I'm kind of a shallow guy who likes _benefits _so I agree," he accepts her terms. His hands glide along her bare arms and reach the scarves where he undoes the knots and releases Emma.

Emma rubs her wrists, holding back her smile of triumph. It may not be him enslaved to her but she can work with this shallow, arrogant version of Superman for now. As she was thinking earlier it will buy her time with Shaw and she can work on Superman until he is what she needs him to be.

"I told you he could not be trusted," a resigned sounding voice says.

Emma and Kal look to the doorway to see, standing there, the Superman in the black suit and the one in the red jacket.

"You're never letting me hear the end of this are you?" the one in the red jacket asks, with a resigned expression on his face about having to hear about this for a long time which indicates it was the Superman in black who spoke first.

That Superman gives the red jacketed one a look as if to say 'No. I'm not letting you hear the end of this.'. He then turns his attention to Kal and Emma. "This attempt at rebellion is over aberration," he states firmly.

Kal blows a raspberry at him. "I'm fed up being locked away. I want to have some fun!" he protests childishly.

"Your actions have just proved why you must be locked away," the Superman in black reprimands Kal. "Making deals with this...pristine example of humanity's flaws..." he shakes his head in stern disapproval.

"You're a big meanie," Kal says back. "I mean look at her," he gestures at Emma. "I don't see any flaws."

Emma agrees. She doesn't have any flaws.

The Superman in black looks to his red jacketed double. "Do you concur that we must stop this?" he asks.

"Yes," is his short simple reply.

Emma concentrates and changes her outfit to her more traditional uniform as she prepares for the confrontation. The other two Superman move towards her and Kal and...

**The present...**

"Enough with the storytelling," Kal says, fed up, cutting Emma off before she can finish explaining to the captive X-Men how they stand here now. "Sheesh. It doesn't need explained. I think it is fairly obvious we kicked my others butts, left them locked away and freed me in a way that leaves me running the show...and that alone is a 1000% improvement don't ya think?"

"Yes. You were prattling on Frost," Selene says in agreement, never missing an opportunity to put Emma down.

Emma is good at hiding her true feelings but her annoyance is clear enough at being interrupted as she was explaining to the dear, pathetic, captured X-Men how she helped in their downfall. The time for masks, for pretending to be anything else was over.

Kal looks to Shaw. "So I believe this upholds my end," he says. "You said I needed to prove myself to earn a place in your Inner Circle and I promised to deliver the X-Men to you and here they are," he explains the deal that was struck after Emma had presented him to Shaw.

Sebastian had, understandably, been cautious about Emma's claims that she had succeeded but 'Kal' had indeed upheld the struck bargain. Even Selene had gone along with it and relented in her desire to inflict suffering upon the young man. "You have indeed upheld our bargain, Kal. Now what do you think we should do with them?"

"Well first off we need to get them to tell us where they moved the stone to."

"I can do that," Selene offers her services, her coal black eyes gleaming gleefully at the thought of inflicting great suffering upon someone now that Jor-El's son is off the agenda. Selene must admit to being...pleasantly surprised by his deviousness and willingness to betray his friends. Not that she will go as far as giving Emma any credit for it. It will be intriguing to see how 'Kal' develops over the course of time. If this switching of sides is for real then...well Selene has a few ideas over what he can do for her. Enough ideas to persuade herself to overlook her need for revenge over what Jor-El did to her.

"One moment Selene," Shaw cuts short her enthusiasm. He asks Kal, "You believe it has been moved?"

"I would if I were them. Wouldn't you?" Kal says back.

Shaw must admit he would...unless he was planning to deliberately leave it as part of a trap, just like he did to capture the X-Men but that isn't how Xavier thinks. He turns to the Professor. "Where is the stone Professor?" he demands to know.

"I have no idea what you are referring to," Xavier deliberately plays dumb.

"Yes you do and before you think of heroically refusing to answer me know this; refuse and it will be your beloved students who pay the price of your defiance," Shaw warns. He addresses the guards. "Take them back to their cells. Let them think it over," he commands. It's always good to let them sit and worry over what fate is about to befall them.

The guards start to escort the X-Men out. All of them look at Clark with hurt and confusion.

"I am so disappointed in you," Domino says to him as she walks by him, sounding and looking exactly in that manner.

Kal smirks. "So no chance of making my wet dreams come true then?"

"Wait, what?" Domino asks, caught out by that before a guard shoves her forward.

Kal chuckles.

Rogue glares at him with a deep scowl, unable to believe she is going through this again. Kal is...dangerous and unpredictable to such a degree she can't be certain of what his intentions are and that assumes it is the side of Clark she thinks it is. With Frost messing about inside his head who knows what has actually been let out. Yeah, her boyfriend has issues she might just have to admit.

Kal reaches out and grips Rogue's arm, momentarily stopping her departure. "You know I meant what I said. There is a place for you at my side. I'm sure Emma would be delighted to have you join her Hellions."

Rogue looks at him and her eye twitches as she tries to restrain her temper. She leans forward to whisper her reply so no-one else can hear it. "Kiss my ass," she whispers harshly as she refuses.

"Did that last week, honeybun," Kal whispers back with this incredibly smug, self-satisfied grin.

Rogue's cheeks flush as the memory comes back to her. She shakes it off, snaps her arm free of his grip and walks away with the rest of the X-Men back to her cell.

"She'll come round," Kal states confidently.

"Of course she will," Selene says dryly, not buying that for a second.

"They will have no choice in the end," Shaw states. "They will be turned or they will be left in your _tender _care Selene...if that is fine with you?"

"I always need a snack," Selene says lightly, implying she will simply drain them of their life-force...after she has inflicted unspeakable torments upon them naturally.

Well they can certainly never leave. Shaw has already decided that.

"So am I in?" Kal asks about his membership of the Inner Circle.

"That requires a full meeting of New York members to approve that but lets just say that you have the recommendation of the Black King," Shaw tells him.

"Cool."

Now the 4 people left are joined by the Hellions being led by Isobel and accompanied by Sage.

Shaw turns to them. "I congratulate you and, of course, your teacher. You played your part perfectly during that little show we put on for the X-Men," he praises them for the staged fight between the Hellions and Superman that was to deceive the X-Men into thinking that Superman had escaped. "You have earned the favour of your King."

King Bedlam speaks for his team. "Thank you, your Majesty," he says with a bow of respect.

"Kal," Shaw says. "I believe I have not introduced you to Sage," he holds his arm out in the direction of the dark haired woman. "She is my personal assistant."

Kal gives her the once over. "Of course she is. Any chance she can become my _personal _assistant too?" he asks, his suggestive intent obvious.

"That kind of privilege you have yet to earn," Shaw tells the young man and there is much the young man has to learn but from what he has seen so far he can definitely see potential. Of course having Kal's power alone, at his disposal, is a useful aid to Shaw's ambitions.

"Right. Whatever."

Shaw can see they need to work on respect. "Leave us," he commands. "I have business to discuss with my Queens," he explains. "Sage, Isobel, you can remain."

Kal shrugs and leaves with the Hellions, sliding in next to Volcana. "So been awhile since we were on the same side hasn't it?"

Claire looks at him, unable to fathom who she is looking at. What had been done to him to turn him traitor? What had been done to her? She...helped set up the X-Men. She helped set up her friends. Is this what she signed up for? Claire has no answer.

"Still the quiet, angry type I see...but that's not so bad. Trust me under this handsome, jovial exterior there is some anger I would like to work out on certain people."

"There are other ways to work out anger," a tone with a more than flirtatious edge says as Roulette winds her way to Superman's side. Jen was very happy that he was now on their side and very eager to..._celebrate _the alliance.

Hellion scowls at the way Jen throws herself at Stupid-Man. Seriously what does this guy have that Julian doesn't. It's not that he and Jen are exclusive or anything. They agreed it was casual and were free to see other people but seeing her flirt in front of him...well it is annoying him...a lot.

Kal flashes Jen a smile. "I'm sure you have a few suggestions right?"

Jen's smile grows. "Yes. How about you come on over to my room and I can _show _you my..._techniques."_

"I can already see your _techniques _are pretty impressive," Kal says complimentary, giving Jen's voluptuous figure a once over.

"My _personal_ demonstration is more so," Jen says in deeply husky tones.

"I'm certain...but I have to take a rain check to go check on my old pal Spidey," Kal brushes off the offer...which may seem out of character to some but those people don't really know him. "But perhaps I can find the time later to drop by."

Jen looks disappointed but still retains a flicker of hope that she'll be able to do that _demonstration._ "Please do drop by any time. I will be willing to drop _everything_ for you."

"Oh god. Please will you two stop," Beef pleads at all the insinuation. "I'm never going to be able to burn the images out of my head."

Kal laughs amused. "It's like we have something to be ashamed about. I don't think we do, do we Jen?"

"Absolutely not," Jen pouts, pretending to be hurt that someone would imply she has anything to be ashamed about.

"Well this is my turn off," Kal announces as they reach a crossroads in the hallway. "I'll see you guys later. It was fun working with you and setting up my former friends. I'm going to cherish the look of shock on their faces for a long time."

Hellion snorts and just turns his back on Kal. The other Hellions go by without much of a reaction. When M goes by Kal stops her. "Monet, a word if I may."

Monet wonders what this is about. She has not forgotten the humiliation he inflicted on her at the Academy.

"Now my mind has been...reorganised I have given some thought to what you said about us being the superior and if you wish, I would be happy to discuss that further with you."

Monet's brow furrows in slight puzzlement unsure if he is being serious or being suggestive and is hitting on her. In fact, as she takes a moment to think on it, why couldn't he be doing both. She is not averse to the idea. The person she chooses to enter a relationship with should be as close to perfection as is possible. After all it is too much to expect anyone, beyond herself, to actually be perfect.

"Think on it," Kal says with a pleasant smile before he leaves with a farewell wave as he goes to check up on another former friend. He chuckles at the thought of what Petey's face will look like when Kal explains to him what he has done, is doing and is planning to do next. Some days...scratch that, every day it's great to be him, Kal muses to himself.

* * *

Once the X-Men have been shoved back into their cells, which are all next to each along a corridor, they start talking to each other about the situation.

"I can't believe we have to go through this again," Evan complains. "I mean Kal was bad enough the first time round."

"He's up ta something," Rogue argues. Sure she's pissed as hell at him but not so much so she can't see through him.

"You think so?" Domino asks.

"Ya weren't around when Kal last visited so ya don't know him. He's scheming and manipulative," Rogue explains Kal's nature to her sister.

"Yer implying his betrayal is part o' a scam," Sean deduces from the talk.

"Very likely," Hank confirms for his friend. "We have met this aberrant personality before and what we learned from that experience is that Kal cannot be trusted by anyone. He is working his own agenda."

"Zhe question is vhat," Kurt raises the obvious.

"The problem is, if last time is any indication, you can never figure it out until it's already happened," Jean makes the bleak assessment.

"The problem also is that he does not fully understand who it is he is trying to scam," the Professor adds his own downbeat point.

"Aye. He's playing with fire," Moira warns.

"Perhaps," Scott concedes. "But he is very smart. That never changes. Assuming he is planning something I would think it would involve us at some point which means he has a plan to do something about these collars."

"I would agree with that," Storm says, while hiding her concern about Logan. He wasn't here with them. She wondered where he was and prayed he was alright.

"We have to be ready to act at any moment," Scott pronounces because he is certain that they are all correct in the belief that Kal is working a con. It's what he does. Emma, who Scott is now liking even less than before...Emma has no idea what she has unleashed. Kal is likely the most dangerously unpredictable being on this planet.

This is the uncomfortable side of their friend. They all like Clark but after meeting Kal the first time you can never shake the memory of what a manipulative bastard he can be. Assuming they survive this there are going to be a lot of hurt feelings to soothe over...but first they have to survive this and for that they just have to pray Kal's arrogance isn't overcoming his common-sense and that he actually knows what he is doing. The fate of the X-Men is now in Kal's hands.

* * *

_Author's Note: Of course Kal is up to something. It is what he does. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; a couple of surprise people to the rescue only they have no idea what revelations are about to be dropped upon them through this course of action._


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Several hours had now passed since the X-Men left and it was now early morning the next day. The worry amongst those left at the mansion was growing that something bad had happened to them. There had been no word and they could not be raised over the communication channels.

Martha could only think something had gone badly wrong. It was a feeling she had but don't ask her to explain it. These last couple of weeks had brought back a lot of feelings and memories of her younger days she doesn't like thinking on. Her engagement to Sebastian...that whole world she use to be part of. It would be why she doesn't see her father often.

Don't get Martha wrong. She loves her father and knows, in his way, he loves her back but her father will never change nor leave the world he lives in. He can't see what she saw that drove her away. Since they came to this Institute over a year ago she has only had a handful of phone conversations with him at most.

After mutants were revealed Martha did have to explain her lies that she told her father when they first came here about what it was about. That wasn't the funnest conversation she has ever had with her father. It was right down there with the one they had after she called off her engagement to Sebastian.

Only that wasn't really a conversation. That was more yelling and shouting at each other.

Ditto the day she told her father she was marrying Jonathan.

Martha can honestly say that her father and her don't have that perfect model father/daughter relationship.

In fact her father will never get over the fact she called off her engagement to Sebastian and chose to marry a farmer instead. Jonathan is, in her father's wrong, pig-headed opinion, not good enough for her.

Martha, on the other hand, will never stop thanking the Lord she did call it off, especially considering what she has recently learned about who Sebastian really is. She did suspect there was more to him than the handsome, charming façade he showed...and she can admit that Sebastian was very charming. He did charm her enough to get her to agree to marry him but there was always...something. Something else that needed his attention. His 'business' trips that he always told her not to worry too much over.

Martha had no idea what they really were. Even before she did her lingering feelings for Sebastian were ambiguous at best. As she said he charmed her but having had 20 years to think on it she can honestly say she never truly loved him. She agreed to marry him because that was what was expected of her. Marrying an up and coming industrialist as him, as he was at the time, would have been a great lift for herself and her family's standing in society.

And that was all it was about in the end. That was why she came to hate it. She felt so...hollow, empty. It was meaningless. Was that all there was to life? To get ahead? It never fulfilled Martha. Not the way her so-called simpler life as a farmer's wife did. Her father, Sebastian, they would never understand because their wealth, power and influence...it was enough for them.

Martha wonders if her mother felt as she did because her overriding memory of her mother is of a smile that never quite reached her eyes as if she wasn't happy either but could see no way out of the life she was...well trapped in for lack of a better term.

It is only after meeting Sebastian again, learning who he is, that Martha has begun to think about all these things from so long ago.

However now is not the time for dwelling on the past. Now is the time for action because Martha has had enough. These last few weeks it feels like she has been buffered at the centre of a storm. Revelation after revelation dropped on her. Sebastian, Claire.

No.

Martha is not taking it any more.

She is taking control of her life back.

That would be why she currently finds herself driving through New York towards the Hellfire Club. She is a member after all. It is sort of a lifetime membership thing unless you are expelled.

This probably looks crazy and in all truth almost certainly is. It would be why she left without telling Jonathan because he would either try and talk her out of it or insist on coming along. Neither is a good idea. This is not a good idea either, what Martha is doing right now but she's doing it anyway. Just don't ask her to explain why she's doing this because she will never be able to properly explain it.

All Martha knows is that her son, friends and children she has taken responsibility for are missing after going to retrieve the stone from the Hellfire Club and as a member she can get inside the building. Truth be told she hasn't thought this through beyond that.

Martha pulls up in front of the building and sits and looks at it. It has been so long since she has been inside one of the Hellfire Club's establishments. She doesn't dwell too long lest she talk herself out of this. She gets out the car and walks round the back of it when she notices something. The lock to the trunk looks...Martha peers closer. It looks like it has been melted. A thought suddenly occurs to her and she yanks the trunk open.

"Amara Juliana Olivians Aquilla," Martha says sternly, more than a little aggravated at her stowaway.

Amara has the decency to look sheepish. She grins that 'Oh crap I've been caught' smile. "Uh, hi," she says, her voice squeaky and lacking its normal royal confidence.

"Don't hi me young lady," Martha tells Amara off as she places her hands on her hips in a stern looking stance. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, uh, funny story," Amara laughs nervously. "Can I get out first?" she requests.

Martha helps Amara out of the trunk. "Start talking," she demands of the teenager.

"Well I was, you know, wandering outside thinking over what I could remember about Selene for the Professor when I saw you leaving."

"And you just jumped in the trunk?"

"Um...yeah."

"I expect this from Tabitha, not from the heir to a royal throne."

"It was...I just had this hunch I knew where you were going," Amara tries to explain her impulsive decision. "And I was right," she says in her own staunch defence.

Martha rubs her brow. "Amara," she starts to say. "This is not safe."

"Which only adds to why I should be here."

"Why are you here?" Martha asks. "And I want the whole truth this time."

"Clark's father...Jor-El."

"What of him?" Martha asks sharply, her tone letting slip her dislike of Clark's biological father.

"If he is truly the one who defeated Selene and liberated Nova Roma...then I owe it to him on behalf of my people to help rescue his son. My grandfather, Nova Roma's first king after Selene's fall, was the one who led the rebellion against her. I can do no less than he," Amara explains what she sees as the obligation of her heritage.

"Amara," Martha says in soft tones. "Always do things because it is what you want, not because it is the expected obligation of your family," she tries to offer some advice to the young princess. "If I had followed what my father wanted I would have married Sebastian and only the Lord knows what kind of person I would be now."

"But I do have obligations," Amara states calmly. "As you said I am heir to the throne. One day I shall have to return and rule."

"Answer me this. Are you here because you believe this is the right thing to do?"

Amara looks Martha directly in the eye. "Yes. Absolutely."

Martha believes Amara. Now she has to make a choice. If she takes Amara home she'll never get away again but she isn't sure they'll let Amara inside the club if Amara stays with her. Though having Amara around could be useful. Bottom line is that it is too late to turn back now and Amara's here so... "Ok Amara. Stay by my side at all times," she says, making the choice that she's come too far to turn back so Amara will just have to come with her.

Amara nods in agreement as Martha leads her to the entrance of the club.

* * *

Sebastian Shaw must admit that he had been annoyed, to put it mildly, when he learned of the unauthorised mission to China that had been taken without his knowledge or permission. However, the fates had decided to smile on him because it had all worked out in his favour. Superman had been turned. The X-Men were captive and the useful, malleable ones would be turned like Superman. He could not let them leave this time because he knew they would not give up on Superman. They would keep trying and trying to 'save' the boy, as they would see it and that just gets irritating after awhile.

Those that couldn't be turned...well as he promised they would be given over to Selene. That will placate her somewhat for awhile.

Now the priority was..._persuading _one of the X-Men to reveal where this stone is that they have in their possession.

How to precisely do that is the next question. It has been some time since he last met Xavier but he can remember the man's stubbornness. No doubt it is a trait shared by his students. Oh Sebastian has no doubt he'll get what he desires in the end. It is only a question of how and how long it will take. Fortunately he is a patient man.

He had finished talking to his Queens and now found himself, a little uncharacteristically, wandering through the private areas of the club. The areas only the Inner Circle had access to as opposed to the more 'public' part which was the social club front. Shaw is contemplating his next moves, how he deals with the other members of the Inner Circle and how he can use the power of the 3 stones, once he has it, to elevate himself to the pinnacle of the Inner Circle.

Sebastian passes by the security office, its walls lined by monitors showing the feeds from the security cameras. He pauses momentarily just to see if there is anything that requires his personal attention. That's when he spots her. That is when he spots his ex-fiancée trying to gain access. That is when he spots Martha.

That can't be a coincidence that she shows after he has captured the X-Men. Sebastian is certain of that because in all honesty he can't think of any other reason Martha would be here. It seems, from what he can see, the guard at the door is causing her grief. He steps inside the room. "What is happening with that woman?" he asks.

The 3 guards inside the room virtually jump out of their chairs at the surprise presence of the Black King.

"M-My Liege," one of them manages to stutter out.

Shaw fixes the man a look. "The woman there," he points at the image. "What is happening?"

"S-she has an out of date membership card."

"I see. Let her in."

"Your Highness?" the guard questions.

"Are you questioning my directive?" Shaw asks, his tone hard.

The guard shakes his head. "N-no. Never."

"Then grant her access and have her and her young companion escorted to my office. I shall deal with this personally."

"As you command, your Highness," the guard capitulates and passes the instructions on to the man at the door.

This...this is going to be a day to long live in the memory Sebastian can tell for certain. With Martha here...well perhaps the time has come to reveal that which he has been keeping secret for the last few months. Sebastian chuckles to himself. Oh yes. This is definitely going to be a day to remember.

* * *

"Martha!" Sebastian greets her with delight in his voice when she enters his office, where he has been waiting for her.

"Sebastian," Martha returns the greeting in a far more subdued manner.

"Who is your friend?" Sebastian asks, fixing his green eyes on the girl beside Martha.

"This is Amara," Martha introduces her.

"Greetings Amara. Welcome to our historic and privileged club," Sebastian says, being as warm and welcoming as he can be.

"It's an honour," Amara chooses as her response even if that may be stretching the truth to put it mildly but part of her upbringing involved training in diplomatic niceties.

Sebastian turns his focus back to Martha. "Now what brings you here after so long?"

Martha folds her arms across her chest, her expression a mask of serious intent. "Lets not play games Sebastian. Where are they?"

Sebastian admires the straight to business approach and considering their history he decides not to play games with her. "They are my honoured guests and they're...around," he gives the vague response.

"What do you want?" Martha just asks him.

"Are you offering a deal?"

"Why else would I be here?"

"Why indeed?"

Martha gives Sebastian a sour look. Amara shares it. "You're a businessman Sebastian," Martha says. "Deals are what you do."

"True...but I hate to think you're making your proposal from a false perspective."

"What's your meaning?"

"I know Professor Xavier must have told you all about me and our previous...dealings." Otherwise she wouldn't be here unless she knew and Kal may have blabbed...a lot as matter of fact about what the Professor actually knew. His betrayal has been quite thorough. It seems Sebastian underestimated Xavier a little he must confess as it turns out the man knew all about where Emma's loyalties lied. Oh well. You live and learn as the saying goes. Fortunately it all worked out.

"I don't care about your dealings Sebastian," Martha says bluntly. "I don't care what you get up to. What I care about is my friends and the students I have taken responsibility to care for. Now it's pretty pointless to think I could come charging in here and rescue them by force which leaves the only other option is that we reach a mutually beneficial agreement," she proposes and that sounds pretty good for something she just made up on the hoof.

Sebastian leans back a little in his chair and gazes at Martha with admiration. "I'm impressed. Your mind is as sharp as I remember. I'm so glad all those years playing happy families on that farm hasn't dulled your wits. You are correct that any attempt at a rescue with those...lesser students," he says with a pointed look at Amara showing he labels her as a 'lesser' student before he continues, "would fail so yes, your only option is to make a deal and it just so happens I'm in a mood to consider such a possibility."

"Which returns us to 'What do you want?'"

Sebastian rises to his feet and goes over to his drinks cabinet against the wall. "Drink?" he inquires of Martha as it is only polite to offer such a thing.

"No, thank you. Little early in the day for that is it not?" Martha asks with a critical eye. She can't recall him drinking like that when they were engaged which means it's an unhealthy habit he has picked up on top of all his other myriad of flaws.

Sebastian explains as he pours himself a drink, "As Winston Churchill was oft heard saying, I like to think I get more out of drink than it takes out of me."

Martha snorts softly in derision at the idea of Sebastian comparing himself to Winston Churchill.

Sebastian takes a long soothing drink. "You know after seeing you at Stark Tower again Martha I thought about our engagement and why it ended."

"I believe my letter was pretty clear on the reasons why," Martha says, having no wish at all to reopen that debate and in fact her reasons, which she wrote down in a letter to Sebastian at the time, have not changed one jot despite the passage of nearly 2 decades.

Lets just say Sebastian holds the belief there is more to it than that but there is no need to rush that. Martha is not leaving his life now she is back in it and they can get to that later.

"So what do you want Sebastian?" Martha asks, getting back to the point, not wishing to drag this out any longer than absolutely necessary.

The reality is, despite what he told her, Sebastian has no intention of letting the X-Men go and Martha is wasting her time although he admires her bravery. Still this is an opportunity he won't let go. "For the moment your indulgence," he says. "I have something I wish you to see. Once done we can discuss further the issue about the X-Men."

"I'm not doing anything until I know they're alright."

"I told you Martha, they're my guests and I always treat my guests well. You should remember that."

Martha glares at him sternly.

Sebastian puts his drink down and presses a switch under his desk and two guards enter shortly after. "These gentleman will escort you to the sitting room. I shall join you shortly. Please accept my hospitality," he says as a veiled warning to not refuse.

Martha glares a little longer at him before she accepts leaving and Amara departs as well.

* * *

A short time later Martha and Amara are sat together in the sitting room waiting for Sebastian to show.

"We're in trouble aren't we?" Amara asks at a whisper, her concern deep in her voice.

Martha places a reassuring arm around the girl. "It'll be fine Amara. This was never going to be safe or without risk which is why I was going to do it by myself but a certain princess just had to be impulsive for once," she teases lightly, trying to brighten the mood.

Amara smiles sheepishly.

Sebastian enters the room with broad strides and Martha is shocked by who is accompanying him. So shocked she almost blurts out 'Clark!' but manages to bite her tongue.

Kal misses a stride and almost trips upon seeing his mother. "W-what is this?" he says with an uncharacteristic unassuredness in place of his usual arrogant cockiness.

"I'll explain momentarily," Sebastian says. "We have to wait for our other guests."

"This better be good Sebastian," Selene complains, as she strides in, accompanied by Isobel, at being summoned.

"I assure you it is Selene."

Amara almost passes out in terror at seeing the subject of her worst nightmares in the flesh. Everyone on Nova Roma knows what Selene looks like. There's a statue of her kept so no-one forgets what this incarnation of evil looks like. All the colour drains from Amara's face and she goes deathly pale.

Selene, meanwhile, looks twice at the girl as her eyes fall upon the teenage princess and a strange smile starts to form on her lips as she recognises who it is. Just because she is banished doesn't means she doesn't keep an eye on her former home. She walks over and as she draws near Amara recoils as far as she can into the chair. Selene reaches out and brushes Amara's long dark hair behind her shoulder.

Amara is paralysed with fear as having the dark sorceress so close to her she can smell the fragrance of some perfume. "S-Selene," she barely stutters out.

"Oh good. You know who I am," Selene says, sounding a mite delighted at that. "Tell me, Princess of Nova Roma, do they still remember their Goddess?"

Amara finds some courage. "Only as a warning of what true evil looks like," she shoots back.

"Oh dear. Such disrespect. When I return I shall soon purge that insolence from you and one day, I promise, I shall return and you and your people shall pay the price for your betrayal of your Goddess," Selene makes the vow.

"We will never bow to you again," Amara promises Selene, reaching deep down inside herself to show defiance despite intrinsically knowing what Selene could do to her.

"Yes you will," Selene promises, her tone full of threatening intent. "Because if you don't your people will know the fires of Tartarus."

"Leave her alone," Martha says putting a defensive, protective arm around Amara.

Selene looks at the woman. She could smite her as easily as she could step on a bug but won't. "Mortal wretch, you can do nothing to stop me...but I won't harm her. After all I am not so cruel to inflict pain upon my own granddaughter."

"What?" Amara asks, her voice trembling, her eyes wide with shock.

"What!" Isobel screeches loudly.

Selene chuckles amused. "This, my dear daughter, is your niece," she explains to Isobel.

Isobel looks at the girl and knows she should not truly be surprised by this. God knows how many bastards her mother has had. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of people in this world that are related to her.

"T-That's a lie," Amara says in denial of what Selene is saying.

"Tsk, tsk," Selene chastises. "Is that what your father told you?" Selene asks Amara before she shakes her head in a disappointed manner. "And I so liked Lucius too. Such a well behaved child," she remarks in reference to Amara's father with a sort of fondness in her tone.

"No," Amara says shaking her head, refusing to accept what Selene is saying is true. "My grandfather. He...he led the rebellion against you," she uses as an argument against Selene's words.

"That he did," Selene confirms, anger and bitterness permeating her tone. "What he and your father have neglected to mention in an attempt to bury, what they probably consider the shameful truth, is that your grandfather, Julius, was my husband. Your father is my son and you are my granddaughter. After all where do you think your mutant gifts come from child?" she asks Amara. Selene holds her hand out flat in front of Amara's face and summons a ball of fire. "This is my mutant gift, not sorcery. Look at all familiar?"

Amara...no she can't believe it. She won't! The idea that...oh Gods she feels sick just contemplating it.

"My blood flows through your veins," Selene tells Amara. She then twists Amara's head slightly round so her face is clear on to Sebastian, Superman and Isobel. "Look and tell me there isn't a resemblance," she requests of them.

Everyone standing there had to say, now Selene and Amara were side by side, you could see a resemblance. The dark hair, the shape of the face, the lips perhaps as well, were all shared.

"Huh. Never saw that coming," Kal says, looking half amused by the revelation.

Martha looks at her son oddly. What is going on? He sounds...he looks off.

"It's not true," Amara murmurs a desperate prayer. It can't be true that Selene, the most hated and reviled woman on Nova Roma, is her grandmother. Just the idea that Selene's blood flows through her makes Amara want to throw up.

Selene smirks. This is turning out to be a much better day than she foresaw. She tells Amara, "In time you'll come to understand that your parents are nothing but liars who have spent your entire life deceiving you and that the true salvation for yourself and Nova Roma is to welcome your Goddess back."

"And she says I'm obsessed," Isobel mutters quietly in disparaging tones. Her mother accuses her of being obsessed with trinkets but her mother is obsessed in returning to the place that booted her out and regaining her Godhood status.

Now entering the room comes Emma, accompanied by Volcana, who Sebastian had sent Emma to fetch.

Claire freezes in complete surprise at seeing the two people who mean the most to her. "Mrs Kent! Amara!" she squeaks.

Sebastian starts to grin slyly as his plan starts to unfold. "Time for my business...if Selene may grant me a few moments," he requests of the dark sorceress. Not that Selene's revelation wasn't interesting, it is just his business takes priority in his eyes.

Selene shrugs, hardly bothered either way but she has an inkling Shaw is up to something that may prove mildly interesting so she steps off to the side.

Sebastian walks until he is about halfway between where Martha sits and Volcana stands. He notices the way Martha is looking at the fiery teenager and the expression Volcana has in response. Seems they have a strong connection. The irony for what is about to transpire but first. "You seemed surprised to see Superman by my side," he says to Martha. "You should not underestimate my White Queen. Kal was quite helpful in capturing the X-Men."

"Kal!" Martha splutters.

Kal smirks. "Yes, Kal," he confirms for her and then finds everyone looking at him with questioning gazes. "What?" he asks them. "Do you really think Emma is the first person to have ever found a way to let me out?"

"First I've heard of it," Emma mutters scathingly.

Kal chuckles. "You don't get to know my secrets just because I saw your panties. It takes more than that to get them."

Sebastian stares at powerful young man. There were many shortcomings with what Emma had achieved so far. Kal needed a lot of work but it would be worth it for the power he would bring to Shaw.

Now Martha knows what is so off about her son. She hides any worries off her face. Of all the surprises that is the one she least expected. Clark's alter ego is so unpredictable...and she has to wonder what he is really up to. He's always up to something for his own selfish wants and needs.

Sebastian returns to his main purpose in bringing everyone together here. He can deal with Kal later. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a lock of red hair that matches the colour upon Martha Kent's head. He holds it up for her to see. "Remember this Martha?" he asks her, expectantly.

Martha blinks. He still has that? "Yes," she finds her voice.

Sebastian explains to everyone else what it is. "Once upon a time Martha and I were engaged. On the day Martha accepted my marriage proposal she gave me a lock of her hair so I would always have a piece of her with me wherever I went."

"Oh how romantic," Selene mutters sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

"I thought so too," Sebastian says back, deliberately ignoring Selene's sarcasm. "Except," he starts to say. "This isn't the lock of your hair Martha. This belongs to her," he says and points at Volcana.

Claire mimics him and points at herself. "Me? That's not my hair," she insists and since her hair is closer to fiery orange, which is a different shade from the lock of red hair in Sebastian's hand.

"It is your hair," Sebastian insists. "I snipped it off your head when you were 2, before your fated journey to Smallville the day the meteors feel to Earth and transformed you into a mutant. The genetic alterations changed your hair colour," he gives an explanation why the difference.

"You know me?" Claire asks, her face screwed up, trying to recall anything from when she was 2 that involves Sebastian Shaw in anyway. Nothing comes to mind. She can't remember him.

"I held you the day you were born," Sebastian informs her.

Selene looks at Shaw curiously and cocks an eyebrow as an idea starts to form in her mind. He can't have...

"You knew my parents?" Claire asks, the burning desire to know something of the people who she can no longer remember.

"Oh I know them very well."

"Knew," Claire corrects. "You knew them. They're dead."

"Your surrogate parents are dead. Your biological parents are very much alive."

"What?" Claire asks, now at a complete lost to know what he means.

"Gina Selton was your surrogate mother," Sebastian tells her who the woman Claire thinks is her mother actually was. "I should know, I paid her."

Martha rises to her feet. "Sebastian," she says, her tone sharp. "What have you done?"

Sebastian grins crookedly. "I remember that tone," he says with dry humour. "What have I done Martha? Well you see it goes like this. After you called off our engagement I determined I would make sure we would remain linked forever so I took that lock of hair you gave me, had some of your DNA extracted and then had it inserted into a hollowed out egg which was then fertilised with my DNA. The resultant embryo was then implanted into Gina Selton."

Sebastian walks over to Volcana who is stuck, frozen in complete shock as the foundation of her world is torn asunder from under her. He places his hands on her shoulders. "I thought you died that day in Smallville," he says to Claire, his tone sounding genuinely sad with recalled grief. "But when Emma told me your name it was as if a miracle had been delivered that had returned you to me. I've had the tests done to confirm it."

"C-confirm it?" Claire stammers.

"I am your father, Claire," he says with deep emotional attachment to that idea in his tone. Sebastian then gently moves round the teenager and walks her forward a few steps towards Martha.

Like Claire, Martha has a look of complete shock. What Sebastian just said has not even begun to sink in yet. It seems impossible to her after all she has endured for this to be true.

Sebastian says next, with the greatest delight, "Claire say hello to your mother. Martha say hello to our daughter."

Kal says, as usual totally inappropriately timed, "Huh. I guess it's one of _those _days."

* * *

_Author's Note: In the comics Selene is Amara's alleged grandmother without it ever being confirmed so I thought I would use that idea too. I've been planning to drop it in to my story that Claire is Sebastian and Martha's daughter since I came up with the idea that they were once engaged. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Martha tries to deal with the revelation of her newly discovered daughter and Kal's true scheme comes to its fruition._


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Claire's heart is hammering away in her chest as long buried emotions threaten to spill over. From believing completely that her family is dead one moment it turns out they are very much alive the next. She looks at Martha, her orange eyes full of emotion when normally they hide what she feels so well. "Mom?" she queries with the utmost tentativeness in her voice...and hope and longing...almost desperate longing to re-establish that lost mother/daughter connection.

Martha blinks, her heart is hammering in her chest as her head tries to get itself around the idea that all along she might have had the one thing she has wanted. A child of her own flesh. She can't deny part of her wants that badly. Don't get her wrong. She loves Clark and thinks of him as her own son but it's not quite the same as having an actual biological daughter...oh dear God she has a daughter with Sebastian it suddenly sinks in.

Hope starts to fade for Claire as Martha does not react.

Martha can see Claire standing there, waiting for her to confirm it and can see a spark of hurt begin. In response Martha steps forward and takes Claire into her arms. "My daughter," she murmurs.

Claire wraps her arms around Martha and breathes shakily as her emotions boil over. She has a mother. She has a mother!

Martha turns her gaze to Sebastian. "If this is a trick I swear..." she starts to threaten him.

Sebastian holds his hands up to in gesture to show he is hiding nothing. "No tricks Martha. I can show you the test results if you wish," he says with this rather smug smile.

As if Martha would trust anything he shows her. However part of her seems to believe him. She pulls Claire tighter into her. "It's good to see you again," she whispers to the girl as she strokes her long hair.

Claire closes her eyes trying to stop tears falling. This is all too much to take.

Amara sits, watching this, rather stunned into silence, with this added on top of her own revelation in regards to Selene who she watches out of the corner of her eye. The dark sorceress seems to be quite amused looking by all of this.

Emma, as always, keeps her emotions hidden behind a mask of cool indifference at this scene. In the end she doesn't believe it will necessitate her to change her long term plans. She is, however, not pleased at being left out of the loop. She is truly surprised to find out Claire is Sebastian's daughter. She wonders what his game is at waiting until now to reveal this.

Kal elbows Isobel in the ribs. "Uck, and me without my camera to capture the moment," he flippantly remarks.

"Can you be serious?" Isobel chastises him.

"I can be. I choose not to."

Isobel gives him a dirty look for that reply.

"Perhaps we should allow them a few moment to absorb these revelations," Sage suggests. She had been standing in the doorway for awhile, watching this, without anyone really noticing her until she spoke.

"A pertinent idea," Sebastian agrees with his personal assistant. He can see that she is correct. It is a bombshell he has dropped. Allowing his daughter and her mother a little privacy to bond can serve his aims he believes. His presence at the moment, considering Martha's cool attitude to him, would not assist. Let it sink in and then he can work more on reintegrating them all as a family. He signals to his Queens, Sage and Isobel to depart and instructs Kal to remain and watch over their guests. He has to leave someone to watch over them and why not it be someone they know. Also call it a small test of Kal's loyalty to see what he does if anything when 'alone' with his former friends. Not that he is really alone. He will be being watched.

Before departing Selene strides over to Amara. "Don't think of leaving, my dear granddaughter. After all we have so much catching up to do," she says with a dark smile of anticipation at 'catching up' as she glides a cold finger down Amara's cheek.

Amara shivers uncontrollably in a mixture of fear and revulsion at Selene's touch.

Once they leave the room Kal folds his arms across his chest and takes in the sight of his mother and Claire. Huh, he has a little sister. That's...a shame really because Claire's kinda hot. On the other hand they're not actually blood related. He doesn't actually have any blood relations being the last of his kind and all.

Martha leads Claire over to the seat next to Amara and sits her down. "How are you doing?" Martha asks the fiery teenager.

Claire manages a watery smile. "Oh not so bad...considering the one person I respect turns out to have a murdering daughter," she refers to herself, truly upset about what her mother must think of her. Truly terrified her mother will reject her.

Kal chuckles. "Oh yeah. I had almost forgotten about that. Well I wouldn't beat yourself up too bad about it. Trust me that guilt thing is for losers. I never waste my time with it."

Martha fixes him a severe glare. She'll deal with him momentarily. She turns her focus back to Claire. "Claire. I wish this was the time and place to talk about that," she says. It obviously is neither the time nor place to have that kind of discussion. "However, know this, that I don't hold you in any lesser opinion than before. I always tried to be be there and help you and now, as it turns out, you're my daughter I mean that doubly."

"But..." Claire starts to say but Martha never lets her.

"No buts, Claire. Once we're out of this situation we're going to talk and that, young lady, you can't avoid."

"It's amazing how quickly she falls into that bossy mom roll ain't it?" Kal says, tongue firmly in cheek.

Right. Her son. Martha needs to deal with him. She looks to Claire and gently strokes her daughter's cheek. "I promise Claire. I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere," she promises.

Hope burns in Claire's eyes that that is true.

"I just need to talk to Superman for a moment. In the meantime why don't you and Amara catch up," Martha suggests before she stands up straight and marches right up to her son, showing no fear of him despite of who he is right now...and then grabs him by his left ear and drags him into the corner while Kal complains furiously, muttering profanities.

Amara and Claire look at each other, fidgeting awkwardly, unsure what to say to each other.

Claire plays with her hands in her lap and decides to break the silence. "So, uh, granddaughter?" she asks about what Selene said.

"So she claims," Amara says hatefully.

"Um...sorry that your grandmother turned out to be the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club," Claire says somewhat lamely and then mentally cringes at how pathetic that sounded.

Amara manages a small smile at Claire's attempt at sympathy. "Sorry your father turned out to be the Black King," Amara says back in kind.

Claire's shoulders slump a little. "Just when I thought my life couldn't get any more screwed up," she complains.

"Why did you leave?" Amara asks.

"I told you why in my letter," Claire replies defensively.

"There's a phrase for that back home. I think the closest translation is 'what a load of crap!'" Amara pours scorn on Claire's reasons. It didn't make any sense to her back in the summer and it still doesn't.

Claire blinks. She's not use to hearing such language coming from Amara.

Amara shrugs. "For awhile my room-mates were Tabby and Wanda," she explains where she picked that up from. "Not to mention you were never shy about letting loose the profanities."

"Yeah but I grew up on the streets. You're a princess," Claire argues about the differences between them.

Amara chuckles. "You should come to my home sometime and hear the Senate debate, like I had to. Lets just say the debates were..._robust_ and the Senators aren't shy when it comes to insulting their opponents. In fact some of the descriptions were extremely...colourful."

"I...uh...didn't realise."

"You must remember we are descended directly from Rome with a culture that has remained virtually unchanged for 1500 years. We have a very different definition of what civilised means. When I first came to the United States I was surprised by how tame everyone was."

"So you were never offended by my language?"

"Like I said; tame."

Claire laughs. "I...no-one has ever called me **that **before."

"First time for everything. So how about answering my question. Why did you leave?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Claire says with a sigh that indicates she has been having second thoughts about that but after today's revelations can you blame her.

"Are you alright? You know with learning what that Shaw guy did to...um...make you?"

"It's still sinking in. Since I was 3 I thought my parents were dead and now I learn they were never really my parents."

"Well I can sympathise a little. Apparently I don't know my parents at all if Selene was telling the truth."

"You really didn't know?"

"No. My family name is Aquilla, not Gallio. The idea that I'm related to her..." Amara shudders in revulsion. "Selene is the most hated, reviled person on my island. She's like...uh the bogeyman," Amara tries to come up with an analogy Claire might understand. "You know parents tell their children to behave or Selene will come for their souls. That usually scares even the most rebellious teenager into line and you must realise it was only just over 50 years ago she was banished. There are still people around who remember her, remember the evil she is capable of."

"Well if it helps I have heard stories about my...father that don't exactly paint him in a good light."

"My Gods, we're a pair aren't we?" Amara laughs at the sheer absurdity of the position she and Claire in.

Claire joins in the laughter. "Yes, we are."

Amara and Claire share a look and a spark, almost visible, flies between them. Amara makes a move but Claire stops her.

"What?" Amara asks, her voice soft.

"I have a girlfriend," Claire explains and that is why she stopped Amara. She could tell Amara was about to kiss her. Must be the high emotion but thanks to her temper Claire is use to dealing with emotions that are near the surface.

"Oh," Amara says somewhat embarrassed. "Well, you know, in my culture multiple partners is not uncommon," she points out.

"Uh...that might be ok for you Amara but Marie doesn't come from a culture like that," Claire says, trying to be loyal, despite what feelings of attraction she still has for Amara. Just because she grew up rough doesn't make her a complete bitch and she won't cheat on her girlfriend.

Amara smiles thinly. "I understand," she says and she does, even if it hurts a bit to be rejected.

While Claire and Amara were catching up, Martha had dragged her son into the corner.

"What the fuck?!" Kal complains as he rubs his ear.

"Watch the language Clark," Martha chastises him at a harsh whisper.

"Didn't you hear my good pal Sebastian. Clark's not here at the minute."

"It's you Clark. However much you try and protest it isn't, it is you. Don't try and pretend otherwise. I'm your mother," Martha warns him off. She then starts frisking him.

"What are you doing?" Kal asks indignantly.

"Where's the red kryptonite, Clark?"

"There isn't any. Isobel and Emma double teamed me. This is all magical telepathy...or telepathic magic...or maglepathy. There I invented a new term," Kal says with some pride at his achievement. "But I think the more important question is what the hell are you doing here mom?" he asks her, sounding quite agitated.

"Why do you think?" Martha gives him her reply as she has to concede she can't find any red kryptonite on him. God knows how they'll undo this but worry about that later. Getting out of this situation is more of the priority right now.

"Aw, you came to rescue me," Kal says making an over-the-top touched expression. "That's sweet. Really...but you shouldn't be here. You're going to screw this up," he tells her off. "I have it completely under control," he says with total belief in himself.

"No, you don't," Martha contradicts him. "You only think you do. That's your flaw when you're like this. You're arrogant and cocky."

"I find your lack of faith disturbing," Kal says in a pitch perfect Darth Vader impression.

"It's like last time isn't it?" Martha asks him, realising something from his words. "This is like Alicia. You're planning something."

Kal grins. "I'm always planning something. Just because I tend to get distracted a little by someone with a great rack doesn't mean my brain isn't working."

Martha glares at him. "I raised you better than that."

"Don't give yourself too much credit there mom. Considering your severe limitations you should be thankful I'm not a mass murderer."

"I'm going to let that pass only because I know you're not in your right mind."

"I'm insulted," he pretends to be. "Everything is going exactly as planned. Give me some credit."

Martha reaches up and places her hand on Clark's cheek. "Clark, you don't realise how dangerous you are when you're like this."

"That's not what you're afraid of. You're afraid of the exact opposite. That I do know how dangerous I am and just don't care," he says with a rather bone chilling look.

That makes Martha pause because he's not wrong about that. The thought of Clark going around, not caring about who he endangers is something she is afraid of but she believes totally that in her son's good character...even this malfunctioning one that is currently running the show. "Clark, what are you up to?" she asks, deep concern in her voice.

Kal grins lopsidedly. "Trust me. I've got this covered. Just stick close to me when the moment comes."

"What moment?"

"Oh you'll know. It'll be when everyone sees just what a bad, bad boy I am," he promises with bad boy smile to add to his point.

Martha has to say that's not reassuring in the least.

* * *

It is a few hours later that the other members of the New York branch of the Inner Circle arrive as it is was only a short time ago Sebastian summoned them to inform them of his triumph. They gather in the round meeting room, each sitting upon their thrones.

"What is this about Shaw?" an overweight man, with red hair and thick beard asks. He is Harry Leland, Black Bishop of the Hellfire Club. He is a mutant who has the ability to increase the force of gravity upon a person or object within, roughly, a few hundred feet of himself.

"Patience Leland," Sebastian advises his Black Bishop, though who knows for how much longer he will be. Leland over indulged and was in poor health. Shaw didn't give Leland more than a few years left from what he had read in the medical files he had Tessa obtain. That's why Kal's defection is perfectly timed. The Inner Circle would need fresh blood once he became Lord Imperial. Sebastian had plans to completely overhaul the whole organisation. Modernise it to coin a phrase. Tessa, standing behind his throne, would be a great help in that. She had proved herself beyond doubt over her long and loyal service to him since she left Xavier and joined him and he hasn't even rubbed that in the good Professor's face just to show that he can be magnanimous.

Leland shares a look with his white counterpart Donald Pierce. It was never good when Shaw was coy...although that is better than the usual insults he gets about his weight which Shaw is never shy from delivering.

The last member to enter the room is Selene, accompanied by her daughter. Isobel herself was a probationary member of the Club by the sheer fact of being Selene's daughter. Membership was normally hereditary. It was inherited by the next descendent after death but since Selene is immortal that rule was going to have be bent a little. If Isobel proved herself Shaw was willing to put it to the vote to allow her full membership. The New York branch was in need of a new Black Rook and if Isobel was voted in Shaw was going to grant her that position. Rook's were 3rd in the line of authority after Kings and Queens, who had equal top rank, and Bishops. After Rooks were Knights followed by Pawns.

Once Selene takes her throne and Isobel stands next to her mother the meeting can begin. Isobel is still playing nice, waiting her moment. That moment will come when the 3 stones are gathered together. That will be her moment to take their power for herself and rid herself of her mother.

Shaw rises to his feet and walks to the centre of the room so he can make his announcement. "Ladies and Gentleman. I have called this meeting because they have been several developments over these last few days that give us the chance to elevate this branch of our beloved Inner Circle to the top of our organisation."

"What developments?" Pierce asks, with a furrowed brow. He had been busy with his partnership with Lex Luthor so hadn't been on top of affairs within the Circle as he probably needs to be. There is a lot of pruning that needs to be done around here, in his opinion and funnily enough his partnership with Lex just might deliver the shears with which he can start snipping away those that he deems unfit to be members of this fine institution.

"I think it best if our Probationary Member, the Countess Thoreaux and our White Queen explain," Shaw invites them to tell the story since it begins with their impulsive decision to go to China. "Ladies, the floor is yours," Shaw says as he departs back to his throne.

Emma, dressed in the traditional, skimpy Hellfire Club wear, rises to her feet. Isobel had chosen not to indulge in such nonsense and wore a long back dress. They both move to the centre of the room and Isobel begins with the telling of the story of the 3 legendary Stones of Power and of her 400 year quest to find them. She continues with the tale of her defeat at the hands of the X-Men when she tried to capture the Crystal of Fire and how that brought her here, to the Inner Circle to seek her mother's assistance. She goes on to mention Superman's link to the stones and him being the key to gaining them. Finally she mentions her vision which led to the trip to China.

At this point Emma takes up the story and describes the chaos of the fight in China which led to the capture of the Crystal of Air and of Superman.

"You have Superman, here?" Leland asks, sounding most sceptical.

"Indeed we do," Sebastian says, sounding boastful. He stands and walks over to the door which he opens. "Gentleman may I introduce my next nomination for joining our elite group. He goes by the name of Kal but you may know him better as Superman."

At this point Kal strides into the room, smirking to himself as per usual. "Gentleman. The ambience of this room has just improved 100%," he jokes with a sardonic sounding laugh.

Both Pierce and Leland must both admit to being surprised at this turn of events.

"How?" Pierce asks the question as in how did this come about.

"My telepathic skills, naturally," Emma says with some pride in her own work. "And before you ask the next most obvious question he has already proved his loyalty," she cuts short the obvious attack upon her that he's faking. As if she wouldn't know.

"Has he?" Pierce asks with grave doubts. He doesn't trust Emma. Her rapid rise to Queen, surpassing him in the process, has left a sourness.

Emma turns to Shaw. "Sebastian if you would be so kind as to summon our other _guests," _she politely requests.

Sebastian nods his head to show he is willing to do so. He speaks to the guard outside the door who leaves to bring their _guests._

Emma addresses her doubters. "As I was saying after I...reconditioned Superman to our needs, our King asked the same questions you are, about whether this was for real."

"So I offered a way to prove it," Kal jumps in.

"You will hand over these stones to us?" Pierce guesses.

"In time. Problem is one of them was in the hands of my former friends so I offered the next best thing."

"What?" Leland asks.

"The X-Men, powerless and in chains to do with what you wish."

Leland laughs deeply from his large gut, not believing what he is hearing. "You expect us to believe you betrayed your colleagues?"

"Oh ye of little faith," Kal puts him down and to prove his point that is when the X-Men are led in, power inhibiting collars around their necks, chains around their wrists and ankles, still minus Spider-Man and Wolverine.

Pierce and Leland are truly surprised by this.

"Still doubt me?" Kal asks them, with a smug grin.

"You'll never get away with this Superman," Cyclops says. Scott is putting on a show on the basis Clark is working a scheme by saying this.

Kal breaks out into a loud laugh. "Oh Scott. How boringly clichéd. It's a miracle you have ever gotten laid."

"Oh Xavier, you remember my personal assistant don't you?" Shaw asks, holding his hand out in Sage's direction, unable to stop himself rubbing it in a little.

"Sage," Charles says coldly, putting on an act of sounding angry and disappointed.

"Charles," Sage returns coolly. "You should have left well enough alone. If you had not stuck your nose in our affairs we would have been happy to leave you be."

"Lass, if ye expected us t' do that then your mind is not as I remember it," Sean says, making it seem like he is insulting her.

"Your mind was never much to start with Cassidy," Sage retorts.

Sebastian chuckles, amused by the exchange. "Please. Let us be civil," he advises. "We have two further guests I wish to add to this meeting."

At which point, to add to the group, Martha and Amara are brought in, which is a complete shock to the X-Men who did not know till right now that they had come.

"Amara! Martha!" Charles exclaims, not having to pretend to be surprised.

"Yeah. They came and tried to barter for your freedom," Kal gives the reason he is willing to admit right now. "I'm afraid your stupidity is contagious...but it was very enlightening about certain...shall we call them skeletons in the closet. I'm not sure you'll be around long enough to learn of those unless any of you have taken your time-out, used it wisely and decided to switch sides."

"You will find us unmoved from our position," Storm states in her clear, imperial- like authoritative tones.

"You see I try to be nice and where does it get me?" Kal asks, sounding a little exasperated his generosity is being rejected. He pauses momentarily, his gaze distant as if thinking something over before he suddenly claps his hands together hard, making a loud echoing sound that makes a few people present jump. "So lets get this show on the road shall we? I've lived up to my end of the bargain. How about you live up to yours Mr Sebastian Shaw?" Kal asks the man, expectantly.

"Of course." Sebastian turns to his fellow rulers. "I have made my nomination. Time to put it to the vote," he tells them. "What..."

"Stop!" Isobel suddenly interrupts.

Sebastian looks at her, annoyance flaring deep in his eyes. "What?"

"Something is wrong," Isobel says as her eyes dart around the room.

Selene looks at her daughter with a sudden interest. "You sense something," she guesses.

"The stone. It's here," Isobel explains what it is that suddenly caught the edges of her awareness. Since it has been her life's and death's work to obtain them she is quite sensitive to their unique...lets call it vibration.

Selene closes her eyes and reaches out with her mystical senses. Her eyes open, narrowed in concentration "My daughter is correct. It is here," she can confirm.

"I ordered that left in the vault," Sebastian says with clipped anger. "Who has defied my order?" he demands to know.

"Problems, my Liege?" Pierce asks with slightly mocking tones.

Sebastian doesn't respond and walks up to Kal. He looks at the boy with an accusing gaze.

"Search me," Kal says with his usual arrogance.

Isobel walks around Kal, her hand raised as if feeling for the stone. "He doesn't have it," she can confirm.

"Of course not. I haven't been near that vault," Kal insists, sounding insulted at the lack of trust.

Isobel starts to wander round the room, intermingling with all the people present. The X-Men, the guards...

Isobel stops at one of the faceless guards, her head cocking to the side as her eyes peer deeply at him...peer deeply into him. Her hand reaches up to the white mask over his face, which she tears off to reveal...

"Spider-Man!" Kitty cries, mostly just out of shock at seeing the bug-eyed mask of her boyfriend.

"Uh oh. Busted," Spider-Man says in an out of place jovial tone.

"You!" Isobel hisses hatefully.

Spider-Man makes a nervous sounding laugh. "It's Bel right? Wow, it's been a while hasn't it. You know since the last time we met. With the fighting and the kicking your ass and you running away...all the way home to mommy apparently. Geez, even Mysterio isn't that lame...oh what am I saying? Ol' fish-bowl head is way lamer. I'll give you that."

"Do you ever shut up?!" Isobel screams in total exasperation at having to listen to this annoying twit again.

"Perhaps we can skip the witty banter and move to the recapturing him?" Emma suggests, her expression as if that should be painfully obvious.

"Guards!" Sebastian commands and the guards start to converge on Spider-Man.

Spider-Man raises his hands. "Now before we get to the part where I kick your butts you may want to pause and ask yourself this. How long has old Spidey been free and what has that handsome devil been up to?"

Sebastian's brow draws down. "What have you done?" he asks in a low, dangerous tone.

Around Spider-Man's waist is a belt with little pouches. All the guards have them. They hold extra ammo and restraints. He pulls out what looks like a little remote control. "I made this."

"And what is that?" Isobel asks, her tone not one of great fear at that little box.

"It's a remote override for the electronic locks on the power inhibiting collars," Spider-Man states calmly. "And it works like this," he says as he points at the X-Men, presses the button and simultaneously all the collars around the X-Men's neck unlock and fall off.

Immediately Shadowcat phases her chains off while Jean telekinetically rips hers off followed by Cyclops'. They in turn start to free the others and chaos soon erupts as they begin to battle the guards.

"You call this having the X-Men under control?" Leland yells at Shaw just a moment before a thrown guard impacts him, knocking him and his throne backwards.

Shaw turns sharply to Superman. "Do something!" he demands.

Kal rolls his eyes with a painful sigh. "If you insist." He moves in a blur...and grabs Shaw by his jacket before tossing the man through the air, right through his own throne and into the wall hard, almost hitting Sage in the process but she manages to sidestep out of the way. Kal dusts his hands off with an amused smirk. "There. Did something!" he proclaims merrily.

Isobel looks at Kal, completely surprised he actually did that...which takes her attention off Spider-Man which she realises is a mistake the moment after she is cocooned in sticky white webbing. Several French curses, best left untranslated, escape her lips.

Kal zips next to his mother. "See. Told you to have some faith in me," he says smugly.

Martha looks at him, puzzled. "You arranged this?"

"I don't like to boast."

Martha fixes her son a strong gaze.

Kal cracks under the near withering gaze from his mother. "Ok, yes I do and yes I did...but this is not the place for explanations," even Kal realises as he easily picks up a guard who had come at him and throws the poor guy into Pierce.

At this point a loud animalistic roar signals the arrival of a free Wolverine as he, and several guards he is tangling with, come smashing through the door.

A look of relief passes over Storm's features at seeing her boyfriend before she refocusses on battling the guards.

Wolverine pauses in his beating of them with one guard trapped in a head-lock. "Princess? Martha? What are you doing here?" he says with a furrowed brow.

"Oh good. Lets ask stupid questions while we battle the faceless minions. Brilliant strategy," Kal mutters with a roll of his eyes.

"Space Boy. We're going to be having words," Logan promises and he isn't meaning that in a good way. He smashes his fist with its adamantium laced bones into a guard's face.

"Sounds like fun. Can't wait," Kal dead-pans as he boots another guard across the room as he protects his mother. Amara is even getting into the act as she throws fireballs at the poor minions of the Hellfire Club.

"_EMMA!" _the Professor's telepathic voice slams into his former student's mind. Now that collar is off he can combat Emma on a much more even footing.

Emma grabs her head and struggles to keep him out. The Professor is probably the more powerful telepath. _"Get out of my head old man!"_ she mentally screams back.

"_Is this what you left me for? For this madness?" _he asks her.

"_I do what I have to. Your way will only lead to ruin,"_ she petulantly defends herself.

"_I am sorry Emma. I failed you," _Charles laments that fact.

"_Spare me!" _Emma spits in disgust at the Professor's apologies as she fights back and engages him in psychic combat.

During all this Selene remains seated, unmoved, her expression flat before movement stirs in her curvaceous form and she rises to her feet. With a sweep of her hands she flings everyone between her and Kal aside with great force with her magic. She steps forward. "I should have known," she states, surprisingly calmly and not with the rage once might expect from her. "I should have known not to believe you, son of Jor-El."

Kal moves to face her, placing himself between her and his mother. "And yet you did believe me. What does that say about you?" he asks before he suddenly snaps his fingers as he realises something. "Is that how my dear old dad did it? Is that how he beat you? Did he lure you in with sweet words and once your guard was done...POW!" Kal guffaws. "That's it, isn't it! Oh, I may just about owe the old bastard an apology...almost."

"Once upon a time people would cower at the mere thought of incurring my wrath," Selene says.

Kal arches an eyebrow. "I can snap your bones like twigs with my little finger. What do I have to fear exactly?"

Selene smiles coldly. "Oh you will learn fear, son of Jor-El. You will learn that betrayal incurs a wrath that makes even Gods tremble under their beds in fear of it."

Kal looks at his watch in a blatantly disrespectful manner. "Are you done? I have places to be, things to do."

"Done? I haven't even come close to beginning yet," Selene promises with all the dark menace she is capable of. She begins to summon her magics from within.

Kal smirks. "You really think I'm not ready for you, witch. That I haven't thought about how to avoid a replay of our last fight. Oh while we're mentioning that, that, by the way, was really unpleasant," he comments about the way Selene drained him.

"It's nothing compared to what I am going to do to you," Selene promises.

"Yeah. Don't think so," Kal says with a renewed seriousness. He stretches his right hand out in Spider-Man's general direction and the silvery metallic stone, that is the Crystal of Air, comes bursting out of one of the pouches and flies into his hand. "You want to see what this can do?" he asks with a manic grin. Kal zips forward and slams the stone, point first, into the ground at Selene's feet before she can react. There is a bright flash that emanates from the stone and Kal is thrown back.

Selene screams and everyone just stops their fighting and turns their attention to her. She is now off the ground, suspended above the stone, held by an unseen force that is slowly spinning her round and round.

Kal pushes himself back to his feet, still grinning manically.

Back with Sebastian, Sage is helping him to his feet, as a trickle of blood runs down his nose from the impact. "What have you done?!" he demands to know, his voice loud.

"If you want a suggestion, Seb, then run while you can," Kal advises.

Sebastian frowns. Kal has no idea who he is dealing with or that being thrown as he was has simply allowed Sebastian to absorb the kinetic energy and make himself stronger. It is then he feels it. Feels the wind pick up within the room. A wind rotating like Selene is. "A twister?" he asks, incredulously.

Kal chuckles. "Yep and it will continue to grow and in about 5 minutes it will tear this building apart so we can stand here, if you wish and continue this little skirmish but I don't think many of you happen to be as invulnerable as I am."

Harry Leland starts heading for the exit. "You stay here if you wish Shaw. I choose to live to fight another day," he says, his own instinct for self-preservation kicking in above anything else. Besides he can't get revenge on these common peasants if he happens to be dead.

Donald Pierce glares daggers at Shaw, whom he is blaming entirely for this, as Shaw was the one who gave assurances about the boy which have proven totally false...and oh he blames Frost too. "The Lord Imperial shall hear of this!" he declares. Let Shaw and Frost try and talk their way out of this with their supreme leader. Even if they do their day of reckoning is coming, Pierce swears, as he too beats a hasty exit.

The winds picks up more.

"Uh...Cyclops," Spyke says. "I think we should do as Superman suggests and blow this place faster than I take off down the ramp at the skate park."

The wind almost blows Scott off his feet as it spins Selene faster and faster as she curses and swears but can't get herself free and he can see Spyke is correct. "X-Men, we're leaving!" he orders.

"Sebastian," Sage says, in pleading tones as for them to leave.

Sebastian grits his teeth in anger at this situation but he agrees with Sage that they should depart. "We'll meet again boy!" he swears to Superman and that meeting will have an entirely different outcome. He swiftly moves to where his throne was and steps on a hidden switch. A hatch in the floor opens and he and Sage disappear down it. At this the Hellfire guards start running for their own lives.

"That is so clichéd!" Kal whines childishly at the secret trapdoor exit. He claps his hands. "Right then. Time to go. Isobel?" he queries and he turns to get Isobel and finally rescue Lana which will so allow him to boast to the farmboy side of him about succeeding where old Clarkie failed. Except there will be no boasting as all there is left of Isobel is a crumpled pile of webbing. She's gone. "Oh come on!" he complains. "I went through all this and I still don't get to rescue the girl! My life sucks some days!"

"Preaching to the choir," Spider-Man says as that happens in his life all too often.

"ARRHHH!" Selene screeches as she spins in the air, round and round, faster and faster. "You'll pay for this son of Jor-El! I swear it! Even if it takes me an eternity I'll make you pay for this day!"

"I'll be here, waiting, you old hag!" Kal promises, insultingly. He then turns his back to her and goes to pick up his mother to get her to safety.

Meanwhile Jean grabs Emma by the arm. "Now are you coming or do we just leave you here?" she asks the woman she doesn't like at all but Jean is not someone who would just stand and let even Emma Frost get killed.

Emma forcibly takes her arm out of Jean's grip. "I can manage myself," she says between gritted teeth as the wind whips up her long blond hair.

Jean narrows her eyes and telekinetically shoves Emma towards the exit as they all beat a hasty retreat from the increasing winds whose force are starting to peel bits of plaster off the walls.

Being they're in a rush Beast carries the Professor as they start running through the halls of the club for the exit. On the way they come across the Hellions whose attention had been drawn by the noise of the commotion of the scuffle between the X-Men and the guards.

"What is going on?" King Bedlam asks the question everyone is asking.

Everyone looks to Emma to respond and explain it. After all it is her team.

"We're leaving," Emma states coldly.

"With them?" Hellion asks, making a face of derision, while he points at the X-Men.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Kal shouts, totally fed up with how stupidly slow these guys are. "You hear that roaring sound behind us? That's a twister that's about to tear this building...and consequently anyone still happening to be inside to pieces. Now Monet and I can probably survive that but hands up who else is invulnerable? What was that? None of you are? Well then we better stop lolly-gagging around here and get going then shouldn't we sports?" Kal says as mockingly as he can. He then looks down at his mother in his arms. "Was that too subtle?" he asks her.

Martha rubs her brow and reminds herself that this is her son whom she loves dearly.

"We don't have tahme for this," Rogue says. "Come with us or get out of tha dang way!" she tells the Hellions

"Wow it's such a turn on when she takes charge ain't it," Kal says with a hungry smile.

Martha slaps him on the arm for that. He doesn't seem to notice.

Tarot raises her hand. "If it's a vote I'm going with getting out of here."

"I'm with Marie," Firestar agrees.

"Oui. I agree with them," Bevatron says.

Volcana remains quiet as she has been ever since she learnt about her relationship to Mrs Kent and Shaw. She really didn't know how to explain that to her team-mates. Hell she hadn't even told her girlfriend yet.

Monet rolls her eyes at the fact this decision is taking so long. "It is clearly the only sensible thing to do to depart because, as Superman said, only he and I can survive such forces. If any of you cannot see that then I will have to re-evaluate my assessment of your respective intellectual levels...which were not very high to begin with," she says in her superior tones.

"We're going to talk about this teach," Julian promises with a glare at Emma. If she has ruined his chances of making it into the Inner Circle she'll know it.

"Yes. Yes," Emma says. "Now if we're done I believe leaving with all haste is recommended."

With that the Hellions and X-Men head for the exit. As soon as they get outside they turn to see that the funnel of the twister has broken through the roof and high above is the now tiny looking figure of Selene.

"Is that...is that Selene?" Roulette asks, in totally stunned that it could be.

"That's her," Kal confirms cheerfully.

"Holy!" Beef exclaims.

"Is she going to die?" Hellion asks.

"You wish," Emma pours scorn on that idea. "She's immortal. She can't die."

"Perhaps not," Kal concedes as he places his mother down on her feet. "But it will take her awhile to recover I'm betting...which just goes to prove that when I plan a double cross I really plan them!"

Emma glares at him.

Kal turns his attention to her. "Aw what's the matter Em? Did I hurt your feelings with my simple but oh so inevitable deception?" Kal chuckles a little mockingly. "That's right. I was playing you from the start. Don't flatter yourself into thinking you're that good. You're not. You let your greed and lust for power blind you. Besides even if I have been even slightly tempted by what you had to offer why would I want to boldly go where **every **man has no doubt been before."

"Ooh! Burn sister!" Domino says, having to admit she enjoyed that put down.

Emma's expression goes colder than a winter's day at the North Pole.

"So vhat now?" Nightcrawler asks because here they stand in the street.

"Well first lets deal with Selene," Kal determines the next step. He reaches out with his hand and the stone comes flying into it, still generating it's twister only it comes more focussed and controlled than it had been previously and at the top of the funnel, still trapped, is Selene. Kal closes his eyes and concentrates sending Selene higher and higher until she vanishes from sight. The twister then dissipates as Kal shuts the stone down.

"Where did you send her?" the Professor asks.

Kal shrugs. "Don't really know. Don't really care...but it's going to do more than leave a bruise or two when she lands which even for her I'm betting is really going to hurt," he says, sounding a mite pleased at the pain Selene will suffer through.

Despite taking the fact Selene is immortal and will certainly survive Charles can't help but be concerned at Clark's lack of compassion and care. Even for his 'Kal' persona this seems extreme.

"I repeat, so vhat now?" Nightcrawler asks as they still stand there in the street with their enemies.

Kal lets out a bored sigh. "Now our so-called worthy foes," he says with a loud sarcastic snort as he turns his focus to the Hellions. "Now they leave because it's over."

"You really think that's it?" Hellion asks indignantly. His hands clench into fists and there are visible green sparks as he powers up his telekinesis.

"Yeah. Pretty much," Kal says. "The mighty Inner Circle have fled with their tails between their legs. Selene is going to be...incapacitated for awhile. Isobel ran away...again so what's left to fight over? You can't take this stone from me...and if you try you'll end up where Selene is. Now why don't you go," Kal waves them off. "I'm sure Emma has her terrible vengeance to plan on me for tricking her," he says lazily as if it hardly matters as he doesn't see her as any sort of real threat.

Hellion moves threateningly forward. "Why you little..."

"Julian!" Emma snaps. "Stop. He's right. It's over."

Julian glares at his teacher.

"The police will be here shortly. Do you wish to remain here and explain this?" Emma asks him calmly.

Julian can't say yes, can he. "This is not over," he promises all of the X-Men. He is visibly fuming as are many of the Hellions.

"On that you're right," Cyclops says in agreement. "This isn't over Emma," he promises her specifically with a glare from behind his visor.

Emma manages a tiny smile. "Scott, for us, it is never over," she says, not missing a chance to rile Jean. "Hellions, we depart," she orders.

"We're just letting them go?" Logan asks, rather indignant at the idea they get off scot-free.

"Logan, look around," the Professor requests the feral mutant to do. What he is meaning in particular is the crowd of bystanders that has been drawn in by the twister. "Do you really think it wise to start a fight here, in the middle of New York?" he asks, thinking of all the collateral damage another battle with the Hellions would cause. Both physical and to the image of mutants.

Logan frowns. "That's just delaying it Chuck," he warns that they are simply putting off the inevitable next confrontation.

"Perhaps but I will not start a fight when one isn't necessary."

"You're still a fool Charles," Emma manages off one last sneering comment before her departure from the scene.

"Perhaps I am Emma," Charles humours her. "Good luck."

"Luck?" Emma inquires what he means.

"With defending yourself to your fellow Inner Circle members. I don't believe they'll be happy with you about this," the Professor explains why he feels she needs good luck.

Emma frowns although, unfortunately, she has to concede Charles is correct. "I'll survive old man. Make no doubt of that," she avows.

"I have no doubt. However, if it doesn't go as well as you hope and should you ever need my help you know where I am," Charles makes the offer.

"Hell will freeze over first."

"Stranger things have happened."

Emma snorts loudly as she turns her back on them, her cape swirling around her.

"And you dated her," Domino says to Cyclops. "You can really pick them can't you One-eye."

Scott can hardly believe that was the girl he was once dated. She is so different. So cold and calculating...and amoral. So very different from Jean...which he is very happy about as is the fact he is dating his beautiful, warm, caring girlfriend.

The Hellions turn to leave with their teacher. All except Volcana who is caught, unsure what to do, where to go.

Emma senses this. "Volcana!" she snaps the name, in no mood to be civil. "What are you doing?"

"I...um..." Claire struggles to explain.

"She's coming home to her family," Martha states firmly as she strides over to her daughter and takes her by the hand.

"I'm not sure...that's...uh...that may not be a good idea," Claire argues rather weakly, showing she is very confused about where she should be now.

"Her family is us!" Emma states, irately. Also she is going to be in Sebastian's bad books as is. She is not explaining how she has lost his daughter on top of all of this. Volcana is coming with them, no argument as far as Emma is concerned. She doesn't want to prolong this. She has already had to suffer enough failure today but she will fight for Volcana if she has to.

Claire takes a deep breath and looks at...at her mother and the pull to go with the older woman is very strong but in the end she makes a heart-wrenching choice. "I can't. I can't go with you," she says, her voice choked.

Martha feels like her heart is breaking. "But Claire. You're my daughter," she argues with the girl, placing a gentle hand on her cheek.

"That's why I need to go," Claire says tearfully. "I...it's too much. I need...to...to think. I'm sorry," she whispers before she yanks her hand back and runs off to join her fellow Hellions, leaving behind a distraught Martha Kent, who has her own tears running down her cheeks.

"Daughter?" Storm queries, asking the question everyone else is.

"Long story," Kal responds. "Good story. Funny story but long."

"Can ya beh serious?" Rogue demands.

"Like I told Isobel I can be. I'm choosing not to," is Kal's glib reply.

"You're an ass!"

"Yeah but what a magnificent one I am."

Rogue pinches the bridge of her nose. She had truly forgotten what a gigantic pain Kal is.

Storm moves quickly to her friend's side and places a supportive arm around the older woman. She may not know precisely what is going on but she doesn't need to. Her friend is deeply upset and needs support. That is all she needs to know right this moment.

The Hellions vanish off into the surroundings, disappearing completely from view.

"So does anyone feel like explaining what just happened?" Evan asks, at at total loss.

"Yeah. Like totally," Kitty agrees before turning to her boyfriend. "Like how did you end up dressed as a guard?" she asks. "I thought you were chained up?"

"There's a joke there," Spider-Man says as he puts on an exaggerated look as if he is thinking about it.

"Don't even think it webhead," Logan warns, so not in the mood after the day he has had.

Kal raises his hand. "I'll explain. I mean hearing the sound of my own voice. Now there's an idea I can get behind," he jokes as he volunteers to explain.

"Let us save that for when we get home," the Professor suggests, not seeing hanging around to try and explain this as a good idea. "If that is what you want, Kal?" he asks, hoping the boy agrees to come with them.

Kal shrugs. "Might as well."

Charles is going to take that as Clark agreeing to come with them which is the only option they have. Forcing him would be...difficult at best. There are many questions to be asked. The one that matters for Clark is can they undo whatever Emma has done. Charles hopes so. He takes one last look at the ruins of the Hellfire Club building. This is not over. Shaw escaped. It might take awhile for him to clean up this mess but they'll clash again. It is only a matter of time.

* * *

_Author's Note: I did consider making this the place where Isobel gets caught and Lana gets saved then I decided that it would be more fun for her to escape leaving this constant reminder to Clark of his failure to save her. Not to mention Isobel can continue to be a thorn in his side. I know it doesn't seem like Kal's 'plan' makes any sense here. I know it'll need to be explained and it will be. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Seeing his mother upset over Volcana's decision to stay with the Hellions Kal decides to 'fix' the situation._


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Now Jonathan Kent is a man with a bad heart. It is a result of a deal he struck with Jor-El to save his son when Clark was doped up on red kryptonite. It means he tries to avoid stressful situations...which is near impossible because he lives in a house full of teenage mutants who seem to face off against one foe or another every other day it almost seems like. Then there's the pranks they play on each other...

That's a whole other level of stress but Jonathan digresses. Back to his poor health. Therefore when the X-Men return this time and he gets dumped with several revelations at once Jonathan is quite frankly amazed he isn't being rushed to the hospital. He isn't even sure where to start.

He could start with his wife going off by herself, without telling him, to see her ex-fiancée, who as it turns out is the head of this secret powerful organisation. She went off to try and make a deal for the return of the X-Men who had been captured. Now even being a calm, reasonable person, Jonathan is pretty certain that earns him yelling rights and he would have as well except for the next bombshell.

His good natured, mild-mannered son had been replaced with the ultimate rebellious, disrespectful teenager from hell. Clark's alter-ego Kal was loose. For now Kal seemed inclined to stay and cause mischief around the mansion, only who knows how long that would last. Kal bores easily and for now they had no way to undo what Emma Frost had done to his psyche.

Of course that is after learning...or more accurately Kal boasting about what he had done to the Inner Circle. Now you have to take what Kal says with a large pinch of salt. He is beyond arrogant but Jonathan thinks he can work out the basics.

First Kal was playing Emma, Shaw and the rest from the start. He let them think he had joined them. Even going as far as tricking his friends into a trap and allowing them to be captured. Now what is unclear is if Kal being released was part of a plan or not. Kal was being his usual frustrating obnoxious self in talking in double-speak, innuendo and simply not answering the question.

Now we come to Kal's plan or whatever you wish to call it. Capturing the X-Men was a distraction for the Inner Circle while Spider-Man roamed around the Hellfire Club disguised as a guard and retrieved the stone. At some point Kal had freed Peter from his chains. It went unnoticed thanks to Sage who, as it turns out, defied any worry about her loyalty and helped Kal. Her ability to control machines and interact with computers meant the security cameras never showed what they should have. It was also Sage that released the collars. The 'magical' remote Spider-Man used was nothing but a fake, a useless button, that did nothing but to protect Sage from suspicion, thus maintaining her cover.

Now here Jonathan thinks Kal's ego is getting away ahead of himself. His plan was to have the Inner Circle in one place, especially Selene and then use the power of the stone to..._remove_ them and Jonathan doesn't use that term lightly. Kal seemed to care little either way if they survived or not...which was worrying since Kal is a reflection, a twisted one to be sure, but still a reflection of Clark's own personality. It worried Jonathan what that said about Clark. It was like he had missed something that had changed within Clark lately...or it felt like he had at any rate. As soon as they figure out a way to get Clark back he needs to have a heart to heart with his son.

Jonathan wishes he could say that was the biggest revelation to be dropped on his lap since the X-Men got back. He really wishes he could say that but no. The biggest one happened to be when Martha explained to him about who Claire Selton actually is.

Now learning your wife has a teenage daughter with another man is, to put it mildly, a bit of a shock. Jonathan likes to think he is coping quite well with it. After all Martha never knew anything about it. It wasn't as if she had been lying to him their whole marriage. She had never done that and Jonathan was trying to be there for her as she tried to deal with this and the fact Claire chose to stay with the Hellions rather than come back.

As always Martha and Clark were Jonathan's priorities. Anything else was secondary at the moment. Although he will admit it boils his blood to learn what Sebastian Shaw had done when he...created Claire. It's not a good descriptive word but it is the only one Jonathan can think of. Sebastian Shaw is one of those few people Jonathan Kent can decidedly say he does not like.

All that transpired yesterday and today he was in the greenhouse with his wife, watching her tend her plants. It was her coping mechanism. He was simply being there for her.

"Greetings Parental Units!"

Jonathan momentarily closes his eyes as his 'son' walks in. He must have gotten bored playing pranks and winding people up. "Clark. Can I help you?"

Kal shrugs. "Nah. Just trying to find something to do."

"You can help me, honey," Martha offers.

Kal makes a face. "Oh please. That is so dull and tedious even my other 'normal' farmboy self comes up with excuses to avoid doing that," he says in his usual blunt manner, not caring whose feelings he tramples on.

"Is that so?" Martha asks sceptically.

Kal grins. "Yep. I mean you never noticed how conveniently I always seem to need to rush off and save someone when you suggest that?"

"We'll talk about that when you're back to normal," Jonathan says.

"Who says you're ever getting me back to normal daddio?

"Because if you didn't want that you wouldn't still be here," Jonathan rather astutely deduces. After all they really have no way of stopping him leaving.

"You're mistaken."

"Am I?" Jonathan asks with a fixed look at his son, almost daring Clark to contradict him.

Kal doesn't and ends up making a confession. "Ok, maybe there was a deal and just maybe I'm stupidly honourable enough to uphold it. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

"What deal?" Jonathan asks.

"The deal I made with my other 2 sides so we could trick Emma," Kal explains before he bursts out into a laugh. "And that, you have to admit, worked like a charm."

"Other 2 sides?" Martha queries, puzzled by what her son is talking about.

Kal taps on the side of his head trying to illustrate what he is talking about. "Yeah. You know the dull ol' farmboy and Mr Kal-El of Krypton. What a dullard he is."

"They're...you're all inside your mind?" Jonathan queries, trying to understand and in the process trying to understand what may have changed Clark as of late.

"Yep. Lets just say we have issues that a whole boatload of psychiatrists couldn't solve," Kal makes light of it as he picks the leaf off one of his mother's flowers. He then notices his mother wiping a tear from her eye. "What are you crying about?" he asks, rather insensitively.

Jonathan wraps an arm around his wife as he explains what should be painfully obvious even for Kal about why his wife is upset. "Claire. Have you forgotten?"

"You're still upset about that?" Kal asks, puzzled. "That was yesterday. Move on already. You're not to blame for the fact that she's stupider than Bobby...and lets face facts that's monumentally stupid," he says, meaning that more as an insult for Bobby than Claire. Kal smirks as he thinks about how many times he has already gotten back at Bobby for all the pranks the ice-generator has played on him and looks forward in anticipation to how many more times he can get Bobby...and everyone else. Yep, it's good to him.

"Clark, I know you're not yourself but can you please try and be a bit more sensitive to your mother's feelings," Jonathan requests.

Kal rolls his eyes. Sensitivity is for chumps. "Fine. You want me to be sensitive. I can be sensitive," he humours them.

Jonathan isn't buying that and this is why. "Rogue still not talking to you?"

"She's being completely irrational!" Kal protests strongly.

Martha pulls herself together a little. "Clark. At breakfast you suggested you two make-up...over the kitchen table...in front of everyone." And she says this looking uncomfortable because he was meaning they have make-up sex over the table in front of everyone.

"So? It's not like I have anything to be ashamed of...and between you and me neither does she," Kal says with a...lets go with lecherous smirk.

"Clark. Some advice, son," Jonathan offers. "Parents don't like to imagine what they're children get up to in their personal lives any more than children like to imagine what their parents get up to."

"Are you trying to make me barf?" Kal asks back, with a mildly disgusted expression.

"I'm trying to bring you some enlightenment."

"Well gee thanks dad," Kal says sarcastically. "Thanks for making me imagine stuff I'll never be able to burn from my mind like ever...and I'm immortal and forever is a long, long, long time to have to live with that," he complains at his father putting images in his head of his parents...yep he's definitely going to barf.

Martha moves over and hugs her son. "Clark, whatever state your mind is in now, know that we always love you."

Kal looks deeply uncomfortable at the display of parental love. He's a 17 year old guy. They don't get hugs from their mother...and well you know he will admit he still does think of her as his mother despite everything. He sighs...loudly. He's going soft. "Look, mom. Since I don't like to see pretty ladies upset I'm going to fix this," he tells her.

Martha stiffens. Uh oh. "Fix what?"

"This whole estranged daughter scenario we've got here. I'm going to fix it," Kal announces with his usual cocky arrogance.

"Clark. That's not nec..." Martha never gets to finish her caution as the gust of wind blows her hair about that indicates Clark's gone. She looks to Jonathan who has the same worried expression she has about what Clark is away to do.

* * *

**Academy of Tomorrow...**

Since they got back from New York Claire had basically not left her room. Emma had been on the phone non-stop with the other members of the Inner Circle trying to save her own ass while Claire tried to come to terms with her new reality. The people she thought were her parents were not really her parents. Her parents are Sebastian Shaw, Black King of the Hellfire Club, a man who has...not the best reputation.

Not like she can judge. She hasn't got a great reputation either.

Her mother is Martha Kent...the first person who treated her like a person and not some freak of nature.

Claire has no idea what to do as she sits looking out the window. It was so much easier when she could just fry things.

Then there is a sudden gust of wind.

"Oh yeah. The brooding thing. I know a lot about that."

Claire's head snaps to her right to find Superman standing there. "How did you get in here?"

Kal shrugs with a happy go lucky smile. "It's a lot easier than you might think...especially when you happen to be me." Kal moves and sits down on Claire's bed. He picks up a light blue bra that happens to be lying there. "Yours...or Tarot's?" he asks with a glint in his eye.

Claire frowns and snatches it from him. "How about none of your damn business!" she snaps.

Clark raises his hands slightly in a defensive manner. "Oh easy, sister. I'm just here to help."

"You can't help me," Claire insists.

"Sure I can," Kal argues. "You're caught between your 2 parents. Both have a pull on you. You have a connection to both but they want entirely different things from you yet, somehow, you feel obligated to do what you think it is they both want of you. That somewhere near the mark?"

"Spot on," Claire says astounded.

"I've led an interesting life," Kal says. "To be blunt I've been where you've been. Want to know what I learned?"

Claire nods. If he has some advice that can help she thinks she'll take it at this juncture.

"You can love and respect your parents, listen to their views but in the end you have to do what you think is best for you...and sticking around here with Sebastian Shaw is not what is best for you."

"I probably have more in common with him," Claire says and she feels it true. Yeah she has heard stories and considering some of the stuff she has done she is probably closer to being like him than her mother.

Kal bursts into laughter in reaction to that statement.

"What's so funny?" Claire asks him, annoyed.

Kal wipes a mock tear away. "You hate being used right? Lionel Luthor, Stryker, you pretty much hate them?"

"I loathe them," Claire says, her eyes flaring with fire at her true loathing of the people that used her as a weapon.

"You think your daddy is any different?" Kal asks her to consider. "Lets look at the man. He's a power hungry douchebag who cooked you up in a lab because he has issues letting go of a woman who was smart enough to dump his ass. After he cooked you up he left you in the hands of your surrogate parents because he didn't have time for you...or more probable, in my opinion of the man, you didn't live up to what he wanted."

"You can't know that," Claire argues strongly.

"Can't I? We know you're not a natural born mutant like him. You don't have the x-gene. When you were little you were just another normal human being. It was the meteors that gave you your powers...which raises an interesting question."

"What question?"

"What were you doing in Smallville that day?"

"I...uh, can't remember."

"Of course not. I didn't expect you to...but consider this. Your 'parents' were lackeys in daddy's employ and they just happened to come to...well lets face it Smallville is the ass-end of nowhere but it does have one thing...or more accurately one person who is important to you."

"Mom?"

"Yes Dorothy, she does have a brain," Kal quips. "There was no way it was a coincidence Claire. Ok being in town the day fire rained from the sky was but being in Smallville...hardly. No-one just happens to drop by on Smallville. There's nothing there. Now I'm not a mind reader. I can't know why Shaw sent his lackeys plus you to Smallville. Maybe it was just to spy on mommy. Maybe it was part of a plot to use you to lure her back to him. What I can be certain about is that he hardly went out of his way to find you afterwards."

"He thought I was dead," Claire ends up making a defence of her father.

"Oh he thought you were dead," Kal mocks. He snorts. "Please. You were rescued, yes?"

Claire nods.

"You knew your name?"

Again Claire nods. She gave her rescuers her name.

"Then they would have tried to track down your relatives. An orphaned little girl...hell you were probably on the news. Even if you weren't Shaw's rich enough and well-connected enough to have tracked you down if he really wanted to. He obviously just didn't care enough. On the other hand mommy has been turning herself grey out of worry about you. Seriously she's heading for an aneurysm."

"S-she is?" Claire asks, worried that her mother might be making herself ill.

"Yeah, well, she's like that," Kal says, not meaning it as a compliment really.

Claire finds that Superman makes a good case about her father and why she shouldn't choose to stay with him. She can vaguely remember the social workers that took care of her talking about failing to find any family for her. "Then why did he seem happy to have me back?" she asks about her father, still trying, as foolish as it might seem, to make some sort of defence for him.

Kal arches an eyebrow. "Seriously? You don't know. I thought power hungry douchebag explained that. You went from a normal human to a very powerful mutant, Claire. He probably thought Christmas had come early because that makes you useful to him. That makes you a tool to be used. It matters little that you're his daughter. For him it's merely a useful connection that makes you more malleable."

"You can't know that."

"Sure I can. This personality that Emma unleashed," he says, pointing at himself. "He's a selfish asshole...and proud of it by the way. Anyway Sebastian Shaw is also a selfish asshole. I know exactly how he thinks because I think that way. I can see exactly how to manipulate and use you."

"And is that what you are doing?" Claire asks, her expression growing slightly wary of him.

"Hell no!" Kal rejects that. Proof of that being he isn't telling her she's his sister. "I'm here because seeing mom all upset is working my last thread of compassion. Getting you back will make my life so much easier."

"You're an ass," Claire accuses him of being at the fact he cares more about making his life easier rather than truly trying to help her mother.

"That is the general consensus of everyone back home. Hell Rogue's refusing to talk to me until I'm back to 'normal'," he makes air-quotes. "By the way you just proved you care more about people's feelings than I do. Guess you're not like daddy after all."

"Of course I care. I'm-I'm not a monster."

"Never said you were...oh wait. This is about those MRD guys isn't it. Seriously get over that," he tells her.

"That's easy to say!" Claire yells at him as he hits a particularly sensitive nerve.

"It's easy to do. You said it. You're not a monster. You don't go around planning to kill people do you?"

"No. It was just...they hurt Amara and I got angry," she tries to explain and a splash of shame slips into her tone.

"Ah. A crime of passion."

"They deserved it!" she says too forcefully as if trying to convince herself of the truth of that statement.

"Absolutely. Couldn't agree more."

"You do?" Claire asks, uncertainly, surprised to hear that from...from well a hero.

"When I'm out heroing..."

"Heroing?" Clare queries with a peculiar expression.

"It's a word!" Kal insists, with a frown at her questioning him.

"Right. Whatever you say," Claire says, so not believing him.

"As I was saying when I'm out heroing I come across rapists and murderers and paedophiles and people much much worse, you don't think I don't think for just one moment they deserve to die?"

"But you don't kill them," Claire points out.

"Oh you can't imagine how hard that is not to. You're all so fucking fragile. Seriously you're like brittle glass under my fingers," he describes it as, his expression and tone becoming briefly and worryingly dark before it passes and the lighter, more jovial Kal re-emerges. "But you don't want to hear about my problems. No, I don't kill them. I'm not their judge. Have no wish to be either. I'm all about protecting the innocent...especially when they come with 36D curves."

Claire rolls her eyes as Kal grins unapologetically.

"I'm not your judge either Claire but you seem intent on judging yourself guilty. You seem intent in judging that the people you care about will be repulsed at you. Why? Because you think they should be...just like you're repulsed at yourself. You claim not to feel guilt over what you did...let me tell you from an expert liar you're shit at it. You running off. You joining the Hellions. It's all some attempt to not look at yourself in the mirror. The mirror being how people you care about view you. Let me let you in on something. Been there. Done that. Spent at least the last 15 months brooding over it but has it stopped me doing the right thing? Hell no! Turned into a selfish jerk yet I still did the right thing and screwed Shaw and Frost over," he says with pride at himself. "I'm not going to lie to you. You have to live with it for the rest of your life what you have done. The only question is where do you live with it. Here with these jackoffs or back at the Institute...with the lesser jackoffs."

Claire sniggers at that.

Kal smiles a little at the fact he got her to laugh. Was never easy to get her to laugh. "The difference is Claire that back at the Institute there are people who genuinely care. Hell they even forgave me for my misdemeanour which, without retelling the dull details, is right up there with what you did. Heck it was probably worse because the life I took was completely innocent," he says, referring back to the fact he caused his mother to lose her unborn baby.

Claire blinks and stares at him, totally shocked to hear him say that. She wonders what he did.

Kal's arrogant demeanour fades momentarily as the memory of what he did rises to the surface. His expression becomes somber serious, perhaps even a little guilt ridden. It only lasts a moment before normal service resumes and he picks back up with his story. "Like I said I was forgiven by people who cared for me just like they care for you. Can't figure out for the life of me why but then again thanks to Emma I'm not exactly as you remember me at the moment," he says with a quirk of his lips at the irony of saying that because, thanks to Wanda's spell, Claire doesn't really remember him at all. He continues, "You know it's not a bad thing being like this. It's nice to say what I really think from time to time and not give two fucks about whose feelings I trample over," he says, actually expressing a genuine feeling the farmboy him has deep down.

"But people's feelings do matter," Claire argues back at him. Having a girlfriend means you have to realise these things.

"Wow. You've really gone soft haven't you."

"It's a truth I've learned."

"You'll learn the truth can vary greatly depending on someone's point of view. The question is what truth do you believe now. That your future is here or back at the Institute?"

"It doesn't really matter where I go, my life is now a complete mess," she says morosely. "I thought I knew who I was and now...

"Now it feels like your whole life is a lie and you want to shout and scream and make someone pay for screwing around with you."

Claire blinks at how personal he is saying that. "How did...?"

"Like I said. Been there. Done that. The whole discovering you're a science project, you can ask Rogue about."

"Rogue?" Claire queries, puzzled.

"Oh right. I guess you left before we got around to revealing it. Remember Stryker?"

Claire's expression tightens in anger. "Yes," she says from between gritted teeth.

"He created Rogue...and Domino and all those other mutants we met in his little squad." Kal then laughs.

"What's funny?"

"I was just wondering what was worse. Learning you're a science project or learning your father is Logan."

"What?"

"Logan. Turns out he's Rogue's biological father. We did some tests."

"That's...crazy," is all Claire can come up with.

"Yeah but what are ya goin to do?"

"How did she... is she..."

"Coping?"

Claire nods.

"Yeah. More or less. The question still is...and I swear we're going round in circles here, where do wish to learn to cope? And we really are going in circles Claire. Time to choose before I hoist you over my shoulder and drag you back," he says pleasantly, which is a completely inappropriate way tone when threatening to carry someone, kicking and screaming if necessary. Kal is not prepared to take no for an answer in this situation. After all he never fails and is the side of Clark who always gets what he wants.

"That's not giving me a choice."

"Sure it is. I carry you like a lady or I carry you like a sack of spuds. That's your choice."

"You're nuts."

Kal smiles a little insanely. "Yeah. It's fun isn't it."

Claire rubs her brow and sighs. She thinks he's joking. "It's not that simple to just leave here. There's a complication."

A knowing expression comes to Kal's face. "Ah. I think I know what that is," he says. He then zips off the bed, over to the door and opens it. Upon doing so a teenage girl with brown hair falls down, indicating she had had her ear pressed up against the door and was listening in. "The girlfriend," Kal describes what the complication is.

Claire wonders how long Marie has been there and how much she heard...and then wonders how long Superman knew that Marie was there and let her listen in to their conversation.

Marie looks up with a sheepish, caught grin. "Um...Salut!"

Kal looks down at her with a strangely enigmatic smile. "Now what are we going to do with you?"

* * *

_Author's Note: Yeah, so I decided not to just let the Volcana situation drag out and who better to fix it than our not quite right in the head Kryptonian. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; What do we do with Volcana and Tarot...and visitors literally drop in on the Institute._


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

**At the Institute...**

The Professor has reached an impasse. His priority at the minute is to get Clark back to normal before Clark's aberrant personality, known as Kal, decides he has had enough of hanging around here. If Clark chooses to leave he is too powerful to really be curtailed in anyway. Well there is a way but the Professor is hoping to avoid using that. That meant everyone tolerating Clark's mischief around here. Although if all Clark does is some harmless mischief then Charles can live with that.

The impasse Charles was referring to that without magic...without doing what Isobel did to assist Emma he can't get inside Clark's mind to try and undo the damage. He needed Stephen to be blunt but Stephen was still beyond reach.

The whole conclusion with the Hellfire Club was a mixture of results. On the face of it, if you look at the bare facts, things may seem to have gone well for the X-Men. They now had the 2nd stone in their possession and out of anyone else's who might seek to misuse its power, Shaw would at least take awhile to recover while he tries to shore up his position within the Inner Circle after what transpired and Sage's loyalty did not seem as in question as before since, as it now transpired, she aided Clark...only it still doesn't answer all the questions about her not knowing information she should know. So Charles is still left with a few lingering doubts abut Tessa.

Then there was Claire and who she is. Good God, Charles knew Sebastian Shaw had no moral scruples whatsoever but that is taking the biscuit. In may ways it reflected the situation Rogue and Logan were in with the exception Claire wasn't here and Martha was deeply upset.

Right now, as much as he cared for Martha, that wasn't Charles' main preoccupation. It was that Martha and Jonathan had told him about Clark departing on some impulse of his. The trouble is Clark can go anywhere he wants and there is no way to track the alien teen. He is worried because in his current state Clark doesn't think straight. He just charges in on impulse. Who know where he went, what he is doing and what trouble he may be getting himself into...or more likely causing.

Then the door to the Professor's study is blown open, a gust of wind disturbs everything in the room and Charles finds too teenage girls, plus bags and one alien teenage boy standing there.

"Hi Prof!" Kal greets the wheelchair bound man. "Look who I brought!" he indicates by pointing at the two girls.

It takes the Professor one moment to get over the surprise appearance before he responds. "Claire," Charles acknowledges the presence of the redhead. "And...Marie isn't it?" he asks the other girl to confirm he recalls her name correctly.

Tarot nods. "Oui...yes, it is." she confirms nervously. She is rubbing her arm in a nervous gesture. This is a totally crazy impulsive decision she made to defect but after overhearing everything that happened around her girlfriend she just couldn't stay with those people any more. That wasn't why she joined Emma's school. The whole thing with the Inner Circle always made her uncomfortable...and Selene way beyond uncomfortable. She went along with it more than actually believed in it because she didn't really have anywhere else to go...except home to her parents who would, no doubt, be very disappointed in her. Marie looks at her girlfriend. This is really why she is here because when Claire said she was leaving Marie didn't want to be left behind. It's crazy. She knows that. They haven't been dating that long yet she has strong feelings that can't be denied. She starts to explain herself and her presence to the Professor. "Um...I know this is out of the blue but..."

The Professor cuts her off with the answer to the question Marie was inevitably going to ask. "You are most welcome here," he assures her. He is surprised and he can sense her being here has more to do with her feelings for Claire but that is a start. He now turns to Claire. "Claire. Welcome back."

Claire doesn't quite meet his gaze. "Yeah. Thanks. Look I know you probably want to talk and stuff."

"That can wait until you're settled back in and you feel ready to talk," the Professor says, not wishing to push her in any way. He has to broach what drove her away sensitively. The Professor sends a telepathic summons to a few people.

First to enter the room are Logan and Storm. They both pause in surprise at seeing the 2 girls.

Logan blinks. "Firefly?"

"Firefly?" Marie queries with a growing teasing grin.

"Don't even think about it," Claire warns the French girl off about using that as a nickname.

"N'auraient jamais l'idée de celui-ci, Luciole," Marie says, tongue in cheek. Translated that is 'Would never dream of it, Firefly'.

Logan points at Tarot. "She's a Hellion," he points out, suspicion and mistrust in clear evidence in his tone and expression.

"She has decided to join us," Charles explains as much as he is willing to right this moment. He turns to Storm. "Ororo, could you please prepare a room for our two newest students," Charles requests.

"Of course," Ororo replies before turning to Marie. "Welcome, child. It is always a delight to welcome new students to the Institute." And having seen her power in use against them Ororo knows Tarot could be an immense asset.

"Thanks," Marie says, a little off-put by how nice people are to her considering she was fighting them yesterday...literally.

The door opens again and Martha and Jonathan walk in. Upon seeing Claire a huge bright smile forms on Martha's face. "Claire!" she says ecstatically.

Claire turns to look at the older woman, her face cracking with emotion. This is why she chose to come back. She chose the mother she knows cares over the father who was most probably using her. In the end she couldn't find an argument against what Superman pointed out. "Hi...um...mom."

Hearing Claire say that makes Martha's heart swell in her chest.

Claire makes some introductions. "Marie this is my...mother Martha Kent. Mom this is Marie. We're..." Claire rubs the back of her neck nervously. "We're dating," she admits with unusual shyness on her part but she has never had to even contemplating introducing her girlfriend to her mother so that's probably understandable. Her hand ends up reaching for Marie's who slips her hand into Claire's and they give each other a reassuring squeeze.

Martha smiles and turns her attention to Marie. "Hello."

"Bonjour," Marie says with a nervous smile at meeting her girlfriend's mother. She's funnily more nervous about this than the thought of what Claire's father might do...although not by much. Shaw will probably be very upset to put it mildly but it's too late for to turn back now. Marie's made her choice and she's sticking to it.

"Aw! Group hug!" Kal pronounces, feeling he has been silent for too long. In a blur he pulls Claire, Martha and Jonathan together and wraps his powerful arms around them in a family group hug.

All 3 are incredibly uncomfortable looking. "Uh, can't breathe," Claire complains.

"Wimps," Kal snorts but releases them. "So how did I do huh? I told you I would fix it," he says to his parents, looking for praise to boost his already large ego. "And not only did I reunite a family I brought one extra." He blows on his fingers in a smug, self-satisfied manner. "Man I'm good. You can admit it."

"You did this?" Jonathan asks.

"Yep."

Martha kisses him on the cheek, her eyes moisture filled. "Thank you," she says completely touched that, even as he is, he did this for her. It proves to her that under all the smug arrogance it is still her son.

Kal shrugs and shoves his hands into his pockets as he plays it cool. "I just did it to stick it to Emma."

"Oh mon Dieu," Marie swears, suddenly remembering about Emma. "Ms Frost...she'll blow a gasket once she finds we're gone."

Kal chuckles manically, with a dark gleam in his eyes. "Oh don't worry about that. I took care of that just before we left."

Everyone looks at him, deeply concerned about what he means by that.

* * *

**Earlier at the Academy of Tomorrow...**

It would take a little while before the Inner Circle could be reconvened. That bought Emma time to try and shore up her position. To put it crudely she was covering her ass as best she could. At least Selene would be out of commission for several weeks by Emma's reckoning and who knows where Isobel fled to.

Emma sits in her office, wishing the damn aspirin would work better on her headache. She had been making calls to prominent people with the Inner Circle all morning. Suddenly there is a gust of wind. Emma's snowy blond eyebrows drop. What was that?

That is when she notices the folded piece of paper sticking out of her top from between her cleavage. Emma plucks it out and unfolds it. She starts to read.

_Hi Em, darling!_

_Kal here...wuz here. Anyway shortly you'll find a couple of your precious students have defected. _

_Why? How? _

_I'm certain you're asking that. The answer is simple. I'm simply that damn good. Given a couple of hours I'm certain I could have talked your entire student body around but it'll be much more fun if I spend the next several months doing that to prolong the suffering._

_What can I say? I'm cruel like that._

_I'm certain we'll meet again soon. People like you are so predictable with the need to get revenge. I'm looking forward to laughing and pointing in your face at your abject failure to achieve that. In the meantime I'll comfort myself with knowing that you'll never, ever get to personally know just how good I am. People like you, Em, just don't do it for me._

_See you soon,_

_Kal._

_PS: Cue the blood-curdling scream of frustration and rage._

On cue that very scream escapes from Emma's office and echoes down the corridors.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

In one of the sitting rooms Amara is hanging out with Tabby. She finds her blond haired friend staring at her. "Why are you looking at me?" she asks, starting to get weirded out.

"I'm just committing this moment to memory," Tabby replies.

"What?"

Tabby grins. "Well it's probably never going to happen again."

"What isn't?" Amara asks, getting a little frustrated at Tabby's evasiveness.

"The day you're in more trouble than me." It's a day Tabby will have to remember because it is probably never going to happen again.

Amara fixes Tabby a dirty look. "That's not funny Tabby."

"Who's joking? You are in more trouble. You're the one who sneaked off in the boot of Mrs K's car and went off to fight these Inner Circle jerks." By the way Tabby is, in reality, so very proud of Amara. Tabby can see she has been a good influence on her friend.

"I didn't do much fighting," Amara points out in what could be construed as modesty.

"Whatever. My point is you so got chewed out."

Well yes, Amara did. She's grounded and cleaning the x-jet is in her immediate future as punishment. "I just had to do it," she defends herself. "For my people. For the memory of those who died to free us from Selene. For our Saviour."

Tabby picks up on that last line. Amara had explained it. "So CK's father...he's a big deal back home?"

"He's our Saviour. He's a God who we pay homage to with a week long festival."

"If CK's father is seen as a God what does that make CK?"

Amara fidgets uncomfortably. "I don't know."

Tabby's eyes widen slightly. She can tell when Amara isn't comfortable and she thinks she knows why. "Wow. You think..."

"No!" Amara intervenes. "Well yes. Well maybe. I don't know Tabby," Amara tries to explain that which she can't. She doesn't know how she is suppose to regard Clark now.

"Well I mean he certainly is built like one I agree."

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Amara asks, with a critical look.

"And that means I've suddenly gone blind?" Tabby asks back.

Amara rolls her eyes.

"Look Sammy's a total hottie but CK's..."

"Built like a God. You said."

Tabby observes Amara a bit more. "That's not what is bothering you is it?" she concludes.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Well I don't think it's Claire coming back with girlfriend in tow. I've already helped you through that mope," Tabby says, referring to Amara's summer long mope over Claire. Tabby is pretty certain Amara is over that. She had certainly seemed back to her normal regal self. It had already gotten around the mansion that Claire was now back with Tarot in tow. It was a bit of shocker in all honesty. Not just Claire and Tarot defecting from the Hellions but hearing about Claire being Mrs K's daughter with that Sebastian Shaw guy.

"I most certainly did not mope," Amara protests. She's a princess. They don't mope.

"Then what is it?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Tabby thinks she should be insulted by that. "Try me," she dares.

Amara sighs. Tabby is not going to let this go so she tells her friend what is really bothering her and hasn't told anyone and that is Selene's claim about being her grandmother.

"Uh...ok," Tabby says a little caught out. Amara has spoken of her terror of Selene so she can see how that would be a terrible revelation that would shake her.

"No. It's not ok Tabby. It's about as far as can be from ok."

"In what way?"

"If it's true not only is Selene, the most reviled evil, despicable person in this world, not only is her blood inside me it also means my parents have lied to me my entire life!" she says in raised angry tones.

"Ah. Now you see here I get ya. After all my father doesn't know what a truth looks like," Tabby reminds Amara about the piece of work her father is. He's in jail last time she checked. Good riddance.

"Do you have any advice?" Amara asks, since she doesn't know what she is suppose to do now.

"Well just the one piece. Unlike me don't go along with it just because they're your parents. You have a right to the truth."

"That's awful profound," Amara says, surprised that came from Tabby.

"I looked past what my father was for too long because he was my father," Tabby admits a painful truth. "You know where that got me."

Amara rubs her brow.

"So what will you do?" Tabby asks, genuinely concerned for her friend.

"I don't know. I don't think I can just go up to my parents and start yelling at them for lying to me."

"Why not? It's what I would do."

Amara laughs at that because she believes Tabby means it.

"Mara. Don't let yourself be defined by Selene. You're not her," Tabby offers some advice.

"I know...but if it is true it creates a link that can't be broken no matter what I want."

"Yeah. That sucks," Tabby concedes because that was true with her and her father. There's a link no matter how much she doesn't want there to be one.

"And then there's my auntie Isobel," Amara adds, trying to be humorous even if it is gallows humour.

Tabby snorts with laughter. "God and I thought my family tree was screwed up."

"Well compared to me your family is perfectly normal."

"It could still be worse."

"How?"

"You could be Rogue and have Badger for your dad."

Amara bursts into laughter. After all, when in a situation this messed up, what can you do but laugh.

Amara and Tabby are joined by Theresa being accompanied by Ray and Bobby. The boys around here were following the Irish girl around like she was in heat or something.

Theresa is currently just trying to get the lay of the ground as far as the situation with Volcana and Tarot. It seems stories spread around here in no time at all. "I cannot believe this Shaw fella did that," she says.

Ray shrugs. "You know I wish I could say I was surprised but that kind of thing is pretty common garden around here."

"It's a sad indictment of our lives...well Ray's at least but his life is very sad," Bobby jokes.

Ray gives Bobby a stern look for that.

Theresa is finding she is enjoying herself here very much, worry over her father being missing and captured aside. She can see Rahne really underplayed this place when she called it a madhouse. A smile comes to her lips. It's great!

Just then a horizontal, scarlet red, portal forms in the middle of the room and coming tumbling(literally!) out is one Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch followed by 3 other teenage girls, one boy, a bald man and Dr Stephen Strange. They all groan from the heap they have formed.

"You call that a portal spell!" one irate voice complains from the pile. The voice belongs to the half demon sorceress in training known as Satana Hellstrom.

A blond girl is rubbing her butt. "For once I'm forced to agree with the soul sucker," Jennifer Kale says with a groan.

"Yeah, yeah," Wanda grumbles. "Hey. Here's an idea, how about you all get off of me!" she shouts since she is at the bottom of the pile and is getting crushed.

Dr Strange levitates himself into the air and with a quick wave of his hands has his friend Wong and his students magically rearranged on their feet. "That was perfectly adequate for a first attempt," he defends Wanda's efforts at teleportation. It was truly her first attempt at moving people and the chaotic nature of her powers was always going to add a certain randomness that normal magic practitioners don't deal with.

Stephen lands gently on the ground and finds several pairs of eyes upon him. Wanda was suppose to teleport them to outside the door. She missed. "Please excuse our abrupt entrance," he apologises. "I am here to see Professor Xavier. I believe he has been trying to reach me," he explains why he is here now.

Stunned silence.

Wanda rolls her eyes and snaps her fingers. "Hello! Is anyone home?"

Tabby snaps out of it first. "Wanda!" she greets her friend.

Wanda manages a small smile at seeing her first friend again. "Tabby."

"Where have you been girl?" Tabby wants to know. "We've been trying to reach you for days."

"Um..." Wanda pauses trying to think how to describe where they've been. "We...were on a sort of retreat...you know somewhere isolated to train."

"And you didn't have phone reception?" Bobby queries.

"Ah...no. This retreat...it is kinda...on another world in a different dimension."

"Those exist?" Theresa asks, her eyebrows having risen to a new high.

Wanda looks at the redhead suspiciously as it is someone she doesn't know and therefore doesn't trust. "Who are you?"

"She is Theresa Cassidy, the daughter of an old friend who selflessly came here to assist us," the Professor explains as he rolls in the room. "Stephen. I sensed your presence," he greets his friend and explains how he knew to come.

"Charles. Sorry I did not get your messages sooner," Stephen apologises.

Charles accepts the apology instantly. "I understand you have many other commitments. Thankfully we emerged, relatively, unscathed from the experience. However, now that you are here I still require your assistance with a certain...consequence of our recent adventure."

"I feel there is a quite a story there," Stephen remarks.

"You have no idea Magic Man," Tabby says to that.

"Yes quite. In the meantime I shall leave my students here...if that is fine by you Charles?" Stephen seeks permission.

"That is fine," Charles acquiesces. "We are always welcome to guests."

"They will behave themselves," Stephen says, shooting them all a glare to get across that is a directive from him.

Satana rolls her eyes. "You won't rest until you spoil all my fun will you?" she complains.

For her remark Satana gets an elbow to her ribs from the red haired, blue eyed boy with slightly pointed ears, standing next to her. "Shh," her brother Daimon Hellstrom hisses at her. He turns to Dr Strange. "She'll behave Dr. I'll make certain of it," he promises.

"You're such a dullard. You know that right," Satana accuses her brother. He's always spoiling her fun. How a half-demon became so straight laced defies any logic as Satana understands the concept.

"Just try not to eat anyone," Jen says.

"Eat anyone?" Ray queries with a gulp because he truly believes that girl can and would eat him just by the vibe he picks up off her.

Satana looks at the boy who spoke with a hungry grin. "Don't worry little boy. Luckily I ate before we left...although I do always have this gnawing hunger."

"She's joking, Ray," Wanda assures the electricity generator.

"You're sure?" Ray asks, the look this girl giving him being most disconcerting.

"If she tries it I'll Hex her," Wanda promises.

Satana snorts. "You couldn't take me," she states confidently.

"Make sure you never test that," Wanda warns the succubus.

"Enough!" Stephen intervenes, in stern tones. "Behave," he lays down the command as their mystical teacher. "You know my rules and the punishments for breaking them," he reminds them as a warning. "Now I can send you home right now if that is what you desire. I merely thought you would like to meet the friends Wanda has told you about. Choose," he tells them.

Topaz bows her head in respect. "We will, of course, follow your instruction, Master."

"Yeah. You know it's only Satana that causes trouble Dr S," Jen says.

Stephen arches an eyebrow. "Who put that curse on the toaster Jennifer?"

"I said I was sorry! It was only a joke!"

"It was kinda funny," Wanda remarks with a fond smile of that particular prank.

"See!" Jen says, pointing at Wanda, as proof of her defence. If Wanda found it funny then it must have been.

Stephen presses a finger to his forehead as a pained expression comes to his face. "Do you face these sort of issues, Charles?" he wonders.

Charles smiles in spite of himself. "Often."

"I shall watch them Doctor," Wong promises so that they can't get into too much trouble.

"Thank you Wong," Stephen says, eternally grateful to his friend for all he does to assist him.

With that taken care of the Professor and Dr Strange leave the groups to start mingling while they go to Charles' office so they can talk in private.

Wanda turns to her friends. "So what's been happening?" she asks, truly interested in knowing about what she has missed.

Tabby laughs. "Girl, I don't even know where to start."

"Uh, how about it wait a minute. I really need to use the bathroom," Wanda excuses herself. She departs the room, taking in the ambience of the mansion. She knew why she had to be at Dr Strange's but she can admit she missed being here.

"Wanda-licious!"

Wanda blinks and looks up and blinks again at the figure dressed all in black and in a way that would get more than a few hormones pumping. He looked incredible. "Clark?" she queries, puzzled why he would be dressed like that. She has never seen him dressed like that.

Kal smirks. "I thought I heard you yelling. Come for a visit?" he asks her as he advances on her with this smooth grace, like a predator stalking its prey.

Wanda is getting this really weird vibe off of him...and since she starting learning magic, Dr Strange has been teaching her to use senses beyond the normal 5 most people are familiar with. Perhaps he feels weird because he is an alien. Perhaps it is just due to the sheer enormity of the power she can feel radiate off him. She is still getting use to her new mystical senses after all. "What did you call me?" she asks him, getting back onto that.

"What? You don't like it?" Kal asks, with a hurt looking expression. "Ok how about Wanda Babe?! You see what I did there?"

"Yeah...ok. Can I ask a question?"

"Oh sure. Anything you want," Kal permits her.

"Who the hell are you?!" Wanda demands to know because Clark would not talk to her like that. He's just lucky she hasn't hexed him already.

Kal chuckles and advances more on her. Wanda finds herself backing up until she is pressed against the wall. Kal places a hand on the wall next to her head and leans in with a lazy grin. "You remember me saying that if you ever met the evil me you'd never forget it?"

Wanda looks deep into his eyes trying to fathom him out. "Yeah?" she says, unsure the relevance.

Kal waves jovially. "Hi! I'm evil Clark and right now I'm going to make sure you never forget me."

"What do you...mhumpf!" Wanda's words are cut off by his lips enveloping hers as he proceeds to kiss the life out of her.

* * *

_Author's Note: I couldn't help myself with the last scene. Kal's reasons...well they'll make sense to him I'm certain. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Time to restore Clark to normal and get some explanation about just what Clark/Kal/Kal-El were thinking and planning when it came to the Hellfire Club._


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Being kissed is not something Wanda has great experience of. Ok she has zero experience of it so therefore she has no idea if the sensations she is feeling means if it is good or not. It feels good if that means anything. Really, really good as matter of fact. There's this sort of rush of warmth perforating through her.

"Relax," he whispers as he gently nibbles on her lips.

_'God, that really feels good,' _Wanda thinks to herself.

Kal smiles inwardly as he feels Wanda slowly start to melt under his ministrations. He is just about to up the ante when he is enveloped in a blue/black hex field and goes flying across the hallway and through the opposite wall. "What the fuck?!" he exclaims as he picks himself up and dusts himself down. He steps back through the hole his body made to see Wanda's expression is almost incandescent with rage. Her hands are still glowing as they are clenched tight into fists.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!" Wanda yells at him.

"What?" Kal asks, clueless about what he did.

"You have a girlfriend, dumbass!" Wanda reminds him and that, by the way, was what spurred her to hex him. She suddenly remembered Rogue.

Kal rolls her eyes. "Right. The ol' ball and chain. Well we're not exactly on speaking terms at the minute. She refuses to speak to me until I'm back to 'normal'," he says with air-quotes. "She has no idea what she is missing out on," he points out with his usual cockiness.

"I can't blame her!" Wanda says, in total agreement with Rogue if this is any indication of what 'Evil Clark' is like.

"Women," Kal says disparagingly. "You're so damn touchy and moody," he complains.

Wanda growls at him. "Why the hell did you kiss me?!" she demands to know.

Kal shrugs. "It just occurred to me that you had most likely never been kissed and I thought if you're going to get a first one it should be the best one possible. Sure this means that every other person you might date now has an impossible standard to reach but those are the burdens huh?" he says with a smug self-satisfied grin.

"Don't flatter yourself. It wasn't that good."

"No of course not. Those moans you were making were obviously ones of repulsion," he says sarcastically.

"I did not moan!" Wanda insists...or did she? She can't remember.

Kal chuckles amused. "Oh I must be good if you were so into it you can't even remember the sounds you were making."

Wanda's eyes narrow. "You...you..." she is now so mad she can't think of a word to describe him but her temper has started to cause the entire floor to warp in response.

Kal is almost knocked off his feet as the floor shifts under him. He just about manages to keep his balance. "I was so right about the moody part. Is it your time of the month or something?"

A moment later there is a second hole in the wall next to the first as Wanda hexes him again and then storms off before she levels the building or kills him. Both are tempting options right now. The second one more than the first.

Kal picks himself up and dusts himself off once again. "Women," he mutters. "I really need to start being more picky," he says before he pauses, thinks that over and shakes his head. "Nah," he decides. His way of choosing women is just fine.

* * *

Wanda, after a quick bathroom break, ends up knocking of a certain fellow Goth's door. It is opened a few moments later.

"Wanda?" Rogue queries, with audible surprise at seeing the girl in scarlet red. Her eyes fall on Wanda's new top. "Girlz Rule?" she asks at the writing emblazoned upon it.

Wanda shrugs with a small smile. "It's true."

Rogue manages her own small smile. That was true. "What brings ya here?"

"The Professor's messages," Wanda explains.

"Oh."

"Can I ask a question?"

"Sure."

"What is going on? I mean I just met Clark..."

Rogue stops Wanda right there. "What did he do now?" she asks with a sad, resigned tone.

"Beyond being a colossal jerk?!" Wanda snaps angrily. Although she spares the details of what he did for the moment.

"Ah'm sorry. He's not himself," Rogue feels she should apologise because at the moment Clark is incapable of even thinking that.

"Don't apologise for him," Wanda tells her. "Just tell me what is going on," she requests.

Rogue sighs and ushers Wanda inside. "Ah guess no-one evah explained ta ya about red kryptonite and Clark's alter ego," she can assume.

"There's a red kryptonite?" Wanda inquiries, a puzzled expression on her face. She knew of the green variety that was fatal to him but didn't know it came in red. She sits down on the chair at Rogue's dressing table.

"It's a little more complex than that this tahme but that's a good starting point," Rogue says as she sits down on her bed and begins to explain everything that has been happening lately.

* * *

Along the corridor, not too far away, Martha and Jonathan are helping Claire, particularly, settle back into her new room. Her old room having been literally blown up when Lionel destroyed the mansion. Ororo was there helping Marie. For now it seemed the best arrangement to help Marie make the big jump from defecting from the Hellions to joining the Institute was if she stayed with Claire...although rules may have to be laid down on behaviour considering how _close_ the two girls apparently are.

"Knock, knock!" Kitty's cheerful tones announce her arrival. The word of Volcana and Tarot's appearance had quickly spread round and she thought she would come and greet them. She really didn't have anything else to do. Peter had had to go home, having already spent more time with them than he really should have considering the other obligations he has. The fact he spent that much time with them...with her was what really showed Kitty that Peter was special.

Kitty is not alone. Kurt had joined her in deciding to welcome the 2 girls. "Willkomen!" he greets them.

"Kurt. Kitty," Claire greets them back, finding she is genuinely pleased to see them although she is worried about the reaction she will get considering what she did to those MRD guys. It was still a worry she couldn't shake despite making her decision to return.

"Ve vould have brought zhe velcome gift baskets but I'm afraid ve're all out," Kurt jokes.

Marie giggles at that.

Kurt smiles at the fact he made the French girl laugh.

"It's like so good you decided to come here," Kitty gushes to Marie. "I've been like missing a shopping buddy ever since Jubilee left," she gripes.

Claire rolls her eyes. "Kitty could you not try and corrupt her. She's been here 5 seconds," she tells the Illinois native off.

"But I like shopping," Marie points out.

"Ooh we'll have to go to the mall!" Kitty says excitedly in almost a squeal of excitement. "I'll show you all the good places!" she offers.

"Well it will have to be before my parents cut me off," Marie proposes with a pained expression.

"Vhy vould zhey cut you off?" Kurt inquires.

"Because I haven't told them yet that I've ditched Ms Frost for here," Marie admits since this was a very impulsive decision.

"Marie," Ororo address her. "I think it best you contact them as soon as possible," she says because the girl's parents have to know where she is.

"I know. I know," Marie accepts. Although she doubts that'll be a fun conversation because her parents liked Ms Frost. "Is there a phone I can use?" she asks because her cell phone battery is dead. "I might as well get it over with," she says, her face filled with dread.

"It'll be alright," Claire says, more in hope than expectation. After all, Marie and her haven't been dating very long so she doesn't know what Marie's parents are really like. She knows they're well off because when Marie buys she buys expensive.

"From your lips to God's ears," Marie says as Ororo takes her where she can speak to her parents in private.

Kitty and Kurt leave as well which leaves Claire alone with her mother and Mr Kent. "So...how are we doing this?" she asks, not being someone to let things hang awkwardly. She wants to know how this will work.

"However you want," Jonathan tells her. He knows that careful steps need to be taken until they all have had time to adjust to this new situation.

"I don't know what I want except that I want to be here."

"That's a start," Martha says with a smile as she gazes at her daughter. It's still amazing to her to think that the girl in front of her is her own flesh and blood. "Claire, Jonathan and I...we aren't going to push you or judge you or anything else you might think but when you are ready to talk we will be here," she says.

"Absolutely," Jonathan agrees. The situation has to be handled delicately.

"Thank you," Claire says.

"Sooooo tell me about this girl you're seeing?" Martha queries with a teasing expression.

"Mom!" Claire protests, now slightly embarrassed. In fact she may just be mortified beyond description.

Jonathan laughs with a shake of his head. "Martha," he gently rebukes her.

"It's a legitimate question," Martha defends her nosiness.

Claire buries her head into her hands. This wasn't what she was expecting at all. She raises her head and asks a question. "Where's Clark?" She hadn't seen him since she got back and since he is her brother she supposes she should speak to him or something.

Martha and Jonathan look at each other as they suddenly remember what Clark said about Claire not being able to remember about him being Superman. She's seen him but doesn't realise she has. Not with Clark still strutting around in Kal mode.

"You may want to sit Claire," Jonathan advises.

"This will take some explaining," Martha follows on.

"Is Clark alright? Has something happened?" Claire asks. Sure she is a guarded person but she liked Clark as far as she can remember...although now she takes a moment some of her memories of him do seem slightly...fuzzy. Claire sits on the edge of her bed and waits as Martha and Jonathan attempt to explain.

* * *

In the Professor's office he and Dr Strange are conversing about recent events over some tea. Stephen's expression is grim and a bit apologetic. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. If I had known you had met Selene I would have been."

"Do you know her?" Charles asks.

"I know of her. I also know of her relation to the Countess Thoreaux. Wong found some old records detailing that relationship. I did not expect the Countess, though, to seek her mother out. From our records they had a...fractious relationship at best."

"How so?"

"You know how the Countess died?"

"Yes. She was burned at the stake."

"There were witnesses. All recorded by the local magistrate. These included one Selene Thoreaux as she went by at the time."

"She watched her own daughter burn?" Charles queries in total horrified shock at that.

Stephen nods. "And did not lift a finger to aid Isobel when she could have done so with little more than a snap of her fingers."

"I only wish that was the worse thing I have heard about that...woman, assuming you can call her that," Charles says with plenty of dislike for Selene.

"She is capable of great evil. You were lucky."

"How so?"

"You heard of Pompeii?" Stephen asks.

Charles pales. "That was...?"

"Yes. That was her," Stephen confirms that Selene was in fact the one responsible for the famous destruction of that ancient city. "When enraged she is capable of such a level of destruction." Stephen sips on his tea. "I am sorry Charles," he repeats his sincere apology. "I never expected you to meet her."

"I understand," Charles accepts his friend's apology.

"It does explain why I can't trace Isobel though. Selene is easily more than capable of cloaking herself and anyone she wishes from my sight," Stephen sees some of the mystery fading away.

"Will Selene have survived what happened to her?" Charles asks, in reference to what Clark did.

"Oh no doubt. Selene is immortal. It'll take her awhile to recover. A few months maybe but it will not be the last you see of her I'm afraid," Stephen has to give the grave warning.

Charles was afraid of that. He moves on to the next most pressing issue. "I need your help with Clark, Stephen. Can you do what Isobel did and help me enter his mind so I can undo Emma's meddling?"

Stephen sips on more of his tea as he thinks over the possible spells. "I know a couple of spells that I can try that might be analogous to what Isobel did. Although knowing the exact incantation she used would be most beneficial."

Charles ponders that for a moment. "It's possible Clark remembers what Isobel did and said. The problem is I don't know how willing he would be to share that information. His current personality is...rather difficult," he describes it and that is putting it mildly.

"You can but ask, Charles," Stephen says to that.

Charles nods slightly in agreement to that. "Clark," he says into the air. "I need to speak to you. Can you come to my office?" he requests.

Nothing.

"He's being difficult," Charles has to admit with resigned tones.

"Allow me," Stephen offers as he chants a teleportation spell since it is rather easy to find Clark due to the boy's enormous power.

A flash of light signals Clark's arrival.

"What the..." Kal starts to say before he spots Dr Strange. "Oh. It's you. You know I really don't like magic," he says with an unhappy frown at being teleported here in that manner.

"My apologies," Stephen says to try and placate the boy. "However it was urgent we talk to you."

"So you can what? Put me back in my box?" Kal guesses. He shakes his head. "Nu uh. Not going to happen," he refuses to go along with it.

"Clark," the Professor says. "If that were true you wouldn't still be here."

"You've been talking to dear old dad haven't you," Kal assumes with a small dirty look.

The Professor remains calm but firm. "Clark," he says simply. "Deep down I think you know that you can't remain like this. This personality is...an unbalancing. A side of you unleashed without the normal controls."

"But it's so boring!" Kal whines childishly. "The farmboy doesn't know how to have fun. He barely ever lets me out!"

Stephen could now see what Charles meant when he said this personality was difficult. He was like a stroppy, huffy child...which would not be so bad if it wasn't for the fact Clark possesses immense power.

"Clark," the Professor repeats, calmly but firmly, radiating an aura of authority, as if he is a teacher trying to discipline a misbehaving student.

Kal throws his hands up. "Ok. Ok," he relents. "If only because Rogue won't otherwise talk to me. It's so not fair of her to cut the tap off...and boy is she something I really miss tapping."

That was too much information.

"Please sit, Clark," the Professor offers.

Kal does so, reluctantly and not looking very happy about it but sit down he does.

"Now to start with Stephen requests if you can tell us what you can remember about the spell Isobel used."

Kal snorts. "I wouldn't use that. She's pretty useless," he insults Isobel.

"Still it is best I know. Spells can linger for some time within the subject after they are cast and I would not wish to use something that might an adverse reaction upon you," Stephen calmly gives a reason he needs to know.

"I hate magic," Kal mutters.

* * *

Claire is just listening to Martha and Jonathan explain about Isobel, the other 2 witches, Clark and everything that has happened when she suddenly feels very dizzy.

Martha and Jonathan are instantly to her side with deep concern as Claire comes close to toppling over.

"Are you alright?" Martha asks as she holds her daughter.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I..." Claire stiffens. "I remember," she says in hushed tones.

"Remember what?" Jonathan asks.

"Everything. I was listening to you talk and then just...poof! It all came flooding back."

Martha and Jonathan had to say they didn't expect that. Then again no-one knows exactly what it was Wanda did. She did it out of the best of intentions which both Martha and Jonathan deeply appreciate from the girl.

"Should we leave the room?" Jonathan asks, making a joke in reference to Volcana's short temper. That earns him a punch to the arm from his wife.

Claire snorts out a laugh which she tries to smother with her hand over her mouth. She just found that very funny.

"So we don't have to leave the room?" Jonathan asks innocently, which earns him another punch.

"I..." Claire coughs to stop her laughter. "No. I'm alright. I am," she says a little weirded out that she really doesn't feel any anger at all. Her life is screwed up in so many ways but she's here with her mother...her actual mother and the anger just isn't there. "So...um...that colossal, unfeeling jerk I met is really Clark?" she asks, totally confused by how it can be him. Clark's so...vanilla. It doesn't seem possible that this almost complete opposite persona is within him.

Martha and Jonathan both groan lightly. "At the moment, yes," Jonathan has to confirm. "We're sorry about him. Hopefully we'll figure out to restore him to normal soon."

"You shouldn't be too angry. Without him I wouldn't have come back," Claire says in Clark's defence. Yes, she's actually defending him like...like a sister would she guesses.

"That'll cut a week off his lifetime grounding," Martha says, sounding dead serious about that.

"Clark is Superman," Claire says it just to get her memories back in some order. "By the way Superman?" she inquires about the name.

"The Bugle came up with it," Jonathan answers that one.

"What about Marie?" Claire suddenly remembers her girlfriend. "Does she get told?"

That raises the issue Jonathan was worrying about when Sean and Moira showed up.

"If you feel she can be trusted then yes. Otherwise we're going to have to let everyone else know not to speak of it. You will have to choose," Martha leaves the decision to her daughter.

"I...uh...we...we haven't been dating that long. I know she chose to come here but we're still trying to get to know each other," Claire tries to explain where she and Marie are or in other words she doesn't know if Marie can be 100% trusted.

"Well take a little time to think it over," Martha suggests. "We can keep it secret for now. When Paige came we gave it a day or two to be thought over before deciding."

"Paige?"

"Sam's sister," Jonathan explains who Paige is.

"She's a mutant?"

"Yes."

"And Wanda's a real life witch?" Claire gets back round to that.

"I think we use the term sorceress in training."

Claire shakes her head. "This place is crazier than I remember," she mutters.

"And we haven't even gotten around to explaining the fact there were an earlier team of X-Men that included Magneto and Mystique," Jonathan jokes dryly.

Claire's mouth opens but no sound escapes it. She just doesn't know what to say.

Just then Marie returns with Storm. Marie's face is tense looking.

"How did it go?" Martha inquires kindly.

"Well they didn't demand I immediately go back to Ms Frost's so that's a plus," Marie says. Her tone gives away that there must be a negative.

"Tell them what else," Ororo encourages the girl. She ended up having to talk to Marie's parents for a bit.

"They're...um...they're catching the next flight over to talk to Professor Xavier and inspect the Institute," Marie says with dread. Telling them over the phone was one thing. Explaining this in person to them is a terrifying prospect.

"Oh jeez," Claire mildly swears, knowing that this place is a madhouse. She rises to her feet, walks over to Marie and wraps an arm around the petite girl's waist. "Well it'll be fine," she tries to sound reassuring.

"You think so?" Marie asks with trepidation.

"Sure. We just have to get everyone to promise to behave. Then it will be fine...just as soon as I kill Drake," Claire says with a disturbing gleam of enthusiasm in her eye as she prepares to resume her never ending war with Iceman. There's even the maniacal chuckle she always makes when she's about to get him.

Marie looks at her girlfriend strangely having never seen this side of her.

Ororo, Jonathan and Martha simultaneously groan at facing the prospect of Claire and Bobby resuming their hate-hate relationship.

"We're going to have rebuild the mansion again aren't we," Ororo says with a resigned tone.

"Yep," Jonathan confirms morosely. He then looks at how happy Martha is at being united with her daughter and concludes, "But it'll be worth it."

* * *

Once Kal had decided to cooperate it hadn't taken Stephen long to recognise the spell the boy was describing and he was soon able after that to cast his own spell. That led to him being able to help Charles enter the boy's mind .

Charles now stands inside the mind of Clark Kent. He is standing, outside a door when had been sealed with seams of diamond, alongside Kal. "One of Emma's mental blocks," Charles recognises the work. His mental projection leans in closer and examines it.

"The other mes are inside," Kal says, still sulking but helping.

"Emma locked them up where they locked you up, leaving you solely in charge," Charles can deduce.

"Well it was what we let her think."

Charles pauses and looks at Kal. "You set her up didn't you. You let her think she was getting what she wanted," he interprets Kal's words to mean.

"Of course we did. How shallow do you think I am? She's not that hot...especially not to someone who can see the surgery scars no matter how well hidden they are."

To see the surgery scars he would have had to x-ray her, Charles realises. He won't comment. He turns his attention back to Emma's work. She was good. Really good but still she was only his student and he is her teacher and he knows how she works and the flaws. He reaches into his pocket and produces what looks like a tuning fork. He hits it against the diamond growth making it ring. The fork then alters in shape and length, altering the tune until it hits the resonating frequency. Emma had done this in a hurry from what he can see so it wasn't a defence built to last. The noise from the fork grows. The diamond growth vibrates louder and louder until it shatters to pieces.

"There," Charles pronounces. "Now let us talk with these other yous shall we?" he proposes as he reaches for the knob and opens the door.

Kal and the Professor are transported into a bedroom where they find a Superman dressed in black, floating, cross-legged, mediating and one in a red jacket sitting on the bed playing cards. "Clark?" Charles queries about the one on the bed believing it to be the real Clark.

Clark looks up. "Oh hey Professor! Welcome to my mind...or as I like to call it the Institute for the deranged, disturbed and dullards."

Kal snorts with laughter. "That's pretty good," he praises the farmboy version of him.

There is a painful sounding groan as Kal-El makes move to stand up straight. "You have been living amongst humans far too long Clark Kent," he complains.

"Says you!" Kal derides him.

"Professor may I reintroduce Kal-El of Krypton. I believe you at least had a brief encounter with him," Clark explains who the 3rd figure is.

"Greetings Professor Xavier," Kal-El says with a small bow of his head.

"Greetings," Charles says back with a small bow in return. He then takes a moment to try and get a handle on the situation within Clark's mind. "Clark, please explain to me what has been going on?" he requests.

"Well I'm pretty certain this mess is all Jor-El's fault," Clark says first off.

"Everything is Jor-El's fault," Kal says bitterly, being the vessel for many of Clark's angers and frustrations at their father.

"In what way?" the Professor asks Clark to elaborate.

"He let me out early. Before he was finished," Clark repeats a remark he made about the amnesiac state he had been found in after the summer.

"He's left your mind fractured into disparate personalities," Charles comes to understand. Jor-El not finishing his work may have allowed them to reach Clark and bring him back but it also has left his mind in a not very sound condition. He should have realised this sooner, Charles berates himself.

"I do my best to keep them locked up but only Jor-El can help me...what was it you said?" Clark asks Kal-El.

"We must be reintegrated," Kal-El repeats his words.

"Yes. That. Not in any rush to do that," Clark says with no enthusiasm at all to see Jor-El. For all he knows if he allows Jor-El back in he might try and finish the job of turning him into a brainwashed puppet.

"Our father only wants the best for us," Kal-El insists.

"So says the brainwashed puppet," Kal mocks him.

Kal-El shoots Kal a glare. "I do not take advice from repressed emotional induced aberrations. Now be silent or you shall not like the consequences."

Kal holds his hand up and makes it mock shake. "Ooh. I'm so scared," he says sarcastically.

"Please. Enough," Charles says sternly as he tries to bring the bickering to a stop. This is also not a sign of sound mental health that he is going to have to concern himself about. "Clark I want to know how this came to be. You tricked Emma, why?" he asks, wanting to understand Clark's thinking.

Clark sighs. "I had time to think while I was strung up in the dungeon and my conclusion was a question; how do I get the Inner Circle off our backs long enough to retrieve the stones?"

"Your answer?"

"Get them to let me in, lower their guard and then strike at them using the very object they so coveted."

"A cunning strategy, don't you think?" Kal-El asks, his tone one of praise for the plan the 3 of them concocted.

"So we," Clark gestures at himself and his other 2 selves, "had a talk and planned it out. We would let Emma see what we wanted her to see and make it seem like I was at war with myself, in the process revealing a personality she would see as malleable to her whims," he points at Kal. He continues. "Once done the next stage was obvious. Deliver the X-Men as proof of my betrayal and get you exactly where we needed you to be. In the process you were a distraction while all the time we plotted with Sage."

"Yes. What did you and Sage agree?" Charles asks, seeking clarification.

"It wasn't too hard to find a private place for us to talk. I revealed I knew of her true allegiance and we came up with a plan. One, she would make sure the security cameras would not see anything that would give the game away. After all at some point I did have to free Peter from his chains and have no-one notice."

"He would retrieve the stone from the vault...after the door had already been ripped off making it easier for him to sneak in unnoticed," Charles starts to unravel Clark's plotting.

"Yep."

"Peter also freed Wolverine," Charles knows from what Logan had said.

"Yep."

"I think I need to have a talk with him about his side of this," Charles decides since Peter had had to rush off home, understandably and they never really had time to discuss Peter's part of it in detail.

"Oh sure, lets give Peter an excuse to talk. That can never be bad," Clark says with an eye roll.

"Sage was the one who released the collars, yes?"

"Yes."

"What was the point Clark? What did you hope to achieve?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kal asks, as if it should be. "We humiliated Shaw," he says with great glee at doing that. "We showed him up as incompetent in front of his fellows. It'll take him weeks to explain this off and defend his position and while he's busy doing that we'll get the 3rd stone, unite them and then...uh not actually sure what happens then. In any case no-one but us will have them."

"As it should be," Kal-El says. "Humans are not ready for such power."

"And Selene?"

Kal laughs. "Oh God. That was priceless. That almost makes up for having the icky, icky image of her and Jor-El stuck in our head."

"She is dealt with for the moment," Kal-El states calmly and coldly, bereft of emotion.

"Clark?" Charles asks for his reaction.

Clark shrugs. "It gets her off our backs."

"Clark. I wish to speak in private," Charles requests.

The room vanishes and Charles finds himself and Clark standing in a dark space.

"They're locked back up," Clark explains about where his others are gone. "Now what do you wish to say Professor?"

"Clark...your reaction about Selene. You are not that uncaring. I am concerned," Charles explains why he wanted this discussion.

"I am concerned about the whole world Professor. People like Isobel, Selene, Shaw, Magneto, SHIELD, Lionel...heck even Lex, must not get the stones. They would lead to this world being left in ruin. If I have to...bend the line over which I would usually not cross then I guess that is what I will have to do. My friends will no longer be put in danger because of me...because of what comes with me wherever I go."

"Clark...this is not your fault," Charles says and he can hear Clark blaming himself.

"China. That was a small taste of the chaos that will come if I do not find those stones. I will not allow it."

"Clark we have two now," Charles points out and if you have two they lead to the last one. Their quest is all but over.

"I'm not uniting them Professor unless I have no other choice."

"Why?"

"Because it activates the 3rd stone, the Crystal of Water, and I have no idea what power that stone has. Something about transference," he says with a puzzled expression because he doesn't know what that means. "I would rather not take the risk."

Charles can see Clark is in a dangerous place. He walks forward and places his hands on Clark's shoulders as he attempts to pull Clark back before he does step over the line. "Clark, I understand your concern for people but in your desire to protect them don't forsake what you believe in. This burden is not yours alone to bear. We agreed to share it. Let us. If you wish to try and solve the puzzle for the Crystal of Water as the means to locate it then we will aid you."

Clark is torn. He doesn't want his friends put in any more danger because of Krypton's legacy, whose burden falls upon him yet it is a weight he doesn't desire to carry by himself either. "I never wanted any of this," he says in a strained whisper, guilt pouring from him.

"Life rarely gives us what he want, Clark."

"And I know that better than most," Clark says with a sad resignation at how he almost never gets what he wants.

Charles looks at Clark. He is visibly stressed looking. Thinking on it Charles can see that since Clark returned after his imprisonment over the summer it had been one thing after another and at no point have they really just stopped, sat down and discussed what happened to him during the missing 3 months which must have been quite traumatic to have had his mind torn down and then rebuilt.

Charles mentally berates himself. Clark is so good at hiding his true self Charles has missed it. Missed the strains Clark must be going through that has led to this. He can even remember Scott mentioning once about Clark admitting he doesn't always sleep. In fact as Charles examines Clark's expression closely you can just about see the weariness creeping in at the corners of his eyes. When was the last time Clark actually slept properly is a good question.

Ideally Charles should insist Clark take a break but they must find the 3rd stone first. Too many other people are searching for it and Fury only gave him a short window. The best Charles can do is to try and make sure Clark lets him and the X-Men assist him and share the burden. Once the 3rd stone is found and safe Charles will see about getting Clark to ease down and take some time to deal with what has been done to him. "Clark," he says. "Lets not make any hasty decisions today, hmm? After all you have a sister now you have to get to know," he says to allow some time to pass and for Clark to think over what he has said.

A smile cracks through Clark's exterior as he remembers that. He has a sister. He's always wanted a sibling. "Ok, Professor," he agrees.

"Good," Charles says with a small feeling of triumph before he exits Clark's mind and returns to his body still sitting in his office.

Clark blinks. It's weird being back in charge after being confined to a corner of his mind. He can remember everything Kal did like he did it, only it wasn't him, except it was him in a way. Like he said it's weird. He takes a breath and then his eyes widen in horror as he suddenly remembers what Kal did.

Kal kissed Wanda. Really, really kissed her.

Clark's head drops into his hands as one resounding thought plays over and over in his head. _'__Oh dear God. __I'm__ dead.__'_

* * *

_Author's Note: __So __as I said before Clark has issues which doesn't help __but in some ways I think that maybe it was brushed over too easily __on the show __what Jor-El did to Clark that summer. Surely it has to have had a longer term effect on Clark's mind__. __Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; just the final little tidy-up of this adventure._


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Wanda had listened to Rogue as the Mississippi native retold the whole story of recent events and the background on Clark's roguish split personality. She has seen and heard some peculiar things...especially lately after moving in with Dr Strange. Remember they came here from another world in another dimension. She would have a hard time describing what that was like.

Still, despite what she has seen, Wanda has a hard time wrapping her head around an amoral Clark. The guy was so moral and good he could give someone like her a guilt complex by being in the same room and just standing there. It's hard to believe he can turn into a jerk her brother would envy.

Wanda could tell that it was bothering Rogue a lot but she couldn't really offer any wise words. After all what is there to for her to say? That'll it be alright and Clark will be back to normal soon. Rogue would see words like that in the same way Wanda does. They're meaningless things people expect you to say. She's probably already heard it from everyone else so therefore what is the point in Wanda repeating them. Instead she has a better idea. "So you want any help in making him suffer?" Wanda offers her services at getting back at Clark.

Rogue manages a tiny smile at that. "Ah'll consider it."

"These Inner Circle creeps sound like the kind my father would get along with," Wanda remarks after hearing Rogue's story of recent events.

"Uh, maybe. Then again..." Rogue trails off. She hadn't mentioned the whole First X-Men bit yet.

"Then again, what?" Wanda asks.

Rogue sighs. She should not have opened her mouth. Too late now. "Ya know tha Professor and your father were once friends right?"

"When he was slightly less mad, take over the world crazy, yeah," Wanda confirms she knows this.

"Well ya see it goes lahke this..."

Wanda sits there stunned into silence as Rogue tells the story of the First X-Men. Her father was an X-Man? Seriously? Her face darkens as Rogue tells a certain part. "My father paralysed the Professor?!" she says angrily.

Rogue shrugs. "So ah gather."

It's unbelievable and then afterwards he just ups and takes Wanda's mother to go live in the mountains like it never happened. Geez her father was beyond the pail.

"Ah think that's everything. Ah mentioned Scott's ex and her little team?"

Wanda nods. Yeah Rogue told her about Emma Frost and the Hellions.

"So anyway ah don't think your father lahkes this Inner Circle. In fact in China ah think ah remember him promising ta wipe them out or something."

"That sounds like him," Wanda will agree. She shakes her head. "I can't believe how much has happened since I left," she says in disbelief.

"Bet you're glad you have," Rogue thinks because god knows she could use a break from this madhouse.

"Actually, no," Wanda says wistfully. She has found she likes being at Dr Strange's but she's only there because she needs to learn control of her mystical abilities. If she had a choice she wouldn't have left.

Rogue isn't sure what to say.

"So is that it?" Wanda asks if there is anything else that has happened.

"Ah think so...no wait. Volcana's back. She left the Hellions," Rogue suddenly remembers Kitty telling her.

"Really? That's odd. I saw Bobby and he looked fine," Wanda says with a smirk.

Rogue smirks too because it was totally hilarious the way Claire and Bobby would get on each other's nerves and try and out-prank each other. "Well it's a little complicated."

"How?"

"Well she brought her girlfriend, Tarot, with her for starters."

"Ok."

"And...well it seems Claire and ah have something in common."

"Like?"

"We were both created by sickos who think it's fun ta play God."

"Huh?"

"That Shaw guy made her. She's his daughter. His...and Mrs Kent's."

Wanda shakes her head. "Ok. I must have misheard you. Otherwise you just said Claire is Mrs Kent's daughter."

"She is."

"Let me guess. Another long and complicated story?"

"Welcome ta tha X-Men! Where tha strange and weird is just a normal day before breakfast!"

"Summarise it."

"Ok. 20 years ago Mrs Kent and Shaw were engaged. She called it off. He used a lock of her hair ta extract her DNA and used it ta create Volcana for whatevah twisted reason he deemed right in his head." Rogue continues her summarising with the surrogate parents, the day of the meteor shower and everything else she knows about what happened at the Hellfire Club when Shaw revealed the truth of it to Mrs Kent.

"That's not strange and weird. That's nuts!" Wanda gives her honest opinion.

Rogue shrugs. "What do ya want meh ta say? Ah'm still tryin ta cope with tha fact Logan's dating Storm."

"Logan's doing what with whom?!" Wanda exclaims.

"He's dating Storm," Rogue repeats.

Wanda is rendered speechless for several moments. She never saw that coming. "I need to phone more often," she mutters because otherwise she just loses complete track of events around here. "You're ok with this?" she asks after Rogue's well-being which goes to show how far Rogue and Wanda have come in their friendship.

Rogue fidgets a little, showing she is still trying to adjust to the idea. "It seems ta make him happy. Who am ah ta deny that?"

"His daughter."

"Ya just had ta remind meh didn't ya," Rogue says while giving Wanda a severe look. She's not being serious with it.

"It could be worse," Wanda says a little bitter-sweetly, thinking of her own father.

"Yeah. It could beh," Rogue is forced to agree.

Wanda has to admit it is nicer the way she and Rogue can seem to get along with each other now. Rogue has a similar thought.

"So how are things at Dr Strange's?" Rogue asks. It seems like something she should ask about.

"Good. I haven't misfired off a spell by accident in at least 4 days."

Rogue gives Wanda a critical eye and wonders if that's a joke or not.

"It's difficult," Wanda admits at problems she is having. "Magic is driven by emotion and I have...anger issues."

"Really? Would nevah have guessed," Rogue dead-pans.

Wanda gives Rogue a look. "Now you sound like Clark."

"Ah just wish he would sound lahke himself," Rogue says longingly to have that cute farmboy back.

"I think, perhaps, you're just about to get your wish," Wanda says.

Rogue looks at the other Goth girl and sees Wanda staring at the door. "How do ya know that?"

"He's standing outside the door."

Rogue looks at Wanda wondering how she knows that.

Wanda shrugs. "Mystical senses and Clark's aura is rather...unique," she explains.

And also he has not barged in as Kal would, Rogue realises. In fact if she knows Clark he's probably trying to work up the nerve to knock. Rogue rises to her feet and walks to the door and opens it to find Clark, his hand in the air just about to knock.

Clark grins nervously. "Hi."

"Hi," Rogue returns coolly.

"So...um...I'm...it's me. I mean it's me, Clark. I'm back to normal," he stumbles over his explanation.

"That's good," Rogue says, her voice still cool.

Clark's eyes fall upon Wanda. "Hi Wanda. Sorry about earlier," he says, as he wonders if she told Rogue about the kiss.

"Rogue explained," Wanda says, as she rises to her feet. "And I did hex you through the wall twice."

Rogue looks at Wanda with surprise and an expression that says 'you never mentioned that!'.

"Look I guess you two want to catch up so I'll go," Wanda offers. "If I can just have a quick word with you, Clark, first."

"Ok," Clark says, uncertain what Wanda will say or do to him.

Wanda grabs Clark by his shirt and drags him off down the hallway and around a corner. "Look," she says sharply. "I didn't tell her you kissed me."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Wanda warns him. "Try anything like that again and I don't care what mental state you are in I guarantee not another lustful thought will _ever _enter your head again. You hear me?"

"I do," Clark says shamefully. "Wanda I really am sorry."

"I accept that."

"You do?"

"You're still alive aren't you?"

"I..." Clark runs his hand through his hair in frustration. "This is not really how I envisioned this panning out. I just wanted to keep the stones out of the wrong hands."

"Shouldn't you be saying this to your girlfriend," Wanda points out.

"Probably but I'm afraid of her. She's scarier then you are."

"What!" Wanda screeches and then catches the easy teasing grin on Clark's face. "So not the time for your sorry excuse for humour Clark!" she tells him off with an accusing pointing index finger.

"Wanda, no offence here, but you don't know half of what I got up when Kal was in charge. If I don't laugh I think I might crack up."

"Was it that bad?"

"Lets just say I have no idea how to explain it to Rogue that won't end up with me wishing I was never born."

"Clark...I'm completely the wrong person to ask for advice," Wanda says trying to be sympathetic to her sort of adopted big brother, as they agreed to be but she has no advice to give for this situation. "The only thing I can say is that, like myself, Rogue hates being lied to. I get you might want to spare her feelings but lying won't do that so however bad the truth is just suck it up, man up and go be honest."

"You're right," Clark agrees with her. "You are completely the wrong person to ask."

Wanda rolls her eyes and gives him a shove as Clark smirks.

"Hel-_lo_!" a saucy voice says.

Wanda looks around Clark's large frame to find Satana standing there, eyeing him hungrily. Cue another eye roll. "I'll take care of her. You go take care of your girlfriend," she says as she strides around him up to the half-demon sorceress. She points a finger into Satana's face. "No," she says sternly.

"But..." Satana starts to argue only for Wanda to grab the girl's arm and start dragging her away.

"No," Wanda repeats frostily, knowing what Satana is thinking.

"But come on!" Satana protests as Wanda physically drags her off.

"Read my lips; No!"

"But he smells so...so..." Satana struggles for the word to describe how good he smells. God the power. Not to mention how gorgeous he is. She would not mind a tussle between the sheets with him. Hell she might just sell what's left of her soul for a tussle between the sheets with him. She is drooling just thinking about it.

"He's off the menu Satana! End of story!" Wanda declares with finality.

"You're not the boss of me!"

"No but I am his sister so you want him you go through me!"

"Happily you little mutant witch. Name the time and place," Satana challenges Wanda.

"When and where Dr Strange allows it."

"The Doc? He would never allow it."

"Well I guess you never get through me then, to him, do you?"

"Why you little sneaky b...!"

Clark tunes out at this point, totally perplexed by what that was all about but grateful to Wanda. She has come a long way from when he first met her...and she's not a bad kisser. In fact it was pretty good...and those are bad thoughts. Those are Kal thoughts and Clark gives his alter ego a mental shut up. He turns back to his girlfriend problem and takes a deep breath as he steadies his courage. It's only Rogue.

Yeah. Right. Who is he kidding? He would rather fight every single one of the Hellions than do this. However, Wanda is right. He needs to man up and just confess his sins so to speak so he marches his way down to Rogue's room to do just that.

Clark finds the door still open ajar so tentatively he pushes it open. "Hi," he repeats his greeting from earlier.

Rogue had sat herself down on her bed while she waited for him to return. "Hi."

"Can I come in?" he seeks her permission.

"Sure," Rogue says.

Clark enters the room and shuts the door behind him. "So...um...I'm not sure where to start honestly. I guess an apology."

Rogue frowns. "Ya guess?" she queries unhappily. An apology should be the first thing off his lips.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you in anyway but I did what I felt was necessary."

"What does that mean?"

"Emma didn't free Kal. I let him out to fool her," Clark confesses.

"Ya what?" Rogue asks him, unable to believe she is hearing this from him. "After all tha regrets, all tha guilt you've admitted over what ya did as him ya just let him out? That right?"

"I'm trying to save the world here Rogue," he points out. "And even as Kal I was always keeping an eye on you."

"Forgive meh if that doesn't reassure meh. Last tahme ya used meh for your own ends. This tahme ya used all of us," Rogue points out, her anger building under the surface.

"I can't deny that."

Rogue's anger is caught short by the surprise he admitted it in such a fashion. He just stated it. There was no guilt, no shame, no remorse, apparently, unlike last time where he pleaded for her forgiveness. "Then where does that leave us, Clark?"

"I do love you, Anna. Truly. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe," Clark promises her.

"Except trust meh it seems. Or trust your friends," she accuses him.

"I did what I had to."

"No. Ya did what ya thought ya had to. There's a difference."

"I did what I could considering the situation I was in, which was chained up in the dungeon by the way, as Emma Frost tried to do a Jor-El on me and mess about with my head. Look even if a few things happened I didn't envision the bottom line is that no-one was hurt, the stone is safe and in my possession. Tell me exactly where I went wrong?" Clark asks her. His expression is a mask, revealing nothing when usually his face, his eyes especially, are so expressive.

"Ya used your friends."

"Which I am sorry about."

"No you're not," Rogue dismisses his apology. "If ya were sorry ya would nevah have done it. This isn't like last tahme Clark. Ya weren't doped up against your will. Ya chose this."

"Did I mention the part where I'm trying to save the world?"

"Ya know what? Ah don't even know who ah'm talkin' ta right now! Because this is not my boyfriend talkin! He cares!"

"I care," Clark insists. "I do regret some of what happened. If you want to know what I did and why I did it, ask me and I'll answer you. However, if you're expecting me to sit around and mope, brood or whatever and spend the next week apologising..." which is what he did after the last time he was on red kryptonite, "then you're mistaken," he says with surprising firmness in his tone considering his tendency to brood. He continues with his explanation, "I simply don't have the time for that sort of self-indulgence. If I learned anything from recent events is that we can never know when the next person or group will come seeking the stones. I have to find the 3rd one and put an end to this."

Clark turns, walks a few paces away and turns back to face Rogue. This is as difficult as he thought it would be. "I know that may sound like me saying the ends justify the means."

"That's exactly what it sounds lahke," Rogue agrees and it leaves her so very confused. Clark is usually the one who argues the most strongly against the ends justifying the means.

"Then it will just have to sound like that," Clark accepts. "It isn't by the way," he insists.

The problem for Rogue is that if it was all Kal's idea she could just about forgive him but he admitted it wasn't. That Clark chose to let Kal out knowing full well what would happen is what is really difficult and frankly angers her beyond description because, as far as she sees it, her loving boyfriend chose to do things he knew would hurt her. "Ah can't talk ta ya right now," she says, struggling not to go postal on him which is what will happen if they try and talk now.

"I understand," Clark says. "When you do wish to talk you know all you have to do is call my name," he reminds her. He takes a step forward and plants a kiss on her forehead. "I love you. Please trust in that if nothing else," he asks of her.

The problem is, as Clark leaves Rogue alone, is, that for the first time since they started dating, she finds herself doubting that very trust and where does that leave them?

* * *

Elsewhere in the mansion Hank and Moira are debating over a few scientific points. Primarily over helping remove Domino's control chip but also any ideas Hank might have on how to help her son, Kevin. It would be their last chance to talk in person for awhile as Moira needed to fly home soon for the very reason of her son.

They were just looking to met up with Sean at the moment. They find him leaning against a wall, simply observing some of the students interacting with Dr Strange's students. He has an odd wistful, longing and perhaps sad look but it is interspersed with quirks on his lips that seem to be smiles.

Hank and Moira then notice he is, in particular, watching his daughter interact and Theresa is laughing and smiling and looking to be having a great time. Ah so that is what this is about.

Hank coughs to get Sean's attention.

"And what are ye two up t'?" Sean asks at seeing them.

"Oh just having a little chat," Hank replies. "About science, medicine, trying to spare Clark from Moira's interrogation techniques," he jokes.

"Aye. I can see that mad scientist glint in her eye," Sean says, joining in the teasing of Moira.

Moira narrows her eyes in annoyance. "Ye two are not funny," she tells the pair off. "And I have nae plans tae interrogate Clark. Just ask him a few questions," she tries to mollify.

Sean and Hank share a look.

"Right, lass. Whatever ye say," Sean says in such a tone to show he doesn't believe her. He knows Moira too well.

"Are ye telling me you're not at least a tiny bit interested?" Moira asks Sean sceptically. "He's an alien Sean. A real life extraterrestrial. My God can ye imagine the things we can learn from him," she says, barely able to contain herself. She so wants to talk to him before she has to return home.

"I hope ye have some sedatives ready Hank," Sean says. "I think we may have t' tie her down t' save th' lad."

"Already loaded into syringes and waiting," Hank replies, managing to sound completely serious.

Moira glares at the pair of them. "Bunch of comedians," she grumbles.

Sean chuckles lightly. In a way he could understand where Moira was coming from. It was extraordinary to think about where the lad was from.

"So what troubles you my friend?" Hank inquires.

"Hmm?" Sean queries back.

"He wants to stay," Moira states.

Both Hank and Sean look at her.

"I've known ye a long time Sean. I can tell that is what you're thinking. I know you've missed this place. Ye said so."

"I have responsibilities," Sean points out which shows he has in fact grown up despite his easy going and sometimes nonchalant manner. He has responsibilities to Moira and to his daughter which come before his personal wants and desires.

"Sean, ye don't need tae be on Muir Island all the time. John can manage," Moira points out in relation to John Proudstar, a mutant Sean met and partnered during his more...off the book type civil service. Sean was the one who persuaded John to come and work on Muir Island after their last mission together.

"I now feel so redundant," Sean complains, making a pouty face.

Moira rolls her eyes. "Ye know what I mean. It's entirely possible for ye tae split your time. At worse you're only a few hours away if I ever needed ye...and it isn't just ye you're thinking about. It's Terry isn't it. I saw yer face as you watched her. Ye were happy at seeing her interact with others her age. I know she doesn't get much chance tae do that on Muir Island."

Moira knows him far too well. It's annoying, Sean must say.

"There's also the Inner Circle. I can't stay here. I have tae take care of Kevin but ye can. I know you're not the type of man tae leave loose ends and this one has been bothering ye for 20 years."

"We would be delighted to have you here Sean," Hank says in a welcoming fashion. He would love to see his old friend more often. "If you want a practical reason to stay the truth is we shall need more instructors soon. As soon as this current episode involving the 3 stones is taken care of we plan to invite a new batch of students to join."

"Do I look like a teacher?" Sean asks.

"Does Logan?" Hank asks back as a prime example of someone who, at first glance, you would never imagine teaching but Logan does exactly that. "You have skills in many different areas Sean. The students attend the local school for their conventional education. Here we teach them the unconventional. How to control their powers and use them to protect and defend the innocent. Now that I know is an area you much experience in," he illustrates where Sean does have useful skills.

"Sean, it's time tae do what makes ye happy," Moira says to him.

Sean looks at her carefully. "And what about ye and Rahne?" he asks because that decision over whether Rahne stays or not will need to be made shortly.

Moira pauses. That's a good question. Nothing has changed in relation to her worries over Rahne's safety but she also wants her daughter to be happy and she would be happiest here. "I havenae decided yet," she admits to Sean and Hank.

Just then a certain alien teenager of topic walks up to the 3 adults. Moira's eyes noticeably widen. She has seen Clark before but now knowing what he is she can't help but look at him through a different filter.

"Dr McTaggert, Mr Cassidy," Clark acknowledges them. "I wish to say thank you for coming all this way and apologise for any inconvenience you went through while you were held captive." Clark felt he should say something. It was a long way to come to help him.

"No problem, laddie," Sean washes the praises off easily. He only did what was right. He then nudges Moira who is now slack-jawed staring.

"Y-yes, no problem," Moira stutters her reply a little.

"Clark. You are _well?" _Hank queries.

"Dr Strange was able to help the Professor restore my mental balance, yes," he confirms what he can assume Mr McCoy was asking. "I hope I wasn't too much trouble."

"Ye were nae worse than I was when I was yer age," Sean says, in essence forgiving the lad for his behaviour these last 24 hours.

"That I can most decidedly confirm," Hank says a little too quickly to rile Sean up.

"Right," Clark says, a little perplexed. "Anyway I just wanted to express my thanks to you both," he means that genuinely.

Moira is struggling. She has so many questions she doesn't know where to start. It's very apparent this is the case from her expression. She looks like someone struggling internally with herself.

"I have to go catch up with my parents," Clark excuses himself for not staying. He was in fact on his way to them when he just happened to come upon Dr McTaggert and Mr Cassidy. "I'm sure I'll see you again before you leave. Now if you will excuse me," he gives his farewells and quickly moves on.

Sean and Hank look at Moira, amusement sparkling in their eyes at her face and the fact she couldn't speak in Clark's presence. Oh there will be many, many years of milking this for their own enjoyment to come. Rest assured they will never be letting Moira forget this.

Clark strides on. He could have just superspeeded by but wanted to apologise because, as he said to Rogue, he had done a few things he regretted. Hitting on most of the girls here would count because he does love Rogue. Kal just likes to flirt and see what sort of reaction he can get. Rogue...he just needs to let her calm down. He knows some of what he said hurt and angered her but it was necessary. He believes she'll see that. Rogue always takes time and patience. She can be a little frustrating like that but she is also worth it.

He finds his parents and Claire seemingly giving Marie a tour and introducing her to people. He catches up to them wandering in the direction of the kitchen. No surprise there. His mother is probably away to spoil Claire rotten with her cooking. He snaps his fingers. Glasses. He pulls them out of his shirt pocket and slips them on. He's not about to divulge his secret identity to a former Hellion without some proof her switch is genuine and heartfelt. He's not that optimistic and naïve.

"Clark?" Jonathan queries at seeing his son, dressed back more to his normal in his blue t-shirt and jeans. Though it's the glasses perched on his nose that gives it away.

"Yeah, it's me," he confirms.

Martha moves over and hugs him. "It's good to have you back," she whispers emotionally.

Clark smiles thinly. He never really went away but he can see how Kal is not everyone's cup of tea.

Jonathan places a hand in his son's shoulder. "We have stuff to talk about," he says with a pointed look to indicate what he means.

Yeah. Clark figured there would be talking. "Sure," he accepts that. "Now rumour has it I have a sister," he moves the topic on to something cheerier. He has a warm smile on his face at having something he has always wanted; a sibling.

"Really? Now where did you hear that from?" Claire asks, tongue in cheek.

"You do remember how stories spread around here right?" Clark asks her.

"Still that bad?"

"Worse, probably."

Claire shuts her eyes and shakes her head. She looks to Marie. "Maybe it's not too late to go back," she jests.

"Now you don't mean that, sis," Clark says.

Sis. That sounds...nice, Claire has to say.

Clark turns to Marie and welcomes her, to her surprise, in French. "Bonjour et bienvenue. C'est très agréable de vous rencontrer."

"Vous parlez français?"

"Un peu," Clark modifies her thought by saying he speaks a little. "Mon allemand est meilleur," he says his German is better but that is because Kurt taught him it.

"Since when did you learn to speak French?" Martha asks, wondering when she missed that. What else has she missed about her son?

"I've had to learn a few languages for, you know, _research_," he says, trying to hint at it is for the stones.

"How many do you speak?" Claire wonders about her brother.

"Lets see," Clark says as he counts them off on his fingers. "German, French, Chinese, Latin, Kitty keeps trying to teach me Yiddish," he says with a roll of his eyes.

Claire joins in the eye rolling. Seems Kitty hasn't changed in the time she's been away.

"And a couple of others," Clark finishes vaguely since one of those languages would be his native Kryptonian.

"Wow. I guess we have some catching up to," Claire remarks, truly astounded by his ability to have learned that many languages.

"There's plenty of time for that. We're family now. I finally get to be a big brother," he says with much excitement, looking forward to that.

"You'll be trying to kill him inside a week," Jonathan dead-pans.

"Thanks dad," Clark mutters sarcastically at his father's attempt at a joke.

Seeing her son and husband banter just makes Martha smile lovingly at her family. After meeting Sebastian again she appreciates having it more than ever.

Clark turns his attention back to Marie. "So you and Claire are dating?" he asks, making it sound like an innocent question.

"Oui," Marie confirms with a happy smile at that.

"Uh huh," Clark says. He folds his arms across his chest and his expression grows serious. "That being the case, and myself being Claire's big brother I feel I therefore have to ask this; what are your intentions towards my sister?" he asks, in full-on overprotective big brother mode.

Marie's eyes widen while Claire gets pissed. "Clark!" she yells at her brother.

Clark just smirks. Oh this is going to be so much fun!

* * *

Moira had spent the last little while just watching Rahne as her daughter caught up with her friends. In many ways she is doing what she caught Sean doing earlier only her thoughts don't involve staying herself. Due to her son Kevin's condition she cannot do that.

Moira's single dilemma is whether she allows Rahne to stay here or not. The problem of making that decision remains the same. Her daughter's safety.

Arguably, with the re-emergence of the Inner Circle into the X-Men's lives, her daughter was less safe than ever if she was to remain here. That being the case she should just take Rahne home.

Except Rahne will hate that idea and resent her for it.

What does a mother want?

For her children to be safe and to be happy but what does one do when any decision one makes can only deliver one of those things.

Moira hasn't an answer but she'll need to make a decision and soon.

* * *

Before Dr Strange left he set about placing protective wards around the Institute to prevent any practitioner of black magic entering the grounds. It was aimed mainly at Isobel and Selene to stop them teleporting in whenever they felt like it.

After hearing about what happened to Selene, Stephen knew enough of the immortal sorceress to know she would seek vengeance. This would keep her out long enough for him to arrive and confront her. Isobel's quest for the stones would also, most likely, draw her back so this helped ensure the stones were protected.

Mentioning the stones Stephen had very recently found a little out about them in research he had done after Charles had previously asked him. He would send it over as soon as he got home.

Once Dr Strange was finished it was time for him and his students to leave which many complained about. They had been having a good time getting to know the mutant students. Well Satana had been more having fun at their expense while her brother, much to his exasperation at her behaviour, tried to get her to stop. In between those times he had found Scott someone like himself. Someone who likes some order in their lives. His sister would accuse him of being dull. For Daimon it was a way to force some discipline upon the more chaotic, demonic side of his nature. Satana would never understand because she revelled in that part of herself.

Topaz had been the most well behaved of the group and had managed to strike up a conversation with Jean. They had been interrupted by Evan a few times which, Jean had been able to sense, was due to the fact Evan was trying to hit on Topaz. Topaz didn't seem to notice and well Jean could see why. Evan wasn't very good at it which would explain his current single status.

Jen had been surprised by Wanda's closeness to Tabby. The blond girl, overflowing with abundant fizzy energy seemed an odd contrast to Wanda. Since Wanda had taken up Jen's interest in Wiccan Jen figured she had come to know Wanda the best and it just seemed strange that the angry Goth would have such an outgoing personality as Tabby for a friend. Not that she found anything wrong with Tabby. Quite the opposite. Jen liked the girl. It was just the odd friendship she couldn't figure out.

Wanda had really enjoyed meeting up with Tabby and well everyone again. Once she had put her anger over the kiss with Clark...Kal...whatever he's called, once she was over it she allowed herself to just relax and enjoy her friends' company. Although her mind would stray a little back to that kiss. Being her first that was natural she was sure. After all doesn't everyone remember their first kiss?

All too soon for Wanda's liking Dr Strange is telling them it's time to leave. The mystically inclined students gather back together and are soon saying their farewells. Even Rogue shows up to say farewell but Wanda can see that the girl from the south ain't looking too happy and Clark is nowhere to be seen. Wanda guesses the talk she insisted upon Clark having can't have gone too well.

Martha comes up to Wanda and hugs her farewell and whispers in Wanda's ear. "Clark wanted me to pass on his farewells. He said he can't be here due to...uh mystical senses?" she says rather confused by what Clark was meaning.

"Oh right," Wanda says, suddenly understanding. Clark shines almost blindingly bright to her and from earlier, obviously, Satana too. He probably shines like that to everyone mystical and if he was in the same room as them his secret identity bit would be blown. As Mrs Kent steps back Wanda watches the woman step next to Volcana. Wanda still can't believe what she heard about that situation. It's completely insane.

The Professor gives his thanks to Stephen for the protection wards before the Sorcerer Supreme teleports himself and his students home.

The gathered students break up. Logan marches off to get a beer when he finds Clark patching up two holes in the wall. Also the floor feels warped under his feet. "What happened?" he asks in his gruff tones.

Clark sighs. "My other personality and Wanda don't mix," he explains. "I'll fix it," he promises.

"You alright kid?" Logan asks him. He was planning for him and Clark to have words after the whole Hellfire Club situation and now was as good as time as any. The kid was looking kind of miserable though Logan would have to say.

"I take it you haven't spoken to Rogue," Clark assumes.

"Not recently," Logan can confirm but then again she did lock herself away in her room which is a sign she wanted to be left alone.

"You may have to carry out your threat to cut off certain parts of me," Clark explains in gallows humour.

Logan frowns. "Look I know the other you is not easy to get along with."

Clark chuckles at the sheer understatement that is.

"And I recall it took her a few days last time to forgive ya."

"Problem is Logan I kinda think I did what I had to. She doesn't agree."

Logan is surprised to hear that from Clark of all people. Logan himself does stuff he thinks he has to even if it pisses everyone else off but Clark isn't like that normally.

"You can start yelling any time you want," Clark permits. He knows it's coming anyway.

Logan, usually, isn't slow in delivering the chewing outs but not when someone asks for it. He simply grunts and comes up with a better idea for the minute. "Fix the wall," he orders. "And if it ain't up to standard I'll rip it all down and make ya do it all over from scratch. I don't want to be able to tell it was ever damaged in the first place," he tells Clark the standard of repair he expects.

"Jawohl mein Herr!" Clark quips, with a salute for good measure.

"Less imitating the elf. More patching," Logan commands as he settles himself into a supervisory role. He'll make damn sure the kid does this right no matter how long it takes.

* * *

Rahne had been dreading this moment when she would be called down to the hangar because it meant her mother was leaving and she might have to as well.

Rahne is conflicted. She does love her mother, don't doubt that. Yes, she was angry at her mother for pulling her out but thanks to Sean she was more or less over that...and yes she does miss seeing her brother yet the largest part of her wants to be at the Institute.

Being back here, especially seeing her best friend Jamie again, really makes her want to stay. She gets down to the hangar and finds her mother there with Sean. Terry's here too and actually isn't looking much merrier than Rahne is about leaving. Terry had admitted to her that she had found her short stay amazing.

Also here to see them off is the Professor, Mr McCoy...and Domino for some reason Rahne can't fathom about why the luck alterer is present.

"So I take it we're going home," Rahne says, rather morosely.

"Aye," Moira confirms. "So ye can pick up your things."

"I...what?" Rahne asks, with sudden confusion.

"I'm lettin ye stay," Moira tells her daughter her decision.

Rahne's face almost splits open in a smile. She runs up to her mother and hugs her, too tightly almost. "Thank ye mum!"

"Don't thank me just yet," Moira cautions. "It's a trial only. Should ye end up in danger again ye will come home, no argument. Am I clear?" she asks sternly, her tone biding no quibble with her decision.

"Crystal," Rahne says. "But why I am coming home first?" she asks since that seems a little convoluted.

"It's not that simple just tae leave ye here Rahne," Moira points out. "Charles needs time to get ye readmitted tae school. There are visas tae arrange so ye can be here legally."

"Wait. We're here illegally?" Rahne inquiries.

"Lets just say we should never mentioned that we were here."

"Oh."

Theresa chuckles lightly at that. She finds it kinda funny to think they're here illegally.

"I'll sort it out as soon as I can," the Professor promises. He'll have Martha help. She's very good at it because she has some legal training from the life she once pursued when she was younger.

"Thank ye Charles," Moira says with a warm smile. She'll always have warm feelings for him.

"No problem. Although 3 visas takes a little doing in a short time," he says, totally understating how difficult it actually is to wade through all the convoluted regulations on who does and does not enter the United States.

"3?" Theresa queries.

Sean chooses this moment to tell her what he has decided. "If ye want."

Theresa looks a little puzzled. "I didnae think I understand."

"If ye want t' come here, Charles has offered me a role as an instructor," Sean explains the conversation he has already had with the Professor.

Theresa points at her father, an expression of disbelief on her face. "Ye? An Instructor?"

"Is that so unbelievable?" Sean asks her. "I taught ye didn't I?"

"He has a point and ye are not exactly easy tae teach," Rahne says, cheeky grin on her face, teasing her friend.

"Whose side are ye on?" Theresa asks her friend.

Rahne chooses not to answer that.

"It's up t' ye Terry," Sean leaves the choice to her.

Wow. Theresa did not see this coming. She has never even considered it. Staying close to her father was all that ever mattered and he was on Muir Island so that was where she was. "What about yer job?" she asks in reference to Sean's work.

"Apparently John can do what I do and I'm completely redundant according t' some people who shall remain nameless," he says, giving Moira a joky sour look.

"Actually I said that ye didn't need tae be there all the time," Moira corrects him.

"So...this is really up t' me?" Theresa asks her father to confirm.

"Aye," Sean says.

"Then I would like t' give it a go here," Theresa decides.

"Excellent!" Domino proclaims, in a cackling tone, mimicking Mr Burns from the Simpsons as she taps her fingertips against each other. "More meat for the grinder."

"This is why we don't let her make our sales pitch," Hank says, dead-pan style.

Domino shoots him a look. "I'm offended. I'm the best thing about this place," she proclaims.

Hank looks to Sean and Moira. "I think silence is indeed golden in response to that."

Domino huffs.

Sean, Moira, Rahne and Theresa chuckle as does the Professor. Although Charles, in reality did find Domino unique and wonderful in her way.

Moira sighs. She still never got a chance to talk to Clark. He was bonding with his new sister and she couldn't really bring herself to interrupt. There'll be another opportunity, another day, she is certain

"Drake!" a piercing screech breaks into proceedings.

Everyone turns their heads as Iceman enters the hangar on one of his ice-slides and in hot pursuit of him, her hair a trail of burning fire as she flies, is Volcana.

Hank checks his watch. "Huh. That took longer than I calculated," he admits. He wondered how long it would take Bobby to play one of his pranks on Claire.

"Drake, it's going to be a very cold day in hell, because I'm sending you there you immature little twit!" Volcana screams in fury as she chucks fireballs at him.

"It was a welcome back present!" Bobby insists as he ducks under a fireball.

"The only present I want from you is for you to rot in hell!"

"Honestly! A simple thank you! Is that too much to ask?" Bobby complains.

"ARRHHH!" Volcana screams as the chase continues.

"Is...is that normal?" Sean asks, worried about what he may have agreed to.

"Welcome to the Instructor Faculty of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters," Charles jokes.

"May god have mercy upon your soul," Domino tells him.

* * *

_Author's Note: I didn't want Clark and Rogue to have an instant resolution to their problems. In fact I created a situation where it will be difficult to overcome the difference of opinion about what Clark did. So Sean, Theresa and Rahne will come back into my story later I decided. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark finally figures out where the 3rd and final stone is while everyone else is worried about his mental health as he continues to act oddly._


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Scott figures...in fact Scott knows that most people around here don't realise what being the leader of the X-Men entails. They probably don't think about the amount of work he has to put in. No team can operate successfully without cohesive teamwork and trust in your team-mates and that involves melding very different, and sometimes clashing, personalities together. It can be complicated further by the relationships between members.

When two of those people happen to be dating it adds a further intensity to the emotions involved. Now imagine a situation where those two people dating have had a serious falling out and aren't really talking. That makes the job of leader even tougher.

That is the situation Scott finds himself in. Not him and Jean. In fact they had been quite good lately. Jean, despite her clear dislike of Emma, had been amazingly sympathetic to Scott's issues with his ex. Oh Jean hadn't held back her opinion in anyway but she always phrased it in a way to not and try and hurt him in the process. It's part of why he loves her so very much.

As for his feelings for Emma...well Scott doesn't like her very much, at all, at the moment but thankfully, since they parted ways a week ago outside the Hellfire Club, they hadn't seen nor heard from Emma, her Hellions, Shaw or anyone else involved with the Inner Circle. According to the last information Sage was able to pass on they were all too busy trying to cover themselves over their failure so it seemed like for a short time, at least, Scott didn't have to worry about them.

Back to what Scott was saying about relationship problems. He is, of course, talking about Rogue and Clark who are...well lets say frosty to each other at the minute. It's not the first time and in any relationship fights and disagreements happen. He has had enough of them with Jean to know that. Problem is this time it seems to be pretty serious between Rogue and Clark to the point it has been affecting the team.

Therefore as much as Scott would prefer to not get involved in what is a personal issue he has no choice now. Now he could go and speak to Rogue...and then he would wake up in the infirmary. His face grimaces at the idea. He will have to say something to her. He knows that. The team dynamic requires it.

First, though, Scott decides to speak to Clark because his friend has been...well off. For the last week Clark has been fairly distant from everyone. He was still his usual polite self up to a point but when he did spend time with the others he was acting...well off. Oddly. Not like himself but that was only the rare times he did hang out. The only people Clark had really spent any time with this last week had been his parents and Claire as they tried to adapt to their new situation of being a family and Scott knew, from talking to Mr and Mrs Kent, they too were worried about Clark's behaviour.

Mentioning Claire...and Scott is glad she is back by the way. He always takes it personal when they leave because he feels like he failed somehow when they do. Mentioning Claire, of course, leads on to Tarot, whose parents were here a few days ago to check up on her. Scott could tell a long story about that but bottom line is that they talked to the Professor and he convinced them that their daughter would be better suited to attending the Institute so here Marie still is...with condition. First being for now, until Marie proves her switch is genuine and that she can be trusted, Clark's alien origin and Clark being Superman is to be kept from her.

Scott hopes Marie's switch is genuine because having fought her, having seen her in her first New Mutant training sessions, her mutant gift is very impressive. Volcana isn't bad either. Scott will reluctantly have to admit Emma had done a good job in advancing Volcana's skills forward.

Neither girl is X-Men material yet. That status is earned and they haven't earned it yet. Everyone starts at the bottom and has to prove they are ready for the X-Men.

Oddly...or at least Scott finds it odd, Emma hadn't done anything to fight for Tarot. Marie's parents made some mention that they had spoke to her but Emma had really only made some weak remark that it was up to them...which doesn't sound like the Emma Frost Scott remembers. The only explanation he could think of is that she is too busy trying to preserve her position within the Inner Circle and sees that as her priority.

Scott decides that he won't think more on that or Emma. Down that road leads to anger at her. Back to his priority at the minute. Clark.

Scott finds Clark down in the lower levels, in the lab room where they keep all the stone research. Clark is just standing there staring at it. "Looking for inspiration?" Scott queries, looking for a way to start this conversation.

"Sort of," Clark says in flat tones.

Scott walks over until he is standing next to Clark. "Perhaps we should just unite the stones," he suggests.

Clark purses his lips as he thinks on it. "Since I don't know what would happen I would rather still prefer not to risk it."

"Clark, we don't have infinite time," Scott cautions. "Shaw may be busy for awhile but Magneto is still out there as is Isobel. Fury only gave us a small leeway," he argues a case for more direct action.

"I know but our best guess is that the stone is on an island. What if it is inhabited Scott? I could put people at risk," Clark tries to explain why he doesn't want to join the 2 stones they have together.

"We may just have to take the calculated risk."

"That's just the point Scott. I can't calculate it!" Clark says in agitated tones. "I can't remember what the stone does and I'm sure I should!"

"What do you mean?" Scott asks with some confusion.

Clark walks up to the part of the wall he wrote all about the Crystal of Water. "I can remember writing this down," he says tapping on it. "It was suppose to include the mathematical description of the stone, its power and how it functions...except it's not here yet I can swear blind I wrote it all down."

"Emma?" Scott queries since she did get into Clark's head and perhaps she did manage to alter his memories.

"She never got anywhere I didn't want her to," Clark dismisses that suggestion.

Yeah. Scott had heard that version of events from Clark already this week. He, like the Professor, was concerned what it said about Clark.

Clark's brow drops way down as a deeply furrowed frown forms on his face. "It doesn't make sense. It's like I can't trust my own memory...which is impossible because I have perfect recall."

"Jor-El?" Scott makes another inquiry and another guess at who is responsible.

Clark laughs mirthlessly. "I already asked him."

Scott is surprised by that. "When?"

"A couple of days ago. I wanted to get some answers about Selene and his relationship with her."

"What did he say?"

"Find the stone, Kal-El and you shall find your answers and your destiny."

"And?" Scott queries for more.

"And nothing. That was it," Clark says sourly.

"That's all he said?" Scott asks, with an annoyed frown of his own.

"Yep. So my mental health could be in question but apparently it's not enough for Jor-El to do more than exchange 13 words with me."

Scott can almost taste the bitterness pouring off Clark as he says that. "Clark, the Professor might be able to help," he proposes.

"I wish Scott," Clark says sadly. "Jor-El did this and only he can help me except he won't. Until then...I can't even promise it is safe to be around me," he warns in grave tones.

It clicks in Scott's head. Clark's sudden distance this last week. He's protecting them from himself. "Look Clark, your actions may have hurt some feelings but we're still your friends," he points out.

Clark looks at Scott, his gaze chillingly dispassionate. "Then why did I do what I did?" he asks. "Why did I choose a course of actions I knew would hurt my friends and especially my girlfriend? I knew they would yet I did it anyway. Why?"

"I...um..." Scott struggles to come up with a response to that.

Clark turns his gaze back to the script on the walls. His eyes fall upon the newest addition to the research. Dr Strange had sent it. "Why?" he seems to repeat himself.

"Clark, I'm not really much of a psychologist," Scott replies, thinking Clark is still on about why he did what he did. "But as your friend I can say I'm here if you need to talk."

Clark looks at Scott with a puzzled expression. "Scott, what are you talking about?"

"Uh...what are you talking about?" Scott asks back.

"Why was Jor-El on Earth? Why was he on Nova Roma?" Clark asks the questions that suddenly occurred to him. Before Scott can say anything Clark has blurred, ripped a couple of sheets of paper off the wall and is holding them out to Scott. Clark holds the one in his right hand forward a little bit. "This is the clue I wrote down about the Crystal of Water," he explains what it is. "In the shadow of a lost empire lies that which transfers the spirit of life from the sky to the ocean. Surrounded by the depths and buried in fire you shall find a truth long hidden," he repeats the clue.

"Yeah," Scott says, unsure where this is going...or where Clark's mental state is at all, more worryingly.

Clark brings forward the other piece of paper in his left hand. "This is what Dr Strange sent me. It's an older version of the puzzle found upon the wall of an ancient Egyptian temple. It says; Nestled amongst the seven sisters, in the heart of an Empire, by the Fields of the God of War lies that which transfers the spirit of life from the sky to the ocean."

"They're different," Scott remarks.

"Because Jor-El knew that the stone had been moved from Rome so he had to give me a different puzzle to solve about where it currently is. Don't you get it?"

"Um...no."

Clark looks almost exasperated. "We know my people would check up on the stones from time to time."

"Jor-El was here checking up on them," Scott gathers Clark's meaning.

"YES!"

"Soooo?" Scott inquires, still not getting what Clark is saying.

"So I know where it is...I think. I need to talk to Amara to be sure. You let the Professor know we'll be going on a trip," Clark tells Scott and before the young man in the red glasses can say anything else Clark is gone with his usual gust of wind.

"Right. I'll go see the Professor," Scott says to no-one. Although what he is going to see the Professor about, precisely, he isn't sure.

* * *

Amara is simply lying on her bed, in her room, doing her homework when the gust of wind blows everything about.

"Amara!"

Amara jumps and looks up to see Clark there. She is startled to see him and flustered. She has been avoiding him all week because she doesn't know how to be around him any more. "Yes..." she coughs as her voice is croaky. "Yes, Clark?"

"You think it was my father who exiled Selene, right?" Clark asks her to confirm what he had been told about this last week in regards to his father, Selene and Nova Roma.

"Um...is that not the general consensus?" she puts forward in response.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Clark says, sounding rudely dismissive. "The point is why."

"Why, what?"

"Lets assume it was Jor-El. Why was he on Nova Roma?"

"Um...to save us from Selene?"

Clark snorts. "Not to ruin your image of him or anything Amara but I seriously doubt he knew anything of your nation or its people or what you were suffering beforehand. He's not all knowing despite what that damn ghost in the cave keeps trying to pretend so why was he there? Nova Roma is not exactly some place you just stumble across."

Amara had to concede that was true. Selene deliberately chose an isolated island in the middle of nowhere to found her nation. It's only very recently they have started to reinteract with the world and even then only on a very limited basis. Not counting Selene, essentially Amara is the only Nova Roman to have left her island in the last millennium and a half. Still, she is not certain what Clark is trying to drive at here.

"Nova Roma's an island?" Clark seeks her to reconfirm.

"Yes."

"Does it have a volcano?"

Amara nods. "Yes."

"Buried in fire," Clark mutters to himself. He had suspected for awhile that if the stone was on an island that part of the clue, most probably, referred to a volcano as in a classic volcanic island.

"Uh Clark, are you alright?" Amara asks, a little concerned by his body language.

"No. I'm monumentally stupid," Clark berates himself for not putting it together days ago as soon as he found out about that suspicion that Jor-El was the one who exiled Selene from Nova Roma.

"How, exactly?"

"Jor-El was on Nova Roma checking up on the Crystal of Water," he explains the sudden inspiration he had had down below when talking to Scott.

Amara blinks. "It's on Nova Roma?" she queries, very uncertain about that. "I've never heard of it."

"Perhaps you haven't but it makes perfect sense. You said that Selene took her followers and left Rome and they, no doubt, took as many valuables as they could carry. Why not the stone, which we know was in Rome as a figure of worship?"

"I guess," Amara supposes that's possible.

"It explains why Jor-El was on the island. Not why he chose to overthrow Selene...or the other stuff," Clark says with a shudder of revulsion at what Selene suggested she got up to with his father. "Anyway the important thing is that we need to go to Nova Roma and get it."

Amara's eyes widen at that. Any trip to Nova Roma means she would have to go too, which means confronting her parents about Selene's revelations of being her grandmother, which Amara is none too enthused, to put it mildly, about doing. Mostly because of what it will mean if her parents end up confirming it is true. However, she does know getting the stones is important. She sucks it up, as Tabby would say. "Ok. We'll go. I'll...need to change clothes."

"Oh sure. I'll let the Professor know," Clark says as he heads for the door. Before he leaves he pauses. "Amara?"

Amara is just to her feet. "Yes."

"Thank you," Clark says with a warm smile.

Amara finds herself smiling back. "It's no problem. That's what friends are for."

Clark's smile gets a little wider before he vanishes.

"It's also what any worshipper would do for their God," Amara murmurs under her breath.

* * *

In his study Charles is composing a letter for Virgil's daughter Patricia expressing his regrets over the loss of her father. He knows it was over a week ago that Virgil died but he had wished to take his time and choose carefully his words. Not to mention he had been a little occupied with other matters.

Charles pauses. He still had much sadness over the loss of his friend. Virgil's funeral had already taken place in complete privacy as he dictated in his will. The most Charles could do was visit the grave when it was appropriate to do so.

Charles reads back over what he has written so far. He isn't certain how much Patricia knew about her father's work so in that sense he has to choose what he says carefully. There are secrets that must be kept, even now.

Before he can resume writing he senses Scott at the door and beckons him inside. He can see Scott is on edge as well as feel it. "What's the matter Scott?"

Scott relays what transpired with Clark, even if he doesn't quite fully understand what happened.

Luckily the Professor manages to deduce it. "Clark believes the final stone is on Nova Roma. That makes sense."

"It does?" Scott queries.

"Why was Jor-El on Nova Roma, as we believe he was? He was checking up on the stone."

Oh. Scott finally gets it. "So we're going?"

"Yes...but after what happened in China we will proceed with extreme caution. Isobel is still out there and could have another vision for all we know. We still don't know how Magneto knew to be in China so we must assume it is a possibility he and his Acolytes will make an appearance."

Scott nods in full agreement. Before he leaves to get ready he raises his worry over Clark. "Clark...doesn't seem quite right," he tries to phrase it gently.

"I had noticed," the Professor informs Scott. "Truthfully I would like to get him to take a complete break. No going out being Superman. No X-Men missions. No training and some intensive psychiatric sessions with myself. I am concerned the stress he has put on himself, combined with what happened to him over the summer, has left his mind in...less than pristine shape, I believe I shall phrase it as. As soon as this situation with the stones is dealt with a break is exactly what I will insist on Clark having. It is only because Clark alone can handle the stones safely that I am bringing him with us."

Scott wasn't going to go as far as a complete break for Clark but if the Professor thinks that is what Clark requires then so be it.

"I'll inform the X-Men about our course of action," the Professor says as he sends out the telepathic message so the X-Men can prepare to depart.

There is a knock on the door.

"Yes Clark!" the Professor says in raised tones.

The door opens and Clark walks in. "Oh Scott told you," he assumes at seeing his friend.

"Indeed. You spoke to Amara?"

"Yep. She's agreed to come."

"Good. We'll need her."

"We will?" Scott asks.

"How's your Latin, Scott?" the Professor asks the young man.

"I don't speak Latin."

"Well the people on Nova Roma do. When I visited them after discovering Amara I had my telepathy to help cross the language barrier. Now I can use my telepathy to cross that barrier for all of us but it wouldn't hurt to have someone with us fluent in the language. Not to mention we'll need Amara's weight as princess to allow us permission to be there. It is a very closed society, thanks to Selene's lingering influence. It is also technological no further along than at the height of the Roman Empire. That leaves a big gap between us and them. You should realise how remarkable it is that Amara has bridged that gap since she arrived here."

"I speak Latin," Clark points out.

"You learned Latin from a book, Clark," the Professor points out before Clark get too far ahead of himself. "You don't speak it fluently nor have taken into account the differences 1500 years of isolation has brought about in the dialect spoken on Nova Roma."

"Well, ok, you've got a point," Clark might concede.

That probably applies to Hank as well because Charles knows he speaks the basics of Latin. Next the Professor raises an important issue that must be discussed with Clark before they leave. "While you're here we also must discuss your father."

"Dad?" Clark queries with confusion. "Is he alright?"

"Sorry. I meant Jor-El," the Professor clarifies who he wishes to discuss.

"Oh. Him," Clark says with some loathing. "What about him?"

"If we assume Jor-El was the one who defeated Selene then, from what Amara says, the Nova Romans see him as a God and worship him as such."

Clark snorts in derision at that idea. "That's because they don't know him. I'll just explain..."

The Professor stops Clark there. "No, Clark. You will not," he tells the young man sternly.

"What? Why?" Clark asks back with some confusion at the strength of the Professor's tone.

"These are very superstitious people. Their faith is a core of them. You can't just go in and tear apart one of their fundamental beliefs."

"But Jor-El is not a God," Clark argues strongly. "He...we're just an alien life-form with some power."

"And how do you explain that to a people who have no concept of planets around other stars and alien beings? Who believe the stars are the home of the Gods. You point at the sky and say you come from there Clark you will become a God in their eyes."

"But I'm not!" Clark insists.

"I'm trying to make you understand, Clark, that there is no way you can explain this to them in terms they can understand. They believe Amara is, at least, blessed by the Gods because they have no other way to understand her mutant gift. It took me weeks with her to be able to get the concepts across and that was only because I could use telepathy to show her. My directive here is that under no circumstances do you reveal you are Jor-El's son or are related to him in anyway. That shouldn't be too hard because it never occurred to Amara until I suggested it. As far as I can tell there are no images of Jor-El on Nova Roma, no-one knows his name, there are no symbols...or at least not the one you wear or Amara would have recognised it earlier. We do not talk about Jor-El. We do not talk about Krypton. You are merely another mutant friend of Amara's. Is that clear, Clark?"

"Yes, Professor. It's not like I want to talk about Jor-El anyway," Clark says being huffy about it.

The Professor looks to Scott. "This also holds true for everyone on this mission, Scott. Make them aware that under no circumstances are they to mention Jor-El or Clark's otherworldly origin."

"I will, Professor," Scott assures his mentor. "What do we tell the Nova Romans about why we are there?" he wonders.

"As much truth as we can. That we are looking for an artefact of great power that must be kept out of the hands of allies of Selene. I believe mentioning that name will make them more conducive to assist. The fear of Selene, if Amara is any judge, is great amongst the Nova Romans."

And it was true to a point. Isobel, certainly, was still after the stone and there was no guarantee that this barrier around Nova Roma, that keeps Selene at bay, would stop Isobel. There was also the rest of the Inner Circle. The people of Nova Roma could not possibly stop the Hellions...or Magneto and the Acolytes. That was why it was important they retrieved the stone as soon as possible. Once it is gone those people have no reason to bother the Nova Romans.

"You should get ready to depart. Nova Roma is a long journey, even in the Blackbird," the Professor advises.

"Goin need a book to read," Clark says with sudden, strange joviality before he departs with his usual gust of wind.

The Professor raises a hand to his head. The quicker this is over the better for the sake of Clark's mental health.

* * *

As the X-Men gather in the hangar Rogue taps her foot impatiently. She isn't looking forward to this. Being cooped up in a jet for hours with her estranged boyfriend. She just can't overlook the fact he chose to use her the way he did. Then on top of that this last week he's just been...odd, strange, distracted, distant, infuriating, dichotomous, he shifts suddenly from one personality to another at random intervals. Sometimes he's serious, sometimes he's goofy, sometimes he's cold and aloof. You can never tell which at any given moment.

How can they have a serious, possibly decisive talk about their relationship when he's like that?

Answer is they can't...even if she could think of what they could possibly talk about...which she can't right now.

Even now he's acting a little odd, muttering to himself about something she can't quite hear.

Rogue sighs. She doesn't know what to do with him.

The final person to enter the hangar is Amara and as she does everyone has to stop and give pause to how she looks.

Amara is not dressed in her normal New Mutant uniform. She's in an elegant, traditional Roman dress. Open sandals, that are tied up her calves, upon her feet. Her hair is done up and sitting amongst it is a small tiara.

Truth be told she looks beautiful enough to make most people stop and stare and it is not just how she looks. She gives off a regal air.

"What are you wearing?" Evan is the one to asks.

Amara sighs a little. She has already had Tabby's teasing of her dress. She doesn't need more from Evan especially when going home means confronting her parents which she really doesn't want to do. "This is what I wear back home, Evan," Amara explains in response to his question. "I'm the Princess of Nova Roma. I can't return home in just any old pair of jeans and a top."

Strangely, despite being raised her whole life as a princess, Amara has not missed being one as much as she thought she would. Being royal creates a division from most people, means she is isolated and alone up to a point, except here where she's not royal. She's just another student and that has allowed her to have real genuine close friends.

"Traditional wear can be silly," Clark suddenly decides to add. "I have images in my head of wear on Krypton that would make you double over with laughter...but enough of my prattling. We should get going. Tally-ho!" he says as he points at the jet and blurs inside.

Amara just looks at anyone for an explanation of what that was.

"Just humour him but keep an eye on him also," the Professor requests of everyone. They just have to get through this mission and then Charles will dedicate the time needed to help Clark.

"This is going to be a long flight," Kitty mutters to her best friend, Kurt. It's not that she isn't worried about Clark. Course she is but he is just so difficult to cope with as of late and stuck on a plane with him for hours on end...loonnngg flight.

Kurt agreed...although his concern over Clark was increasing daily. Something was very wrong with his friend and he felt helpless to think of anyway to help. Clark often got a mention in his prayers these days.

Charles does a quick check everyone is here that needs to come. Domino had the cold so she wasn't coming on this mission although she had been complaining a lot about how come her luck doesn't protect her from the common cold. She would just stay behind with the Kents and look after the mansion and the other students.

Beast, Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Spyke, Rogue, Magma, Superman and himself the Professor checks them off his mental list. That should be sufficient against any threat they might face.

Check done he and the X-Men get on-board the jet and they are soon on their way to Nova Roma.

* * *

The flight over turns out not to be too bad or not as bad as feared. Clark just has his nose stuck in a book he brought the whole way over and really doesn't say very much.

Amara spends the flight answering the many question the others have about Nova Roma. Despite how long she has been at the mansion there is much of her home they don't know. Amara attempts to explain it as best she can and tries to dispel many of the inaccurate basis her friends have off Hollywood movies about how Roman civilisation worked. This is between bouts of air-sickness. Amara doesn't fly well. It was the same when she left her home for America with the Professor for the first time.

As they fly over the island everyone peers out to see the Roman city that is Nova Roma's capital. In one way it is precisely how one might imagine a Roman city with the whitewashed walls and red tiled roofs.

The jet is landed outside the city walls opposite the main gate. When the Professor had first come here he unintentionally scared the people below. Being a pre-industrial society they had never seen a flying machine of any sort. They thought it some kind of terrifying creature. In fact it was Amara who found the courage to step forward and investigate. That's when Charles knew instantly she had what it took to be an X-Man.

"It's best if you let me speak," Amara commands, slipping back into her privileged role of authority.

Everyone nods in agreement, even Clark.

The ramp is lowered and waiting at the bottom are several Roman soldiers dressed just as you would imagine them in their armour and uniforms.

Upon seeing Amara they salute with a raise of their right hands. They greet her in the native tongue. "Hail Princess!"

Amara returns the salute before she notices the uneasy looks amongst the guards. It's probably due to the appearances of Beast and Nightcrawler. Her people are not use to seeing such variety in appearances. "They are my companions," she instructs them, her tone not baring question.

"Yes, Highness," the Captain of the guard concedes to her.

Amara expresses her wishes. "I need to see my parents, their royal Majesties. It is urgent."

"Of course, your Highness," the captain of the guard says as he arranges an escort for the Princess and her companions.

* * *

It is a strange experience to walk through a city without any of what you take for granted in the rest of the world. No cars, no electricity, no lights, no signs. It's still noisy but in a different way to any modern city. It is the noise of people and animals. It is also the smells of people and animals. Kitty's nose wrinkles at what she deems the stink but she bites her tongue from saying anything.

As the X-Men walk through the city people come to look.

"You must forgive them," Amara apologises for her people staring and in some cases gawking. "We don't get many visitors."

Logan grunts and mutters a few disparaging terms. Storm elbows him in the ribs for it. "Behave. We're guests," she tells him off.

They are taken to the Royal Palace, made from white marble. At the end of a large room sit Amara's parents, the King and Queen of Nova Roma, attending to the day's business. Their faces light up upon seeing their daughter and they greet her warmly.

Amara is more stoic in her return of the greeting. She can't forget what Selene told her but is dignified enough not to raise it in a public forum.

Her father, Lucius Antonius Aquilla, is a relatively elderly, in his late 50s, heavy set man with curly dark hair, the same colour as Amara's and probably Selene if he is indeed her son as she claimed, not very tall, about 5'7. Her mother, Pomona, is younger, in her early 40s, and is a slender, elegant woman, about 5'6 with blond hair and blue eyes.

They greet Amara's companions, especially the Professor whom they have met before. It is only at the end of the greetings that their eyes turn to fall upon Clark, who had been at the back of the group, at which point they gasp loudly before both falling to one knee. "You have returned to us. We are honoured, Lord Jor-El," Amara's father murmurs in utter respect and fealty.

Clark arches an eyebrow and says, in a completely flippant manner. "Huh, I guess it is going to be one of _those _days."

* * *

_Author's Note: On the show the Crystal of Water had been in Honduras before Lionel managed to obtain it but for storyline purposes I moved it to Nova Roma where no-one would find it. Also o__n the show it was established that Clark is the near spitting image of Jor-El(so as much as I love Julian Sands having him play a young Jor-El in season 9 made no sense when Tom Welling should have just done it). Therefore Amara's parents would mistake Clark for his father. Now how do they know what he looks like and how they know his name when Amara doesn't will be answered next chapter. Also will have to address whether Amara truly does see Clark as a God and how Clark deals with that and everyone else on Nova Roma seeing him as one. One final note is that I tried to make Amara's mother look like the comic version of Amara who has blond hair and blue eyes and not the dark hair they gave her on evo. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Amara's parents lead the X-Men to a relic Jor-El left behind._


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Amara just looks at her parents in total stunned silence.

"Amara," her father, Lucius, hisses at her for just standing there. "Show respect for our Saviour," he says, trying to get her to drop to one knee as he has.

Amara doesn't move. She is too confused to move. Everyone is.

Clark explains, sort of. "I look just like him."

"What?" Amara manages to ask.

Clark sighs before trying out his Latin. "Please rise," he requests of Amara's parents, the King and Queen.

They do as he says showing he has at least got the basic Latin correct.

"You have me mistaken. I am not Jor-El. I am his son, Kal-El," Clark is forced to explain now he has been recognised.

"His son?" Amara's father queries, his puzzlement and uncertainty clear to see.

"Yes," Clark confirms.

Lucius bows his head. The son of a God is still a God. "We are honoured by your presence, Lord Kal-El. We owe your father everything."

"It is in fact my father I am here about," Clark says, getting straight down to it before the question is even asked. "He's sent me on this quest to retrieve a sacred object, I believe, he left here for safety."

It takes Lucius a moment to process what Lord Kal-El is saying as his words and dialect are in the very old tongue. While Lucius knows the language, having had the best tutors growing up, it has been awhile since he last heard and used it. "I believe I know what you refer to," Lucius confesses.

"Hold on one moment in the name of Pluto," Amara demands, using the name of the God of the Underworld as a curse. "How do you know any of this? And how do I not?"

"Amara. This is not the time nor place," her mother, Pomona, strictly informs her daughter. How can her daughter embarrass her like this in front of a God. Surely they raised Amara better than this.

Clark is oddly amused. "Answer her questions," he says.

"As you wish, my Lord," Lucius concedes to the greater authority. He turns to his daughter. "There are many things you were to be told only when you came of age, Amara," he tries to explain.

"Start explaining. Now," Amara demands.

Lucius raises his voice. "Guards, servants, leave us!" he commands. This is not for their ears.

"My friends stay," Amara says before her father orders them to leave.

Lucius, with a pained expression, looks to Kal-El for guidance.

"They can stay," Clark permits.

The room clears of the guards and servants. The X-Men are keeping track of the conversation thanks to the Professor's telepathy acting as a bridge over the language barrier.

Amara's face is one of steely determination and barely controlled anger. "Start with how you know what our Saviour looks like and his name," she says. "There are no statues of him. No record of his name."

"That's not entirely true," Pomona confesses. "There is one statue, hidden in the main temple of the Child of the Stars. You would have been shown it..."

"When I came of age," Amara finishes. "You said that already," she says sourly.

"It was Lord Jor-El's request that he leave no record of his presence and we wished to honour his request, of course but we could not forget our Saviour so the knowledge of his image, his name was limited to only a very few. Those of the Royal bloodline and the High Priest of the temple," Lucius explains how this came about.

Amara laughs mirthlessly. "She was right. I cannot believe she was right."

"Of whom do you speak, daughter?" Pomona asks of her beloved daughter.

Amara looks at her mother, her gaze hard. "Selene."

Her parents pale at hearing that name.

"O-of what do you mean Amara?" her father asks.

Amara just comes out and says it. "I met her."

Instantly Pomona is at her daughter's side, checking her over. "Did she harm you?" she asks with near panic in her tone.

"No. She didn't harm me. She said she would never harm her dear granddaughter. Care to explain what she meant by that father?"

Amara's father dons a mask of cool emotionless. "I do not know. You must not listen to the lies of that witch, my daughter."

"Are you lecturing me on lying?" Amara asks, in complete disbelief at the gall.

"That's different," her father defends himself.

"So she was telling lies to what? Use me to find a way back here?" Amara proposes, to see what her parents say.

"Very possible," her father says. "She swore revenge on all us for rising up against her but in particular your grandfather and by consequence his descendants."

"Lord Kal-El, were you there when our daughter met Selene?" Pomona asks.

Clark has been listening carefully and he is starting to pick up the nuances of the dialect. "Yes. I was there," he confirms because saying anything else would be a lie, "and she did claim the heritage that Amara spoke of. I did not get a chance to question her on that further as, understandably, Selene doesn't like me very much. We came into conflict and she is...currently recovering from her defeat. I expect it to take her several weeks."

"You are your father's son," Lucius says as a compliment. "And we are in debt to you as we are to your father for protecting our daughter," he makes what he thinks is the obvious assumption that Lord Kal-El must have protected Amara from Selene.

"Even though I would freely give it, Amara doesn't need my protection. She can more than ably take care of herself."

Despite it all Amara can't help but smile at the praise Clark just gave her...and she just has to say he has picked up her language with remarkable speed and skill. It's still a little off but not so much you can't understand him.

"Now if we may return to the issue of my father," Clark requests. "It seems you know more about my father's time here than Amara. When he sent me on this quest he said there was much I had to discover by myself, so please, if you will, tell me what you know," he further requests, using his Godly status a little but he just needs to get to the truth and find the stone's exact whereabouts.

Lucius has a thought. "Perhaps there is a place that holds your answers. Lord Jor-El said only his kind could enter it."

"What place?" Amara asks, annoyed that once again there is something she doesn't know about.

"It shall be easier to show you than to explain," Lucius says.

* * *

The X-Men finds themselves being escorted through the city once again without a clear idea of where they are going. Amara is still grumbling under her breath at all the lies and secrets her parents have kept from her.

Clark is simply trying to figure out what it is he does now, now he has been recognised when his thinking is interrupted.

"What are ya doin?"

Clark blinks and turns his head to the brown haired girl with the white stripe. "Are you talking to me?" he asks, feigning surprise. Rogue hasn't been talking to him all week.

"Who do ya think ah'm talkin' ta?" Rogue asks back.

"I'm just surprised. Talking seems to be the last thing you want to do lately."

"Problem is ah don't know who ah'm talking ta half tha tahme."

Clark's brow puckers slightly. "Really? That's odd. There's only me. Is this because I won't apologise? Here's a fact Rogue; you're not always right."

"Neither are ya," she fires back in a hiss.

"Never said I was. However, I've done with grovelling apologies because other people think I did wrong," Clark states firmly. "Now what was your question about," he moves on.

Rogue counts backward from 5 before she loses it. Clark...this isn't the boy she's been dating for the last 11 months. She doesn't who it is. She returns to her point. "What are ya doin using tha fact they see ya as a God? You don't actually think y'all are one?"

There is a momentary bad boy smirk on Clark's lips for a second as if thinking of a risqué response but it never comes. Instead he says, "Of course not...but we never expected them to recognise me now did we Professor?" he aims that question at the bad-headed telepath.

Charles sighs at the situation they now find themselves in. "No. We did not," he confirms.

"And didn't you say I was not to undermine their faith as it was at the core of their being or words to that effect?"

"Yes," Charles has to reluctantly concede he basically did say that.

"Then what is everyone complaining about?" Clark asks. "I merely took advantage of the situation we found ourselves in...just like I did when I was prisoner of the Hellfire Club...where you left me for 2 days," he says sounding a little sore about that.

"Superman, only Rogue was complaining," Evan points out.

"No, she was the only one with the cojones to voice what you were all thinking. That's why I love her so much."

It's a surprise for his friends to hear Clark be that bluntly forthright. Though no-one can deny that they were thinking what Rogue asked.

Amara's parents don't speak English so are unaware of what is being discussed. Pomona leans over to her daughter and whispers, "Amara, what is Lord Kal-El speaking about with your friends?"

"Um..." Amara stalls for time. "Not much, really. It's nothing important. Just...you know clarifying a few points," she stumbles her way through an explanation.

"How long have you known him, daughter?" her father asks.

"Uh...I've only known who he really was when you told me 10 minutes ago." Ok so that's a lie but she is really stuck for what to say without giving away secrets or undermining her parents' faith which she doesn't want to do. Despite how anger she is Amara doesn't want to do that.

"That's not what I asked."

"Err...awhile," Amara lamely comes up with, desperately trying to avoid a detailed explanation.

"You know him well?"

"We're...we're friends," Amara gives the only apt description that she can think of that applies to what her and Clark's relationship is.

"He did not tell you who he was?"

That's actually a tricky question to answer. Clark did tell her but she didn't know who Jor-El was until last week and her parents only 100% confirmed it 10 minutes ago like she said. "It didn't really matter what he told me," she comes up with in response. "His father's name was meaningless to me because of certain parents keeping secrets," Amara says it accusatory, still angry.

"Daughter, there is no need to take that attitude," Amara's father tells her off.

"What attitude would you like me to take? The one where I meekly go, oh father it's alright you lied to me," Amara does a mock impression of some meek-minded, spoilt, little air-headed princess.

Lucius frowns. "I think we may have to seriously reconsider you attending this school in the outside world," he pronounces since his daughter never use to speak back like that.

"Yeah, whatever," Amara grumbles, not in the mood to discuss this right now.

"How well do you know Lord Kal-El?" Pomona asks.

"I said we're friends," Amara comes close to snapping her mother's head off at being forced to repeat her explanation.

"How close friends?" Pomona continues to pursue more detail.

"What are you on about moth..." Amara trails off as she gets a good look at her mother's expression. She knows that expression. She saw it when she was 12 and her mother was trying to pre-arrange a marriage for Amara to the son of one of Nova Roma's most prominent Senators. Amara told her mother exactly where to stick that idea. Like she told Tabby, by comparison to Nova Romans, most other people she met were very tame. In fact Amara often has to restrain herself in the language she uses. This time she doesn't restrain herself. Amara swears in a way...Tabby would say in a way that would make sailors blush. Once she has gotten that off her chest she directly confronts her mother. "In the name of Jupiter, Mother!," Amara takes the name of the supreme Roman deity. "You're trying to match me up!" she cries.

"It would be a beneficial match. You are already blessed with a divine gift," her mother explains it as if that makes it an obvious logical deduction for her daughter to be matched to Lord Kal-El. "No-one could question the right of succession if you were to give birth to a demi-god."

Oh by the Gods, Amara doesn't think she has ever been more embarrassed. Not only is her mother trying to matchmake her up with Clark she is thinking about them having children. Amara doesn't even know if that is possible let alone it overlooks the fact Clark is dating Rogue and Amara doesn't feel that sort of attraction to him. Don't get her wrong. Clark's a beautiful man. As Tabby said he has the look of a God but...but...just no.

Amara looks over her shoulder behind her to where Clark is and can see a glint of amusement in his eye that shows he overheard that. Amara was wrong before. Right now is the most embarrassed she has ever been in her life. If the Gods were truly benevolent they would have the ground open up and swallow her right now.

The Gods are not truly benevolent.

Amara just has to live with her embarrassment as the group come to a large, grand, lavishly decorated building.

Hank, who had been partially in heaven since the moment they arrived at being dropped into a still functioning Roman society, was even more enlightened at seeing this magnificent example of Roman craftsmanship.

"What is this place?" Storm asks.

Amara answers. "This is the temple to the Child of the Stars."

Evan whistles impressed. "Wow. How do I get a temple like this?"

"Be a God," Amara mutters, a little snidely, when she doesn't mean to be. She's just angry and embarrassed at her parents right now.

"You built this for my father?" Clark asks, a little nonplussed at seeing the scale of it. It matched, surpassed even, any cathedral, church or temple he had ever seen.

"It's the main temple," Amara describes it as.

"Main? You mean there's like others?" Kitty asks.

"2 others. Not to mention many citizens have private shrines within their homes. As the Child of the Stars was our Saviour he is amongst the most widely worshipped divinities on Nova Roma, on a par with Jupiter and Mars."

"How did you come up with that name?" Clark asks. "Child of the Stars," he clarifies what he is asking.

"It came from something your father said to mine," Lucius responds. "He said that his power came from the light of the stars. That his people were the children of light. I do not know what he meant by his words precisely but to be born of the stars themselves..." Lucius trails off as his mind tries to wrap itself around the grandeur and majesty he imagines. "I do know that you, Lord Kal-El, like your father are a Child of the Stars and shall be honoured as such."

"They see us as a race of Gods," Clark mutters to himself, in English, the only conclusion that can be reached from that, finding that idea very uncomfortable. It's a mockery of the truth.

"Unbelievable," Scott mutters in disbelief to Jean.

"Shh," Jean tells him. While it may be unbelievable to him and her she can sense how integral their faith is to the people around her. She telepathically tells him this and adds, _"You need to respect their beliefs, Scott even if you don't share them."_

Scott knows she's right but it still seems wrong to him to play into their false belief. Clark is no more a God than he is.

They enter the temple and Hank mutters some words of exclamation about it. So little survives of the Roman culture to the present day this is any academic's dream.

"Enjoying yourself Henry?" Charles queries, with a little amusement at his friend's reaction.

"It is incredible. A Roman society still living as they did 1500 years ago. It's beyond description," Hank says, virtually in awe.

"Yes, it is," Charles agrees. It is as incredible as Charles himself remembers it to be from the first time he came here.

Inside the temple Amara's parents are greeted by the High Priest where they explain why they're here...and who it is they have brought with them. His eyes go wide and he visibly pales before he drops to his knees and prostrates himself in front of Clark. He mumbles about it being an honour.

Clark looks and is uncomfortable. Even more so than before at this man falling down in complete supplication to him. He's not a God. He doesn't want worship or devotion of any sort. He slips back into Latin. "What is it you have to show me?" he asks, a little curtly, seeking to end this as quickly as possible.

Lucius address the High Priest. "Laelius. The hidden chamber. Lord Kal-El desires to see it." he expresses it simply.

"Of course. He only need but ask," Laelius acquiesces instantly in complete reverence. He rises to his feet. "This way," he instructs them to follow him.

"Thank you," Clark says which brings a wide smile to Laelius' face at receiving praise from the Son of the Saviour.

They end up being led down into the catacombs below the temple. They come to a heavy wooden door locked shut. Once it is opened they find a spiral staircase that leads deep down.

Amara mutters some more about secrets being kept.

They walk down the stairs while Jean uses her telekinesis to levitate the Professor's chair down. At the bottom of the stairs is a chamber seemingly cut out of the rock. The room is lit but not by torches. The light just seems to emanate from the walls themselves. The walls are covered in Kryptonian script. In the centre of the room is the single statue Amara's father had spoken of. The statue of Jor-El.

Clark walks up to the near spitting image and looks it in the eye.

"You do look like him," Kurt has to remark. In fact it was amazing how much Clark resembled his father.

Clark smiles thinly. "Well if it is any consolation I have my mother's eyes," he tries to joke only it comes out sounding tired.

"Remarkable," Hank comments. Not just at the spooky likeness Clark has with his father but at the craftsmanship of the statue. It's exquisite.

"Where's the light coming from?" Scott asks, being the practical one.

"It's like the caves in Smallville. It's of Kryptonian design," Clark can ascertain with even only a customary glance. After spending 3 months in those caves he knows what the technology looks like intimately. He turns to the King and Queen of Nova Roma. "My father created this, yes?" he inquires of them.

"Yes, Lord Kal-El. It is why we built the temple above it," Lucius explains.

"What is it for?" Amara asks.

Lucius points at the far wall. "Beyond this wall Lord Jor-El left behind that which keeps up safe from the true wickedness that is Selene."

Amara looks to Clark for an explanation.

"It's most likely the generator that creates this barrier you've mentioned," Clark can reasonably guess. It was obviously not magical if his father created it but technological in origin.

"Superman?" Storm queries.

"Yes, Storm," Clark says in reply.

"What do these writings say?" she wonders, gesturing at the wall.

Clark skims over them. "It seems to be Kryptonian mythology." He walks over to one wall and brushes his hands over the writings. "This is how we came to be. It speaks of our Father, Rao, and how he created us by taking the red fire of Krypton's sun and moulding it into flesh and bone."

"Rao?" Evan asks.

"The Kryptonian God. The literal translation of his name is Father of All. The Kryptonian race are his children...or we were," Clark says with a sudden sadness as he is forced to recall once more he is the last of his kind. He moves around the room reading over the various myths that are written. If Jor-El did indeed do this Clark wonders why his father chose to put all these myths up here. When he gets to the opposite side from the creation myth he pauses. "If you like End of the World myths here's the Kryptonian one," he says tapping on it. "I guess we can already go with it's wrong," he points out since it does not match what actually happened to Krypton as far as Clark understands his home world's fate.

"What does it say?" the Professor asks, curious.

There is a large symbol dominating the text. "This is the symbol for Doom," Clark explains. "It refers to a creature, the ultimate destroyer of life, whose sole, single purpose is to find life wherever it is and exterminate it. It does not rest, it does not tire, it cannot be killed and it will never stop, ever until all life everywhere is extinguished." Clark stops and cocks his head to the side. "That's kinda depressing really," he remarks in a light tone in one his now odd trademarked shifts in moods.

Amara has been translating what she thinks is relevant to her parents without completely puncturing the mythos around Jor-El. She has to admit it is fascinating to learn that Clark's race believed in having one single Creator/Father figure although that isn't so unusual. Her Gods were born of the Titans that preceded them. Another similarity is that her people too have their own myth of the End of the World. She has even found mention of something similar in the Bible since coming to America. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Apocalypse being the God of Destruction, of Death, of Endings and the Four Horsemen being his servants.

Clark comes to the wall Amara's father pointed at. His hand runs across it as he examines it closely. "It's a door," he announces the conclusion he reaches about it. "A hidden one just like in the caves back in Smallville."

"Can you open it?" Hank wonders.

"I wouldn't know how," Clark admits as he puzzles over the door. His eyes cannot penetrate it and there is no obvious slot for a key like the caves back in Smallville. He could try and force it he supposes but he isn't sure he could overcome Kryptonian technology or the consequence of trying. He has had bad experience of trying that sort of thing before. His power can't always overcome everything.

"Lord Kal-El, if I may," Laelius dares an intervention at seeing the Saviour's son puzzled expression.

Clark turns his head to look at him. "Yes?"

"Your father, when he departed, did leave a message to be passed on should another come seeking...his Majesty referred to a sacred object?"

"Yes?" Clark repeats, encouraging the man to continue.

"I do not know where the object is. Lord Jor-El made only a slight mention that he left...he referred to it as a stone...that he left it here for safety and left this one message to assist should we believe the other who came was worthy. As his son, you no doubt are."

"Please go on. What was the message?"

"It was a single word. Journey."

"Journey?"

"Yes. I do not know it's meaning," Laelius says almost apologetically.

"Journey?" Clark mutters to himself. "Journey...journey...journey!" he says with a sudden firmness and loudness as he zips across the chamber startling everyone with his sudden movement.

"By the Gods," Amara's father mutters in awe at seeing, from his perspective, Lord Kal-El just vanish from one spot and appear in another.

"I knew this looked out of place!" Clark declares at something that occurred to him as he was reading over the walls. It was in the corner, away from the rest of the texts. A single symbol, shaped like a shield. It had a figure of 8 in the centre. In the centre of the figure of 8 was a line with a dot above it next a rectangular like symbol. Below the 8 was a rectangle with a short line coming out the bottom.

"Superman?" Scott queries, not sure whether he should be concerned by Clark's behaviour or not.

"This is the symbol for journey," Clark explains it simply.

"What is this 'Superman'?" Pomona asks Amara, trying to get her tongue around the strange sounding word. She is asking her daughter this after hearing Lord Kal-El addressed that way a few times now.

"It's just a title he goes by," Amara explains it off.

Clark cocks his head and on a sudden urge reaches up and presses the exact centre of the figure of 8. The rock seems to retract creating a black space. Clark reaches in with his right hand making the scientists of the group raise their eyebrows at trying to figure out the science they were witnessing.

A few moments later Clark pulls out a shiny metal object. It is the same shape as the symbol on the wall with the same markings engraved on its surface. It easily fits in the palm of his hand. He holds it up between his thumb and finger at eye level. There's a hole in it as if a string or chain once went through it and it was worn around the neck as a...pendant, perhaps.

The pendant glows before a golden light shoot out and strikes Clark directly between the eyes. Thousands of images flash in Clark's mind so fast even his Kryptonian mind can't process them.

It's over before anyone can react.

Clark then stands there swaying on his feet slightly, his expression very far away.

The first to his side is Rogue. Upon seeing Clark struck by the light, instinct had kicked in. All thoughts of their problems receded and all she saw was her boyfriend in trouble. Her hands come to rest on his left arm, lying listless at his side. "Cl...Superman," she catches herself before she says his name. "Are ya alright?" she asks.

No response.

Rogue gently nudges his arm. "Speak ta meh...please," she pleads, almost panicked by his lack of response. She looks into his face and sees nothing. It's like he isn't home. He isn't even blinking.

An eternity seems to pass, although it is probably only moments and then he blinks once. His eyes seems to focus in on her. It is only for moments before his eyes roll into the back of his head and he topples backward, striking the ground with a resounding thud, his dense body kicking up a cloud of dust.

Clark's head lolls to the side and he lies there motionless and unconscious.

* * *

_Author's Note: Yes. Indeed this is going to be my little take on the episode Relic with the memory pendant...and oh did you catch the Apocalypse mention. I thought I should include one as the myth of Apocalypse does run right through history in the Marvel universe. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the pendant reveals the story of Jor-El's visit to Nova Roma._


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

The first time Clark inserted the key into the slot in the caves in Smallville it ended up downloading the entire Kryptonian language into his head. He has no words to describe what that felt like. Right now he just experienced it again only he has no idea what just got downloaded in his brain. It all shot by so fast it was just overwhelming...which may explain why he now finds himself lying on his back.

_'Why does this keep happening to me?' _Clark asks himself. It's not like he asks for his head to keep being screwed with. He wonders what the consequences will be this time.

The next thing Clark wonders is how much time has passed. He knows some must have because he can hear concerned voices calling his name...well calling Superman.

"5 more minutes Ma," he says and can hear a few giggles that response elicits.

Clark's eyes flutter open and the first thing he sees is Rogue kneeling down beside him, her face full of deep concern. His hand reaches up and cups her cheek and he strokes her skin with his thumb.

Rogue closes her eyes and enjoys the sensation. Due to their relationship difficulties Clark hasn't done this in a while. She opens her eyes and looks down, hoping he's alright. "How do ya feel?"

"Peachy," he croaks.

On Clark's other side is Beast. He asks Clark a few simple questions to ensure Clark's memory is intact. Clark answers them no problem. "I'm fine," he assures Mr McCoy.

Beast then helps Clark to his feet. Clark staggers over to the wall and leans against it and as Clark looks around the room something strange happens. Everyone present fades away. The statue fades away. The writing on the walls seems to unwrite itself backward. Clark's eyes follow it until he finds a person standing there, who looks very much like himself, carving the writing into the wall with heat vision with a degree of control and mastery Clark doesn't think he has. Tied around the man's neck is the pendant. It can only be one person. "Jor-El?" Clark queries, deeply puzzled. The figure continues carving as if Clark is not there.

Clark then feels a small tug on his arm. His head snaps round and the room shifts back to the way it was. He finds himself looking into Rogue's green eyes.

"Superman!" Rogue cries.

"What?" Clark asks.

"You drifted off," Kurt informs him.

"I did?"

"Like yeah. Totally," Kitty confirms.

"I'm sorry. I...I thought I saw something," Clark says, his head spinning. He raises a hand to it.

"You spoke your father's name," Scott says.

"I...um...I really need some air," Clark says, his head spinning worse than ever. He takes a few steps and stumbles.

Logan grabs him. "Easy, kid. Lets get you out of here."

They are all soon back up at ground level, standing outside the temple as Clark tries to clear his head with some deep steady breaths. He looks out down the street. Next to him is one of many plinths that line the street...like primitive street lighting with an oil covered mixture sitting in a bowl. He touches it to lean on it and the scene before him shifts in front of his eyes, just like what happened to him below.

_The street is lined with people as a procession approaches. It is Selene, being carried by slaves on a platform where she sits, dressed...funnily enough her dress sense or lack of and lack of clothing hasn't seemed to have changed much. Clark is standing amongst the masses observing her and feels an odd curiosity about her...or to be more correct he feels what someone else felt at that moment._

_The procession stops and Clark turns round to see a temple...a different temple to what stands there now. From the statues and writing he can see this temple is obviously dedicated to Selene herself._

_Then something happens. One of the horses being ridden by the soldiers escorting Selene is startled by the crowd rushing forward to try and be near their Goddess. The horse bucks its rider off and starts galloping away. A small child has been pushed out by the crowd and now stands directly in the horse's path._

_A woman screams and...and...Jor-El, it is Jor-El, blurs into motion and saves the child before effortlessly managing to reign the horse in._

_Everyone stops. A deadly hush falls upon the crowd. Selene descends off her platform and strides directly up to Jor-El. Her normal coal black eyes are alight with interest at seeing...if Clark was to guess it would be curiosity at seeing something new, something different, something she never has seen before._

_Selene kneels down to the child's eye level. A small girl holding Jor-El's hand. "Are you alright, child?" Selene asks, with what sounds like genuine concern._

_The girl stammers a response, obviously nervous at being in Selene's presence. "Y-yes, my Goddess."_

_Selene smiles with kindness. "That's good." Selene straightens and raises her voice. "Captain!" she summons the captain of her guards._

_The captain appears at her side. "Yes, my Goddess," he says with a bow and deep reverence. _

"_Find this girl's mother and return her and make sure she is kept safe," Selene commands._

"_As you command."_

_The Captain takes care of the girl and Selene turns her full focus to the man in front of her. "Now who...or perhaps that should be what are you?"_

"Superman. Superman! Superman!" loud yelling snaps Clark back to the present.

"Selene's temple use to stand here," he says in Latin, because he is wanting Amara's parents to confirm this.

Lucius and Pomona look surprised that Lord Kal-El knew that despite the fact he is a God. "Yes. That is so, Lord Kal-El," Lucius confirms. "It was razed to the ground during the Great Rebellion."

"How did you know that, Superman?" the Professor asks. He can't read Clark's mind but from his last trip here he speaks the basics of the language.

"It was like I was standing there, in the crowd. Selene was processing along the street." Clark raises the silver pendant that he still holds up to eye-level. "Memories," he murmurs.

"Memories?" Jean queries.

"The light that hit me...I saw all these images. They flashed by too fast for me to make sense of them...but I think they were Jor-El's memories and now they're playing out whenever I touch something. He was here, in the crowd. He used his powers to save a little girl from being run over by a horse in front of everyone...in front of Selene and she...she was curious about him...about who and what he was."

"What is it you need to do Superman?" the Professor asks because he can see that is what Clark is trying to figure out. What to do now and perhaps sharing it will help clarify it in Clark's mind.

"I need...I need to touch objects in places he might have gone. Where would Selene have taken him?"

Amara speaks up. "I know where we can go."

* * *

Amara leads them outside the city walls to a small hill upon which they find the ruins of what was a substantial building. Amara's parents refused to come, leaving her alone to do this.

"This is where Selene's palace stood," Amara explains. This was why her parents wouldn't come. They wouldn't stain themselves by setting foot on this accursed place. "It was torn down after she was exiled."

Beast looks back down at the city. "I can see why she chose to have her palace here," he comments.

"What do you mean?" Scott asks.

"We're above the city and that means everyone had to look up at her." It's a classic idea for those with narcissistic tendencies.

They stand at what is left of the gate house to the palace. Clark raises his hand and touches what remains of it and as before the scene shifts into the past. He sees Selene and Jor-El move through the gate engaged in an animated conversation, smiling, seemingly enjoying each other's company.

Clark has one word for that; creepy!

Without speaking Clark walks on following in the path of his father.

"Professor," Jean says with concern, her mental projecting meaning she is concerned about Clark and his behaviour. He was already acting odd. Now he has this extra strain of someone else's memories downloaded into his head.

"I know, Jean," the Professor says back, acknowledging the concern about Clark. "Lets just keep an eye on him for now...but these are answers he has long sought for," he points out so is willing to give Clark some leeway for now. During the last year of getting to know Clark, Charles knows of the deep interest he actually has for his lost home and for his long dead parents that he cannot really remember so the Professor can't deny Clark a chance to understand his father a little better.

Clark wanders through the ruins of the palace, his hand skimming over whatever remains of it. He can see Selene and Jor-El engaging with each other in some sort...well Clark would call it a courtship over many, many days...maybe weeks. It's hard to tell.

It's not just seeing it all through Jor-El's eyes. Clark can feel what Jor-El felt. Feel the real attraction his father felt for Selene...and Selene is not like the Selene he knows. She's different. Not cruel and vindictive. There's a warmth and joviality to her. A charm...a unique allure that Clark can't deny many men might find attractive. His father certainly seemed to be doing so.

Clark wanders on, hearing the whispers of his friends but too caught up in what he is doing to pay much attention. He lays his hand on a broken piece of table leg and a scene of Jor-El and Selene comes into view on them standing on a balcony, Jor-El directly behind Selene, his arms holding her close. On a table nearby stand half-drunken glasses of wine.

"_Do you remember your father?" Jor-El asks Selene._

_Selene's face screws up in thought as she tries to recall something from very long ago. "Nothing distinct. Why?"_

"_Mine...he sent me here, to this planet, as a punishment. Said I needed to learn about the consequences of my actions. I'm not the model son in his eyes. I didn't even want to come here. Then something happened...it was elsewhere on this planet and I did learn my lesson...or so I thought."_

"_What do you mean Jor?" Selene asks, clearly not understanding what he is talking about. She turns around in his arms._

_Jor-El's face is pinched with emotion. He tightens his hold around Selene's waist and slowly rises with her into the sky and Selene's face takes on a look of almost childish delight as they hover._

_Jor-El looks up at the stars. "What I mean is I was all ready to go home because I finally understood what my father meant about responsibility." He looks into Selene's eyes. "Then I met you and now I'm all confused again. The people of this world...you...you bring out feelings no-one on my world ever has before. I have never met anyone like you before."_

_Selene smiles delighted by this remark. "Your world...what is it like?" she asks. There is little left on this world she hasn't seen so the idea of a whole other world full of things she has never seen intrigues her._

_Jor-El's gaze returns to the stars. "I'd have a hard time describing it. There are colours you have never seen, never even imagined. Moons that fill half the night sky and sunsets that last for hours."_

_Selene is enchanted by Jor-El's passion with which he speaks. The days since she met him had been a wonderful break in the monotony of her immortal life. A form of being the likes of which she has never met. And one from, from what he has told her, an advanced culture civilisation far beyond anything humans have created. An entire world of Gods._

_And Jor-El...it has been so long since Selene has met an equal to herself. He is clever and charming and Selene finds she is more taken by him than she has been with anyone for a long time, even her current husband. Her hand moves to his cheek and she brings his face back to look at her. She tilts her head forward and her lips touch his._

_Jor-El responds. He had never seen a being like her before. At first it was purely scientific curiosity of a being he had never seen the likes of before and the power...this magic she wields but it had grown as he got to know her. She helped ease the pain of another that he had lost._

_They kiss with increasing passion as Jor-El floats them towards Selene's bedroom..._

"EW! Icky! Icky! Icky!" Clark suddenly proclaims loudly, his whole body shuddering with revulsion.

"Superman? Are you alright?" Cyclops asks.

"Oh hell no!" Clark responds passionately.

"What did you see?" Storm queries.

"Nothing any child should! I think I'm going to throw up!"

"Uh, can you explain zhat?" Nightcrawler wonders.

"You know what Selene claimed about her and my father?"

"That they were, like, in a relationship?" Shadowcat queries.

"I just got to see the physical part in HD quality!"

"Oh," Scott says, suddenly understanding Clark's reaction. Yeah. That can't have been nice to see.

Clark shudders again. "Someone please pass me the brain bleach," he requests.

"Ew? Icky? What is he? 5?" Logan asks Storm in a critical tone.

"I heard that!" Clark shouts back. "Cut me a break Logan. It's more than I see it. I feel what Jor-El felt...even a little of what Selene felt." Clark shudders again.

"I know it may be unpleasant for you Clark," the Professor says sympathetically. "But please tell us what you have seen," he requests.

Clark is still shuddering but he summarises a little. "Selene was not like we know her. She was...nice, charming, alluring."

"I have little doubt that she could be if she chose to be. The worst people are often the best at presenting a front like that," the Professor says from experience.

"And Jor-El was not the pompous ass that resides in the cave. I think he was on the rebound actually."

"That never ends well," Hank recites from his own personal experience.

"I might have been wrong about why Jor-El was here," Clark says.

"Why do you say that?" the Professor asks.

"He told Selene his father had sent him here as a punishment...to learn a lesson about responsibility and actions having consequences. I think my father was a rebel," Clark says with complete befuddlement over that idea because of the way it contrasts with the strict disciplinarian that resides in the cave.

"Please. Tell us everything you have seen," the Professor keeps probing.

Clark describes what he saw. Selene and Jor-El getting to know each other, a mutual fascination for the other and how it progressed into a full blown and sexual relationship. Clark's going to be needing years of therapy now.

"I don't understand," a very confused Amara says as this seems to contradict the stories she was told. "If they were...lovers how did Jor-El end up being the one to exile her?" she asks.

"A very good question," the Professor concedes. "We can guess at some point Jor-El learned Selene's true nature but how and when remain a mystery for the moment."

Clark walks to the back of the ruined mansion where you can see at the far end of the island the large volcano that dominates. "When was the last time that erupted?" he asks, pointing at it.

"Not in living memory," Amara answers.

Clark touches a pile of bricks that has remained standing and he sees Jor-El flying off up to the volcano. "Jor-El went there."

"The stone?" Scott queries about why Jor-El would go there. Despite what Clark said about being wrong over the reasons Jor-El was on Earth there is still the question of why he was specifically on Nova Roma so why not that because the stone was here...and consequentially still is.

"Maybe," Clark is willing to consider it as possible. "I should go have a look just to be certain. It would easier by myself," Clark suggests because that part of the island is uninhabited and is just wilderness. He can just run through it and save everyone else the trek up the volcano.

"I would be uncomfortable letting you go alone," the Professor says. Clark's questionable mental state means he shouldn't be alone.

"Ah'll go," Rogue volunteers herself.

Clark's head snaps round and he gazes at her, wondering what is on her mind. She hasn't been wanting to spend any time with him lately.

"I will also go," Storm volunteers. "I can fly there," she points out. She can supervise Clark and Rogue.

"Very well," the Professor agrees.

Clark sighs a little but doesn't argue. He simply moves and sweeps Rogue up into his arms without a word. "Ready when you are Storm," he says.

Storm rises into the air on a gust of wind.

"You'll want to hold on," Clark tells Rogue and she wraps her hands around the back of his neck just before he bends his knees and pushes off into the air in a huge leap and lands a long way away from where he took off. Yeah, he still hasn't figured out how to control his flying ability. It's irritating but for some reason Clark just can't figure out the trick to mastering flying. He keeps flying off wildly and smashing into things.

It takes several such leaps before he reaches the rim of the crater at the top of the volcano. Looking down into it you can tell it has been quite some time since it last erupted. Although the dome of rock sitting in the middle of the crater is evidence of the pressure building up below. Sooner or later it will blow its top. There are vents spewing gases into the air. The air will probably be quite toxic down there.

Clark places Rogue down as Storm comes into land beside them. "I'll scan the crater from here," he says as his eyes flash electric blue as his x-ray vision activates.

"H-How are ya doin?" Rogue broaches the question.

"Depends on what you're asking," Clark replies.

"With tha memories ya saw," she clarifies. "Ah'm...worried about ya," she says and she is. It's why she chose to come along.

"Well I saw way more of my father and Selene than I ever wanted," he says with another shudder, "but mostly I'm just confused about how this can be the same man who talks to me through the caves."

"We are all shaped by the events of our life, Clark," Storm makes the point. "Remember what you saw was over 30 years before Jor-El made that AI version of himself that speaks to you," she argues and therefore there are 3 decades of events that shaped Jor-El they know nothing of.

"I guess," Clark concedes the argument. "Still I can't believe he was someone who got into trouble with his father."

"Many people are more rebellious when they're young before wisdom and experience tempers it," Storm gives the benefit of her wisdom and experience.

"Well Rogue is the poster child for that," he teases.

"Hey!" Rogue protests.

"Try and deny it," Clark dares her with a laugh.

Storm chuckles lightly.

Rogue folds her arms across her chest and scowls lightly...although she has missed his teasing of her.

Clark cocks his head slightly. He points down into the crater. "There. Carved into the rock. The symbol for water," he reports what he has found. "You two better stay here. The air will be poisonous."

"What about you, Clark?" Storm asks after his safety.

"Oh I'm immune to all poisons as far as Beast can tell. That and I can hold my breath for a really long time."

"How long?" Rogue wonders.

"About 20 minutes but similar to my other powers that's sure to get longer as I get older."

"We'll observe from here. Yell if you get into trouble," Storm decides.

"No problem," Clark says as his agreement as he leaps down into the crater.

"Are you alright Rogue?" Storm asks.

"Yeah, sure. Ah'm fine."

"Rogue, you can talk to me if you wish. I know you and Clark are having problems," Storm offers and since she is dating Rogue's father she feels a need to try and connect a little more to Rogue.

Rogue is never good at expressing her feelings but she could do with someone to talk to about them. "Ah'm just not sure how we resolve our differences this tahme."

"Do you want to?"

"Yes."

"Then there is still hope that you can. I believe you must try and be patience Rogue. Clark is obviously not quite himself after what transpired with the Hellfire Club."

"Ah get that but ah don't think that will resolve the fundamental problem. Ah can't agree with what he did."

"Has he explained it to you? What he did?"

"He tried."

"Did you try and understand? Or did you just lose your temper?"

Rogue shuffles a little indicating it was the 2nd one. She just lost her temper.

"You must give him a chance to explain his side of the story Rogue. Only then should you decide whether a chasm has been created you can no longer bridge."

"Ah guess you're right," Rogue accepts. "Thank ya."

"You're very welcome," Storm says with a smile at the fact she and Rogue have seemed to connect a little.

Down in the crater Clark had reached the symbol. While he has found it he can't see the stone...which doesn't mean it's not here. It could be hidden beyond even his sight. Clark reaches out and his fingers touch the symbol. Like previously the scene shifts to a memory of Jor-El. Clark can see that his father carved this symbol here. Clark can see Jor-El with the stone...modifying it...updating it.

Wait.

Jor-El had the stone before he came up here and is hiding it here but where did Jor-El find it to start with?

Maybe that was why Jor-El was down in the city during that memory Clark got. Clark speculated the Nova Romans brought the stone here as a figure of worship so that would make sense if Jor-El was there retrieving it.

Clark watches exactly what Jor-El does as he hides the black stone. It sort of melts into rock...or at least that is the best description Clark can come up with.

Clark blinks and comes back to the present. Now how does he get the stone back?

Perhaps it is like the others in the sense he can will it into his hand.

Clark places his hand over the symbol, closes his eyes and tries to do what he has done with the other 2 stones. He mentally reaches out and tries to connect with it.

Clark...feels it for lack of a better term. The rock...ripples as if made of liquid and the black stone rises into Clark's hand. He opens his eyes and there within his grasp lies the Crystal of Water. He's done it. The 3rd and final stone...which power it possesses he has no idea at all. He better be very careful with this.

Job done Clark leaps back up to where Storm and Rogue wait. "Got it," he tells them and shows them the stone.

"Wait for it," Rogue says.

Several moments go by.

"Wait for what, Rogue?" Storm asks.

"Every tahme before, when we get close ta a stone, we always get attacked. It's goin' ta beh anti-climatic if we're not."

"Well now, we can all see I'm not dating you for your sense of humour can't I?" Clark jests.

"Ya know what ah mean," Rogue tells him off with a light slap to his arm.

"Yeah. I do...and personally I'm a hair's breath from not giving a damn if they come or not. I'm fed up of all this."

"Perhaps fortune shall favour us this time," Storm hopes.

"Until we get this home and unite it with the other 2 I wouldn't lower your guard Storm," Clark advises.

"What actually happens when we unite them?"

"Well basically it's a giant data storage device but if you're asking what powers the united crystal has I don't know or what it will do...don't have a clue. In fact for everyone's sake it is best if we don't unite them until we get back to Smallville. That's what that little plinth in the caves is for; to hold the stones."

"We shall remain wary," Storm agrees because Clark's right. It isn't over until it's over and their enemies won't give up until it's impossible for them to gain possession of the stones.

"Alrighty then!" Clark proclaims in a sudden shift of his mood. He takes a step forward. "Let us..." he trails off and gets that far off stare again as he relives another memory.

Rogue and Storm can only wait until it passes. After a few minutes Clark blinks.

"What did you see Clark?" Storm is the one to ask. It is now apparent when Clark is having one of these memory flashes.

"We wondered when Jor-El found the truth out about Selene. It was right here," Clark says, pointing at the spot he is standing on. That's what triggered the memory flash.

"Please, elaborate."

"He had just hidden the stone and was thinking of her, happily after the night they spent...you know."

Yes. Storm did know the day after was usually filled with happy thoughts. "What happened?"

"She must not have realised he could see her from here."

Storm looks at the city on the other side of the island. She knew Clark possessed some telescopic properties to his vision but that was more than impressive to find one individual amongst a city of thousands.

"What did he see?" Rogue asks.

"Amara mentioned that her people had to sacrifice themselves to Selene. That to live she drained the life-force from people...and let me tell you from personal experience that that is a terrible sensation," Clark just has to mention. He wouldn't wish it upon anyone even if he was slightly inclined, which he's not, to have other people he doesn't like suffer.

Storm figures it out. "Jor-El saw her drain someone."

"Not just someone. The little girl he saved. Selene drained that poor girl to death," Clark says, his tone trying to get across the hideousness of what he witnessed.

Rogue takes Clark's hand into her own smaller one, just to try and soothe him a little.

Storm momentarily closes her eyes and utters a silent prayer.

Clark continues. "He was angry...furious. She had not told him about that part of herself."

"Was this when he led the rebellion against her?" Storm wonders.

"No. He was angry but not rash. He had learned his lesson about being rash and wasn't about to repeat his mistake. No. He would be smarter than before. He went back to the palace. I need to go back there," Clark says, needing to see how this played out next.

While they did now have the stone Storm saw no reason that they couldn't let Clark see this through. "Together," she insists upon.

Clark puts the stone in his pocket before he picks Rogue up and the 3 make their way back to the palace ruins.

* * *

The rest of the X-Men had basically just been sitting around and waiting for Clark, Rogue and Storm to return when they do. Clark returns to wandering through the palace ruins while Storm explains the success of their mission to the others and of what Clark saw of Jor-El's memories when they were atop the volcano.

"She lied," Clark's voice floats in as he tells tale of another memory he has seen. "Jor-El asked her about her day, trying to make it sound like casual interest and Selene lied."

"Oh, there's a shocker," Rogue mutters in scathing sarcasm.

"Jor-El determined to know the truth. He would use his powers to listen to the people around him and learn the full truth that Selene would not tell him. He would sit on the balcony that looked out to the city and just listen. This way he learned of those that plotted against Selene. He would seek them out for, while they could hide from Selene, they could not hide from a pure-blooded Kryptonian."

"Which is in no way scary at all," Evan mutters sarcastically. To him it is a little at least.

"So where next?" Scott asks Clark, since they are really following him now.

Clark turns his attention to Amara. "Those that plotted against Selene, they must have had secret meetings."

"You want to know where," Amara can deduce Clark's thinking.

"If it's possible to know...or if I could touch something that belonged to one of them?" he requests

Amara's face lights up. That second suggestion is actually not too difficult since the leader of the rebellion was her grandfather.

* * *

"His name was Julius Cornellius Aquilla," Amara says as she leads the X-Men through the royal palace. "He was Consul."

"Which is what?" Evan asks.

"It's the highest elected office in the kingdom, head of the Senate. When Selene was in charge she tended to appoint them but took very little interest in the day to day affairs of running the state. As long as her whims were met she was satisfied. When Selene appointed my grandfather he took the role for the very purpose of gaining a position of power from where he could begin to properly organise a resistance against Selene's despotic rule," Amara speaks with praise overflowing from her tone. It is clear that her grandfather is a hero of hers.

"Considering the power we know Selene wields that can't have been an easy task," Jean can see.

"It was not. For a long time my grandfather and the other leaders of the resistance movement sought some means through which to neutralise her power. Even if they found a way Selene is still immortal but as impossible a task as it might seem my grandfather was not to be deterred. It's possible they might never have succeeded but then Jor-El came. Someone capable of fighting Selene on her level."

"I don't see how Jor-El did it," Clark throws a fly in the ointment. "We can reasonably assume he was as vulnerable to magic as I am. As I keep trying to point out I'm really just pretty average for a Kryptonian."

"Hopefully we can find our answers amongst Amara's grandfather's personal effects," the Professor says as that was where Amara was taking them. Her grandfather's belongings had been preserved for posterity.

Amara leads them into the part of the palace that is essentially a shrine...not just to her grandfather but to all the martyrs who died in the rebellion against Selene.

"Something he commonly wore most days would work best," Clark proposes to Amara about what would be most helpful.

Amara takes a moment to think about it and as she does she thinks on her grandfather. She has only a few faint memories of him. He died when she was very young. She has an inspiration and moves over to the wall where a dagger is hung. She carefully lifts it off.

"A dagger?" Kurt queries, not sure what that says about the man or the society.

"As Consul he had many enemies," Amara explains. "From those who wished to usurp his position, from those who despised Selene and did not know he was on their side. He had to carry the means to defend himself at all times." She carries it over to Clark. "Please be careful with it," she pleads. "This is a national treasure."

Clark takes the dagger and gives her a reassuring smile. "Will you trust me? I have a very sure gr...whoops!" he says as it slips from his fingers.

Amara gasps and she thinks she may just be having a heart attack.

Clark easily catches it before it hits the ground. "Gotcha!" he says with a smug smirk indicating how he did that on purpose.

"Oh so not funny!" Amara huffs and punches him on the arm...which she immediately regrets. "You...you..." what follows is a string of Nova Roman obscenities aimed at Clark.

"What did she like just say?" Kitty wonders.

"That is best left untranslated," the Professor determines. He didn't know all those words but enough of them to get the general gist of what Amara was meaning. "Amara, you do remember what I taught you about differences in acceptable cultural norms?" he asks her. One thing he had had to teach her, before she attended the Institute, was that what she thinks is mild language would be considered deeply offensive in America.

Amara is still rubbing her hand after punching Clark. "I do, Professor," she assures him she does remember. "He was just being...being...well I won't say it but he is one. And a total, total one at that!" she glares at Clark harshly.

"Well glad you cleared that up," Clark mocks, in another flash of him not being himself. "By the way I have gotten a good grip of your language now. I think my mother would be very upset."

Amara flushes. She did insinuate a few things about Clark's parentage during her rant. She really didn't mean to insult Mrs Kent. "I'll apologise to her but not to you," she vows, still angry at Clark's so-called attempt at a joke.

"Yeah, well you're joining the queue there. I seem to tick off a lot of women," Clark mutters absently.

"Perhaps we could return to the dagger," Hank suggests. "Are you seeing anything?"

Clark does turn his focus to metal dagger but he isn't getting anything from it so far. He turns it so the point is aimed at his chest and that is when the world shifts.

Clark finds the point of the dagger aimed at Jor-El being held by another man, whose face is stern but masks deep fear.

"_Julius Cornellius Aquilla," Jor-El calmly says the man's name. "Please lower your weapon. I am not here to harm you," he tries and placate the man's fears._

"_I am to take the word of Selene's lover?" His scepticism is obvious._

_Jor-El sighs and snatches the knife. At superspeed all Julius knows is that one moment he is holding his weapon. The next the man Selene has taken as her lover has it and is examining it closely._

"_Interesting," Jor-El murmurs. "Fine workmanship." He takes a small crystal from his pocket and scans the blade. The device is a scanner. He examines the readout it returns. "The metal has an unusual energy. Similar to that which is present in Selene's blood. A...magical blade," he says and says the word magical with a little edge as if uncomfortable in using that term. Jor-El holds it out to hand it back. "It is insufficient to kill her. The energy it possesses cannot overwhelm the energy in her body that sustains her life."_

_Julius is confused by this man. "I don't understand," he says as he eyes the blade warily, unsure what to do._

"_You seek to overthrow Selene's rule. This I know. You have managed to organise an impressive underground movement to this cause."_

"_How...I don't know to which you refer."_

"_You need not pretend otherwise. Selene shall not hear it from me."_

"_What do you want?"_

"_To help you."_

"_You? You are her lover," Julius says it as an insult and an accusation that he would not help._

_Jor-El fixes Julius with a cold gaze. "And you are her husband," he fires back. "And your son, Lucius, is her son," he adds._

_Julius pales. "That's...no-one knows that."_

"_Selene does. She was quite upfront about it before we shared intimacy. She was also less then upfront about other aspects of herself."_

_Julius can hear the anger in Jor-El's tone. "What aspects?"_

"_Her need to steal life from others."_

"_We have to sacrifice to her regularly," Julius says shamefully. Many times he has had to choose who is given to her. That haunts him nightly._

"_After I witnessed it, which Selene does not know I did, I began to listen...to learn. I heard the whispers, the fears of the people. This way I learned she has committed heinous acts, the equal of any known within the 28 galaxies. I also learned of your movement, Julius. I learned you chose to marry her in an attempt to get close enough to her to learn the means of killing her. You will not succeed. She is too powerful."_

"_We may not succeed today but one day we shall," Julius says confidently._

"_But it is not just her. However large your movement is there are still many who believe she is a God. She has an army that is still loyal to her."_

"_No dictator, no tyrant can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power than the wish to be free. Against that power governments, armies, even Goddesses, real or false, cannot stand. For 1500 years we have been enslaved to her whims and even if it takes another 1500 years we will be free," Julius pledges._

_Jor-El feels great admiration for the man but must deliver a dose of reality. "You still can't kill her," he says, gesturing for Julius to take his dagger back that Jor-El still holds._

_Julius takes the knife. "It could wound her," he asserts. "I wonder what it would do to you." He then slices at Jor-El who easily catches Julius' wrist._

"_Please don't try that," Jor-El says in stern tones Clark is all too familiar with. "I'm here to help you, Julius. Selene...is not who I thought she was. Another mistake on my part."_

"_Another?"_

"_I have made many...much to my father's disapproval and lecturing," he says with a frown._

_Julius' lips curve up slightly at the huffy tone. It is one he knows well having gone through it with his own father._

"_I know you do not wish to trust me Julius but I know all about your movement and have told Selene nothing."_

"_How do you know? And can I get my wrist back?"_

_Jor-El releases him. "I have powers beyond what Selene can understand. As I said I simply listened. I can hear every voice, every footstep, every heartbeat upon this island."_

"_Are you a God?"_

"_No more so than Selene is."_

"_I saw you fly," Julius admits._

"_I heard you play that musical instrument of yours. You're very good. My flying is merely a gift, the same as your musical skills."_

_A modest God. Who knew. "How can you help us?"_

"_By accomplishing what you are trying. You wished to get close to Selene to understand her power and learn her weakness. I can do that and once I do I can create the means through which to defeat her."_

"_Why would you help us?"_

"_Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. You have the right to live and to be free in the choice how you pursue that life. I once made a foolish choice and my actions denied someone that right. I will not repeat that mistake."_

_It could be a foolish choice to trust this man...this God but if he is a God and Julius has seen more than Jor-El's ability to fly which makes him believe that this is a God in front of him, then Julius would be foolish to turn down an ally capable of matching Selene. "So what do we do?"_

"_I will study Selene. Learn the secrets behind her power and create the means to neutralise them. However, defeating her alone is not enough...as you already know and have planned for."_

"_Those loyal to her must be removed also. I wish it did not have to be so. I consider some friends," Julius says with regret for the bloodshed that is inevitable in overthrowing Selene._

"_I share your sentiments, for as physically fragile as humans are, you have a spirit that deserves a chance to flourish. Each and every one of you. You have a drive I wish my people had not lost."_

"_I don't understand."_

"_Live long enough, have your civilisation survive long enough you reach a point where you lose that drive that made you strive to move forward because you reach a point where you're happy with keeping things as they are instead of constantly striving for improvement. In the process of trying to maintain what your perceive to be the desired plateau you actually end up going backwards. This is the lesson I have learned from humanity. My father will not approve." Jor-El smiles. "I look forward to debating it with him," he says eagerly._

_Strangely Julius can understand the sentiment. It was only after his own father died he realised how much he missed their debates. The strange part is to hear this from a God._

_Jor-El offers out his hand. "Let us free your people. Let me assist you," he requests._

_Only a fool would turn down the offer and Julius is not a fool. He can see this as a chance at success where before, deep down, he knew it to be slim at best. He takes Jor-El by the forearm as they cement their alliance against Selene and Julius just knows, somehow, that her day is coming and it will be soon._

The scene shifts and Clark is back in the present. Amara being the closest to him is the one holding him by his arm, waiting for him to come back. Clark looks at her and feels sorrow for what he has learned. "I'm sorry, Amara," he says.

"Sorry?" she asks confused. "Sorry for wha..." Somehow Amara knows what he is apologising for. "They lied to me didn't they," she guesses, referring to her parents. "I'm...she's..." Amara can't even say it. Her hands clench into fists and without another word she storms off to confront her dishonest parents.

"Vhoa. Vhat happened zhere?" Kurt asks at this scene.

"Her parents lied. Selene is her grandmother," Clark answers that.

"You saw this?" Storm asks him.

Clark nods. "Yeah. Life's a bitch then you discover so is your grandmother."

Everyone just looks at him, unable to believe he, of all people, said that.

Clark shrugs. "It was like I was saying. It's just one of _those _days."

* * *

_Author's Note: I tried to hint at that Jor-El had been elsewhere on Earth before he ended up on Nova Roma so as to keep the original Relic storyline something that happened. That also helps justify a little his hooking up with Selene as in he was on the rebound after Lana's aunt Louise died. But as Clark said it's still icky! Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Amara confronts her parents while Clark and the X-Men uncover the last part of Jor-El's story on Nova Roma._


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Amara is livid. She has a hard time putting into words how livid she is. She is so angry parts of her dress are starting to singe as she barely keeps from transforming into her fire form. Gods the idea that Selene, of all people, turned out to be more honest than her own parents. It staggers the mind.

Amara stomps her way through the palace for a showdown with her parents. She is so angry she might just follow Tabby's suggestion and yell at them no matter how undignified that may look for a princess.

After asking one of the guards about her parents' whereabouts she gets directed to the dining room. She guesses it is time for the early evening meal. Amara storms into the room, not waiting to be announced as protocol dictates. Essentially she's just been quite rude. She doesn't care. "Everyone out!" she orders the servants.

"Amara!" Lucius snaps. "What is the meaning of this?"

"The meaning of this, _father, _is that you and my mother are liars...but if you want the servants to know the truth of your parentage, then by all means let them stay. In fact why don't we invite the whole Senate. I'm sure they would love to know your mother is _her._"

Lucius can see in his daughter's face that what he said before won't wash this time. His face grows grave. "You heard my daughter. OUT!" he snaps.

The servants, confused as they may be, leave as commanded. Lucius takes a moment to check both the halls at both entrances to make sure no-one listens in.

In the meantime Pomona's face has gone white and she looks stricken. "How did...?" she starts to ask how Amara now knows this.

"Superman. He saw it through his father's eyes. Now why don't you answer me why this was kept secret? How does no-one know?"

"You really need to ask?" Lucius asks of Amara. "You know as well as I do what happened after Selene's exile to everything deemed tainted by her. Imagine if they knew she had a son."

Amara does know. Everything touched by Selene was destroyed. Those who refused to abandon her were put to the cross and crucified. "But how did no-one know before then? You would have already been born."

"I don't have a full answer to that. I only know that Selene deemed that the marriage was to remain secret for her own reasons, as was my existence. After she was exiled my father continued the lie to protect me."

"But you would have been only a boy," Amara argues. "Surely they wouldn't have held you responsible for who your mother was."

"It would not have mattered," Lucius argues calmly. "If they knew I was her son they would have killed me. Your grandfather loved me too much so he kept it a secret. Passed me off as a son he had with another woman who sadly, but very conveniently, died in the rebellion."

"Why did grandfather marry her in the first place?" Amara has to know, to try and understand.

"Because she wanted to marry him. You never refused her."

"But why?" Amara asks, still not understanding. "There must be a reason. I don't believe for a moment it was because she loved him...no offence to grandfather," she adds because her grandfather was a great man but Amara doubts Selene is really capable of feeling true love.

Lucius' face turns grim. "My...mother," he says and it has been a long time since he called Selene that. "She is immortal. She plans and plots on a different time scale. Her longest held desire has to be to find a way to transform herself into a real God, not the one she pretends to be."

"Is that possible?"

"She's tried it twice and failed on both occasions yet she still strives to achieve her insane ambition. One thing she cannot do is achieve this on her own. She would need help from another powerful practitioner of magic."

"I do not follow."

Lucius takes a deep breath and holds his hand out in the direction of a vase on a table by the wall. He mutters some words in Latin and the vase rises and floats over to him. "I don't practice it much," he says as he takes possession of the vase in his hands.

"You have her gift?" Amara says, astounded by this revelation. She never knew to right this moment her father could do magic.

"That's at least part of why she married your grandfather. To produce a child, male or female, she could teach and use in her quest for godhood," Lucius explains.

"You don't need to marry someone to produce a child," Amara points out.

"True," her father knows. "As I said it was part of the reason. The full reason is only known to my mother. Perhaps it was another piece of her insane ambitions, I don't know. What I do know is that if her rule had continued one day, when my skill and power had grown sufficiently, I was to have helped her ascend. Of course this would mean the end of our nation and the death of everyone here."

"I don't understand," Amara says, puzzled by that.

"The spell, assuming it is even possible to fully cast, requires massive amounts of energy. The most readily available source was every man, woman and child of Nova Roma. She would have drained us all to death for her madness."

Amara takes a moment to try and to come to terms with this. She looks to her mother. "When did you learn of it?" she asks, since it is clear that her mother knows the truth.

"Your father told me the same night he asked me to marry him," Pomona answers.

"She had a right to know the truth," Lucius says. "Any children we would have..."

"Could inherit Selene's gift. Well she did!" Amara barks angrily, getting back to the part of all of this that has her so angry. The fact they lied and deceived her.

"In what way?" Pomona asks.

"My 'divine' gift. Where do you think I get it from? Or did you two already suspect that was the case?"

"It occurred to us," Lucius confesses.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Amara asks in a shaky whisper. There is silence from her parents which Amara takes to mean that they considered not telling her. "You weren't were you?"

"It would only have upset you," Pomona says, a pleading expression for her daughter to understand that she was trying to protect her.

"And having Selene tell me the truth to my face wouldn't have?!" Amara cries in disbelief. "Gods how do you live with it, father? Knowing her blood is inside you? Knowing the same evil is inside you?"

Lucius moves to his daughter and kneels down to her level, taking Amara by her arms. "You are not tainted by her, Amara. You are beautiful, compassionate, brave and kind and everything my mother is not!" he insists.

"But what I am comes from her! My mutant gift...it comes from her! All her cruelty, all her greed, her lust for power, her evil, it courses through me!" Amara covers her face with her hands and takes a shuddering breath. "I don't want to be like her," she pleads in a quiet voice, sounding like a small child.

"You're not. I promise you," Lucius says.

Amara removes her hands and looks at her father. "But you can see her in me can't you. I know now she and I have a resemblance."

Lucius struggles for what to say. He can't deny the fact the older Amara has gotten the more of a resemblance to Selene she seems to have developed.

"All the things she has done. All the pain she inflicted on our people, my friends...she's still out there, no doubt planning her revenge and how to inflict more suffering. My own grandmother. I...I can't deal with this right now!" Amara cries as she tugs herself free from her father and runs. It is all just too much.

"Amara! Wait!" Pomona calls out to her.

Lucius stops her from chasing after Amara. "Let her be. She needs time," he says from his own experience of trying to deal with Selene being his mother.

Anguish is on Pomona's face at seeing her daughter suffer. "We should have told her the moment we agreed to let her leave. We should have known it was possible she would meet Selene. We shouldn't have lied when she confronted us earlier."

"Perhaps," Lucius might concede. "However, there was no reason to think Selene would have taken an interest. My mother is capricious at best. She has had many children and taken little to no interest in them, let alone a grandchild of hers. Amara could have gone through her whole life and never seen Selene."

Pomona schools her emotions as a Queen must but she whispers a prayer. "Lord Kal-El, hear my prayer. Watch over our daughter and allow her heart to forgive us for we were only trying to protect her."

* * *

Lord Kal-El...or he prefers Clark is still on the trail of his father's memories. He was compelled to see the end of the story and the end had brought them back to where it started. He was once more inside the grand temple to his father. He is kneeling down, his hand flat on the ground. "This is where Selene fell," he relays to his friends what he has seen. Selene's temple, which once stood here, wasn't razed to the ground in the uprising, exactly, she and Jor-El destroyed it during their battle.

Since Amara had left he had seen the last part of the story. Jor-El and Julius plotted to overthrow Selene. Jor-El managed to figure out how Selene's magic worked and came up with a way to disrupt it. A device...kind of like the power inhibitors they were familiar with for mutants. Still she put up a hell of a fight even then. His father looked definitely the worse for wear as did Julius who had led the line in the pitched battle against Selene's forces.

"Amara described she managed to escape," the Professor adds what he knows of the tale.

Clark blinks rapidly as the story plays out in his mind. It comes much easier to him the closer to the end they reach. He doesn't even have to be in the place now. "Yes. Her last surviving followers broke her out of prison before she could be executed. They removed the device my father had created to restrain her powers. She teleported away before anyone could stop her. My father knew she would return to seek her revenge and he could not stay so he built the barrier that keeps her out to protect the people he had come to admire and cherish as friends. He...I know how to open the door," he suddenly announces at seeing the memory.

Clark rapidly stands up and briskly heads off for the access to the chamber deep below the temple. The X-Men follow.

"Do you think Amara is alright?" Storm asks the Professor. She was concerned for the young princess.

"I believe she has to sort out this with her parents by herself. There is nothing we can do. They must reach their own resolution."

Storm wasn't happy but Charles is correct. Amara's parents must explain for themselves why they lied to their daughter.

"Do you, like, find this weird?" Kitty asks Kurt.

"Vhat?" he asks, not sure what she means.

Kitty gestures around herself. "This," meaning the temple. "I mean I know a few rather extreme people back home who would call these people Godless Pagan Heathens."

Kurt understood what Kitty meant. Everywhere else in the world this religion was, at best, reduced to a small minority. Seeing this very old pagan religion in action didn't reduce his belief in one God one little bit though. "Zhere are many vays to find God. Zhe most important part is alvays zhat people are free to choose vhich vay zhey take," Kurt gives his view on what he thinks truly matters.

Kitty supposed that was true and nods in agreement. "It's still strange though," she repeats her argument. She may not be the most devout Jew in the world but she believes in God and this polytheistic religion she is witnessing here is just very odd to her.

"Ja," Kurt agrees. "But interesting," he adds with his little toothy grin.

"Oh definitely," Kitty agrees with him. Despite what she said about it being odd her naturally curious mind did find it fascinating. "I can't wait until we get home and I can like totally tell Peter all about it!" Kitty enthuses.

Ooh. Poor guy. Kurt's been on the receiving end when Kitty goes into a full scale babble. It's not pretty.

They soon arrive back in the underground chamber and Clark is quickly to the hidden door. There is no key in the sense of a slot. It's entirely different. Clark just didn't know how to activate it before. Now he's seen Jor-El's memory of this place he can open the door. He takes his finger and draws it along the surface in an intricate pattern. When finished the pattern he drew appears in glowing white light which stretches out and touches Clark's body. The pattern changes until it is the unique S Clark wears on his chest and the door slides open.

"What was that, Clark?" Hank asks.

"A genetic scanner," Clark reports what he saw from Jor-El's memory. "Keyed to my familial DNA. Jor-El obviously believed one day one of the family would follow in his footsteps...at least I think that was what he was thinking," Clark modifies his assertion. "This way," he encourages them to follow him as he wanders down a narrow passage.

The X-Men follow until they reach another chamber made from great crystal like pillars. At the far end of the chamber is a plinth or alter like platform with smaller crystals embedded in it.

Using Jor-El's memories Clark manipulates the crystals and a column of light surrounds him.

"Superman!" Cyclops calls out in alarm.

"It's alright," Clark assures them. "It's just a holographic display...I think. No, a holographic interface. Sorry, I'm still trying to process through Jor-El's memories. Give me a second."

The X-Men watch as Clark's fingers trail over the surface of the column of light. It unwraps from around him and becomes a flat display hovering above the plinth. "User friendly," Clark explains how he did that with a goofy grin.

"What is this place?" the Professor asks.

"It's like I said. It generates the barrier that keeps Selene out," Clark replies. He then pulls one of the crystals out of the plinth and holds it up for all to see. "You see this black stuff in the middle."

There was a black...almost tar like material in the heart of the crystal. "Yes," they all say.

"Selene's blood," Clark explains what it is. "The barrier is encoded to her unique genetic structure and energy signature. My father was actually able to identify and classify the energy we call magic. Remember what he said in Smallville about magic being the ability to harness, channel and utilise fundamental energies. This is where he figured it out. He figured out how Selene's body did it. There's a genetic component...uh wait a second...I think I can bring up his research. He kept detailed records." Clark replaces the crystal in the console and then works the holographic interface and manages to translate it into English. "Here. Professor. Mr McCoy. You'll probably find it interesting."

Charles and Hank move forward closer so they can read it.

"Astonishing," Hank can remark from only a very brief reading of it so far.

"Truly remarkable," the Professor joins in the praise at seeing only the briefest summary of Jor-El's work.

"That's it. Those two are never leaving," Logan mutters. He's seen that look before.

"Feel free to read it," Clark says as he shows them how to make the screen scroll on. "You're perfectly safe here. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go check up on Amara."

"Wait. Why?" Rogue asks, curious as to why Amara warrants his attention.

"Because her mother asked me too," he replies cryptically, well cryptically to them. With a gust of wind he is gone.

* * *

The gardens of the palace were vast and when she was growing up Amara always managed to find little places where no-one could find her. In fact she managed to find ways out and over the wall and to sneak off to explore the city. That would give her parents grey hair.

Amara has always had a curious streak. It was what compelled her to step forward the day the Professor arrived in the black flying monster as they all thought it to be. She has to smile slightly remembering that day. She had been going through a lot. Her powers had just manifested. She was afraid of what she was becoming. Mostly because she didn't know what she was becoming. The term mutant...it was the Professor that taught her what it meant.

To this day Amara can't really say what compelled her to step forward up to the man who emerged from the belly of the black beast when everyone else was too afraid to. Whatever it was she has never regretted it. To see the things she has, to learn the things she has, things no-one on Nova Roma can even imagine, Amara can't imagine not having been allowed to see the outside world. Of course the main point of leaving with the Professor was to learn to control her mutant powers. Her 'divine gift' as her parents had called it then.

Only it wasn't so divine. More like a curse from the devil...to use a phrase from more modern religions.

So here she was in a hidden corner trying to decide who she is now that it has been confirmed that Selene...Gods she can still barely make herself say it. Her face drops into her hands.

Suddenly there is that familiar gust of wind whose meaning you learn if you stay at the Institute long enough.

"So has your mother set a date yet?"

Amara had sat herself down on a rock hidden by trees and bushes. She turns her head to her right to see Clark standing there. "What?" she asks with a puckered brow.

"For our wedding?" Clark says with a teasing glint in his eye.

Amara flushes with embarrassment. "I'm sorry about that."

Clark moves next to her. "Can I sit?" he asks.

Amara gestures for him to do so.

Clark sits down. "What are you sorry for? Anyone would be lucky to have you," he says honestly.

"But you're dating Rogue and my mother...she's been trying to set me up to be married since I was 12."

"Really?"

"Arranged weddings...it's traditional," Amara tries to explain, knowing it is mostly a foreign concept in the States. Not that she, herself, likes the idea either. That was why when her mother tried it she told her mother where to stick it. Amara sees the concept as outdated, a leftover from a bygone age.

"Still doesn't detract from what I said. Anyone would be lucky to have you."

"Uh...thank you," Amara says, not sure of what else she can say in reply to that. She supposed it was nice to hear that you can be considered a fine choice as someone's future companion.

"Although I thought...and don't take this wrong...I thought you liked girls," Clark says, knowing...overhearing about her crush on his sister, Claire.

"I like both girls and boys as matter of fact," Amara educates him about her sexual preferences.

"Ah. I see. Well smart move. Keeping your options as wide as possible," Clark praises her as he easily takes her bi-sexuality in his stride.

"Clark, please don't take this the wrong way but what are you doing here?"

"Your mother prayed to me to watch out for you."

"S-she did?" Amara asks, surprised to hear that.

"Yep."

"And you heard her?"

"I can pretty much hear everything within a certain radius Amara," Clark tells her although he is currently not certain what radius that is. Like all his powers it grows as time passes. "It's easier here because there aren't so many people," he admits to her. "Now the 10 million or so people of New York...imagine trying to sort through that."

Amara couldn't imagine...she doesn't even know how to begin imagining that.

"So how did it go?" Clark asks in relation to her confrontation with her parents.

"They lied to me!" Amara says bitterly.

"So did my parents until I was 14."

"What?"

"Mom and dad, they didn't tell me how they found me until I was 14. I was angry at them at first until I realised why they did it."

"Why did they do it?"

"They didn't want me to think of myself as different...except for, you know, the superpowers obviously. It was also to protect me. They have done so much to try and protect me. Even risked their health, their safety," Clark says and guilt wells up a little at everything his parents have endured for him. Guilt...but mostly love for them for doing this. "I'm sure your parents were trying to do the same; protect you."

"Maybe," Amara might concede. "But after my powers manifested...they should have told me. My powers can only have come from her!"

"Perhaps you got your x-gene from Selene, via your father or you could have easily as got it from your mother. It only takes one parent."

"Thanks for trying Clark but we both know where it came from," Amara says, appreciating what he is trying to do and make her feel better but deep down Amara knows it came from Selene.

"It's only one gene."

"Yeah but it came from _her. W_hy Selene? Why did it have to be her of all people that is my grandmother?" Amara asks, almost desperate that it wasn't.

"I ask myself that about Jor-El all the time. Why does it have to be him who is my father?"

Amara turns her head to look at him. "You do?" she asks, her expression hopeful, if anything, that someone might be able to understand what she is feeling.

Clark smiles wistfully. "You keep thinking of him as your people's saviour. I keep thinking of him as the arrogant prick who makes my life hell. In one sense I'm glad I came here and was able to see he wasn't always like that."

"Selene has never changed. Never will. She is evil down to her core...and her blood flows inside me," Amara says with a disgusted expression on her face at having Selene's blood within her.

"Doesn't make you her. Doesn't mean you will ever become like her," Clark argues.

"The potential is there," Amara argues back.

"The potential to do evil is inside all of us. Wow, I'm sounding all philosophical ain't I?" he jokes with a goofy grin.

Amara giggles a little.

"Let me ask you this? What about your father?"

"What about him?"

"He's more closely related to Selene. Is he a bad man? Did he ever treat you badly?"

"No. He...he's always been the best father anyone can ask for," Amara says in soft, loving tones that show how much she adores her father even through her current anger.

"And I'm sure you're the best daughter anyone can ask for."

"Well I wouldn't go that far," Amara demurs a little. She's gotten into her share of trouble.

"Selene does not define you Amara. Your parents don't either. I know this to be true because I am not Jor-El and I do not agree with him at least 99% of the time. My dad says that parents are there to set their children on the road but it is they who choose the route. Essentially we are who we choose to be. Selene chooses to be an evil bitch. Jor-El chooses to be a pompous ass. I always choose steak for dinner."

Amara stares at him.

"What? I like stake."

Amara stares more.

"Ok fine. I choose...sometimes hard choices that seem to aggravate everyone around me," Clark says, sounding sad all of a sudden. "My point is choice. I've seen your grandfather through Jor-El's eyes. Being married to Selene did not make less true one thing you spoke about him. He was a good and courageous man who chose to fight evil without any of the powers you or I possess making him the sort of hero I can only wish to be," Clark says with an admiration he has gained from Jor-El's memories. He knows Jor-El also shared that admiration giving him, he thinks, the first thing he and Jor-El have ever had in common. "On the plus side you didn't have to see him and her like I saw Jor-El and her..." Clark shudders. "I'll never be able to get the images out of my head."

Amara pats Clark on the leg sympathetically. It can't be nice to have seen that.

"Amara, a lot of us have less than ideal members of our families. I know it may be worse for you because of what Selene became to symbolise to your culture but is Wanda like her father? Is Tabby like hers? Is Rogue like...ok bad example because we all know where she got her temper from now."

Amara smiles. She truly does appreciate Clark coming and trying to help her.

"You admire your grandfather as a hero and try to emulate him...or so mom tells me about why you came to the Hellfire Club after me. Nothing about that has changed Amara. Nothing about you has changed. You are who you choose to be and despite sharing a few chromosomes with Selene I know you'll choose to continue to be the wonderful person that I am honoured to call my friend."

Amara fills up with something...indescribable. It feels good. His words make her feel good about herself. She's not sure how exactly he did it but his seeming faith in her makes her glad he is her friend.

"Your parents...I'm sure they love you," Clark assures her.

"They admitted they weren't going to tell me about Selene."

"Sometimes that instinct to protect can go too far. I drive Rogue up the wall with mine."

"But you realise you do that."

"And I'm sure your parents will too. To err is human. People are imperfect. We make mistakes...misjudgements. Heavens know I've made plenty and unfortunately once or twice you've been on the resulting end of my misjudgements. Sorry about those."

"It's ok," Amara forgives him.

"Do you doubt your parents love you?"

"No." It comes from her lips without hesitation.

"There we go."

"But I'm still angry at them," she insists.

"Never said you couldn't be angry at them. I would be more worried if you weren't. I won't say that lying to you was the right thing to do but I believe, similar to my parents, that they were only trying to protect you from a truth they knew would cause you pain. It's not easy to tell a truth when you know it will hurt the person you care for most in the world since your instinct is to try and shield them from all pain and hurt."

"Personal experience?" Amara asks of him because it sure sounds like it.

"Yeah," Clark admits, his tone glum.

Clark's points are good ones. It's annoying when you want to try and stay mad. Amara rests her chin on her hands and tries to decide what to do next.

"Amara. I've been meaning to ask. If Jor-El is seen as a God...what does that make me?" Clark raises something that has been bothering him since the moment he learned of Jor-El's supposed godhood here.

"Clark...you may not wish me to answer that," Amara cautions him.

"Amara...we're not Gods. I'm certainly not. You've seen me hurt. You've seen me bleed. Gods don't do that," Clark pitches his case for how he is not a God.

"Clark...you really don't want that answer," Amara says because she knows he won't like it.

"You've seen me covered in eggs and flour...mostly because you and Tabby were responsible," he says with a glare at her for that prank.

Amara grins overly innocently. "Who? Me? I think you're mistaken."

"Uh huh," Clark says, not buying it for a second. "The final reason I make is the best. My father is dead. My people are dead. My planet is nothing but dust and rocks. I am the last Son of Krypton, Amara. If we were Gods could we die?"

Amara takes a moment to compose a response. "Clark...you are my friend and like you said sometimes you want to protect people from the truth."

"Just tell me Amara," Clark asks in soft tones, touched she is trying to protect him but needing to know the truth.

Amara takes a breath. "Your father is a God to my people. That makes you the son of a God to them...so the answer to your unspoken question is yes. You too will be seen as a God and I know that makes you uncomfortable but I'm afraid I'm not sure how to change that. I just don't think my people are ready to understand the truth of what you are."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Clark laments. "Well despite your bad news I'm still honoured to be your friend."

"Thanks."

"But you are off my Christmas card list," he tells her as a joky punishment for her bad news.

"I don't celebrate Christmas," she points out since it is a Christian celebration and she's not Christian.

"Well ok then. Just letting you know."

"Well consider me informed," she plays along with him.

"I shall."

"Good."

"Indeed."

"Glad that's settled."

"Soooo...you want to hear the story of precisely how Jor-El kicked Selene's ass?" Clark asks, a goofy expectant expression on his face because it's a great story. Seeing Selene getting her just desserts is enough to cheer anyone up.

"Definitely," Amara says with much eagerness to hear that story.

* * *

_Author's Note: Of course one could note how Amara never said outright she personally doesn't think Clark is a God. I thought it best not to have her say it and just leave it an open question for the moment. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men prepare to go home but first Clark has to deal with his nightmare when the people of Nova Roma discover who he is._


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

**Elsewhere...**

In a vast library of mystical tomes, books come flying across the room and land with a loud thump upon the stone floor. This is no ordinary library. It is the collective wisdom that Selene Gallio has acquired over the centuries and right now her daughter was not so carefully searching through the books, some of which are hundreds of years old, for something...anything that could aid her in her quest.

When defeat had become inevitable at the Hellfire Club, the Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux had had enough wisdom to tactically retreat. Her mother was off somewhere recuperating. Isobel could still feel her due to the fact it is her mother's magic that binds her to this body so she knew her mother had definitely survived...not that she really ever believed that her mother wouldn't.

However with her mother in this state, this gave Isobel a window of opportunity to try and find some way to retain her presence in this world without her mother's magic. To find some way to break free of her mother's control. Only it was a very short window. Her mother would recover soon but more urgently Clark had 2 of the stones and would have the 3rd shortly. In fact for all she knows he could already have it. However she does not believe he has united them yet. She is certain she would sense power on that scale.

Therefore she still has a chance, albeit she might concede it is rapidly becoming a slim one, to claim the stones for herself. She will claim them she keeps telling herself. It is her destiny. 400 years. Death. Limbo. Rebirth. She hadn't suffered all of that to be defeated by some farmboy and his mutant friends.

Isobel flicks through the pages of another book. No. This is not what she seeks. She tosses it aside. Isobel is starting to get aggravated. She puts her hands on her hips and blows her dishevelled hair out of her face. She probably looks a state.

Isobel's eyes fall upon a crystal ball sitting on a shelf. She walks over and picks it up. She has to smile actually. From Lana's memories she knew what a terrible cliché this object had become but truth is they have their uses. She wonders what this one does precisely.

Isobel gazes into it and surges her magic into her fingers. The ball glows and the mist within swirls.

"You seek knowledge, Countess," an echoing voice from within the ball speaks to her.

_'Hmm. Interesting,' _Isobel muses. A speaking crystal ball. This could be useful. "Yes," Isobel replies confirming she seeks knowledge.

"You seek the means to gain your heart's desire."

"Yes!"

"Your final chance...your final stand nears. Which it is remains unclear."

"Oh seriously a rhyming crystal ball," Isobel complains. "Show what me what you mean," she demands.

"The Star Child has the 3rd stone but there is still a chance for you to get it."

"Show me!" Isobel demands desperately.

The ball shows the image of a place. "Be here at the precise time I state but be warned."

"Warned?"

"The Master of Metals...he too will be seeking his last chance."

"Magneto? How can he be there?"

"A Seer...young...powerful."

So that's how he knew to be in China, Isobel figures. Cursed Seers. They're always trouble in Isobel's experience.

If Magneto is there then so will be his Acolytes. Then there is the X-Men and Clark. Isobel can't fight them all.

"Top shelf, 5th from the left," the crystal ball advises.

Isobel looks at it puzzled for a moment before she looks up and to the left. Her hand reaches out and the book comes to her. The pages flicker open. Upon reading the spell in front of her a dark smile forms on Isobel's lips. The stones shall be hers!

* * *

**At one of Magneto's bases...**

There is a strange smile on the lips of the young mutant seer known as Blindfold. A speaking crystal ball. How silly. She wonders if she could get one for her birthday...no wait. That horrible, world-ending thing occurs on her birthday.

She wishes she didn't have to know that but that is her curse. She always knows what is coming. Her only trouble is that the future, to her, feels as real as the present and she can have trouble discerning where she is...when she is. Is she here? Is she in the here to come? Is she in both places at once? She just doesn't know.

Her thoughts are interrupted as she sees with her non-existent eyes she has a guest. Magneto's coming...or is he here already...or is he she only seeing that he's here already...or is she only seeing that he's coming. To her, the past, the present and the future are the same thing, happening at the same time. This is her gift. This is her curse.

"Hello again," she says and hopes she isn't talking to herself. That would make her look like she's crazy.

"Hello Ruth."

Huh. She guesses he is here. Score one for her. "Thank you. Yes. I have seen Superman. He has the last of 3. One final chance you still have to claim what you seek. You're welcome," she answers his first 4 questions before deciding it would be rude to have the whole conversation before he has spoken.

"What have you seen Ruth?"

Ruth hands over a piece of paper she doodled on earlier. "That's where the final stand will be. The ghost, so very desperate, beware of her, please."

"I shall. Is there anything else?"

"No. Yes. Transition...transference. What will be, will not be and what is not, will. Eyes open. Shoes don't fit. True nature wins through."

"She's getting nuttier," another voice mutters.

"Head rolls off. Cut by greatest enemy. Not bad for a runt," she says with a smirk.

There is an angry growl.

She smirks more.

"Creed," Magneto's tone is chastising.

"She does that just to annoy me!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Magneto dismisses Sabretooth's complaining. He asks Ruth about what she has doodled on the paper she gave him. "Numbers? What are they Ruth?"

"People, are funny, yes, no. They use numbers to describe places. You're welcome."

"Co-ordinates! They're co-ordinates," Magneto understands. "Thank you again, Ruth. I'll make sure you're rewarded."

"Can I get blue jell-o?" she asks, sounding very oddly like the 12 year old girl she is all of a sudden.

"You can have any coloured jell-o you wish," Magneto promises her.

"Blue," she insists upon.

"When I return."

"I was asking her. Not you."

"Her who?"

"The girl that is coming to visit."

"What girl?"

"Oh...is she not here yet? Sorry."

"Uh...should we take that as serious?" Sabretooth asks.

"It's hard to say," Magneto replies. "She could be seeing something months from now, years even."

"But you'll double the security on me just in case, thank you, please," Ruth says what Magneto was going to do anyway.

"I'll triple it."

"I knew you were going to say that," Ruth says with a childish glee.

"She's messing with us!" Sabretooth cries.

"Apparently so," Magneto accepts with more calm than Creed is capable of. "You're not leaving us are you, Ruth?"

"I am where I am. I was where I was. I will be where I will be."

"Oh that makes so much sense," Sabretooth complains. Seriously this girl gives him a headache.

"It will have to do for now. We must leave. Gather the Acolytes," Magneto commands.

Ruth cocks her head and listens to them leave before words once more spill from her lips. "Red falls upon black. Fire rains from the sky. A great evil shall come to unleash a greater evil. Beware, beware for Zod...he is coming."

* * *

**Nova Roma...**

A few hours later and Charles and Hank are still reviewing Jor-El's research into Selene. It was brilliant stuff. Genius. You could only admire the mind of the man.

"Hmm," Hank says.

"Something on your mind, Hank?" Charles asks.

"Jor-El identified a unique genetic discrepancy between Selene and normal humans outwith her x-gene. An esoteric component to her genome," he reiterates what they have found out.

"That seems to be so," Charles says, wondering where Hank is going with this.

"This has the effect of creating a cellular structure that, while closely resembling human cell structure, has unique morphological properties that Jor-El concluded was what allowed Selene to channel magical energy."

"What are you getting at Henry?"

Hank points out what he has seen in Jor-El's research. "Jor-El was a very thorough scientist," he credits Clark's father. "He actually tested a representative sample of Nova Roma's population and discovered a tiny percentage with the similar genetic discrepancy. Selene was the purest subject but his conclusion I have to agree with."

Charles cottons on. "If a percentage of the population shares this discrepancy then..."

"You can argue that, in fact, they are a distinct subspecies of humanity as distinct as mutants are from Homo Sapiens."

"Imagine that. Another species of humanity," Charles says with wry humour.

"The good Lord, in His infinite wisdom, obviously enjoys adding variety to His creation."

"Indeed."

Hank pauses over as he looks at the section of DNA Jor-El identified as being unique to this species. "I may be mistaken but I am certain I have seen this sequence before."

"In whom?"

"Wanda." After her magical properties emerged Hank did a more thorough investigation of her DNA out of curiosity but must admit he missed what Jor-El found...or more accurately never thought of it as anything but the normal variation you get from person to person.

"That would make sense. What about Amara?" Charles wonders.

"Can't recall off the top of my head but she only has ¼ of Selene's DNA so she may not have inherited it fully."

Still, with Amara's permission, they could investigate further, Charles considers. What an incredible discovery it was though, to be enlightened that there is in fact a 3rd species of humanity. More than that, though, Jor-El was able to classify what magic was, in a sense, in scientific terms. If the man was still alive Charles would be compelled to congratulate him on what is an astounding piece of research. Like the revelation of mutants it would shake the world...but Charles thinks it might be better to keep this revelation under wraps for now. The world still hadn't come to terms with the existence of mutants yet. It is almost certainly not ready for another bombshell.

* * *

As for Amara, she and Clark had been walking around the palace gardens, talking more than she thinks they ever have in the year since he arrived. Yeah, he's a little off and his mind seems to wander down strange tangents, which concerns her, but she can see why Rogue fell for him. He really is a great, genuine, funny guy. He has managed to lighten her mood and make her feel much better about herself.

He also managed, somehow, to convince her to go back and speak to her parents. Amara doesn't quite know how he did that but he did so here they are heading back into the palace.

When they get inside Amara's mother rushes over. "Amara!" she cries, delighted to see her daughter. She had been worried that their relationship had been irrevocably damaged. Her father soon joins the reunion

"I'm still mad at you, just to let you know," Amara informs her parents. "But I understand why you did it," she says with a glance over at Clark who helped her see the reasons behind her parents' choices.

Lucius noticed the glance his daughter gave to Lord Kal-El. He has only a few faint memories of Jor-El and the uprising but it seems the young man standing in front of him is very much like his father. "Lord Kal-El, did you find what you came here for?" he wonders.

"I did...and thank you for all your assistance."

"It was an honour. Now you must stay, have dinner and see what Nova Roman hospitality is like."

"I'm sorry but I must decline your kind offer," Clark refuses as diplomatically as possible. "I must continue my quest before the others come."

"Others?"

"The stone is being sought by many others. They will come eventually if I stay and that would put your people at risk which I will not do."

"But...surely they would be foolish to challenge you," Pomona says and Clark can hear the unspoken finish to that; because you're a God.

Clark almost sighs loudly. This is why he must leave. So far only Amara's parents and the temple High Priest know who he is. If he stays he is afraid others will find out and Clark doesn't know how to deal with masses thinking he is some sort of deity. "Perhaps it is foolish," he concedes the Queen's point, "but people who lust for power do foolish things. They may not be able to hurt me but in any attempt to try I can't guarantee others around me wouldn't be harmed. That's why I must go."

Lucius and Pomona are truly honoured to be in the presence of such a kind and considerate God who cares for the well-being of those much less than himself.

"I'm surprised they haven't shown up already," Amara remarks because that seems to be the way of things lately. "Especially Isobel."

"Who is Isobel?" Lucius asks.

Amara screws her eyes shut and cringes. She forgot that, technically, Isobel is her father's sister. Her and her big mouth. She looks to Clark for help.

Clark grins. "Oh no. You got yourself in this mess. You get yourself out of it," he tells her, refusing to aid her.

Amara whispers so low she knows only Clark can hear her. "3 words. Worst. God. Ever."

"Ooh does it come with a trophy?" Clark asks with false excitement.

Amara glares at him.

Lucius and Pomona are very confused.

Amara rubs her head and tries to figure out how to break this news. "Father...you may want to sit down for this," she advises.

* * *

Some time later Clark and Amara enter the chamber where Clark left the X-Men with Amara's parents in tow.

It had been a shock for Lucius to learn he had a sister...and a bigger shock to learn she was some sort of spirit that had hijacked the body of an innocent girl. The sad part is that, as he let it sink in, it really shouldn't have been much of a surprise. He is well aware of what his mother is like and if she had had the chance to raise him who knows what she would have twisted him into. His sister is much like his mother it seemed. Doing whatever it took, no matter how hideous, to cheat death.

Now he has another surprise to deal with by seeing inside the chamber he knew existed but was always sealed off.

Pomona looks around in awe at the crystal like pillars. Only Gods could create such magnificence. "This is what keeps us safe?" she asks.

"It is what keeps Selene out, yes," Clark confirms. "When she approaches, no matter through which method she uses, the barrier detects her and rises," he can report from Jor-El's memories which flow much easier into his mind now. Jor-El even made it impossible for her to teleport through. The barrier extends into multiple dimensions...Clark thinks that is what it all means what he sees in his head.

"So we going home now?" Evan asks, sounding impatient and bored. They've been basically hanging around with nothing to do.

"If the Professor and Mr McCoy are done?" Clark asks of the two adults.

"Yes, we are," the Professor says. Part of him would love to remain and read more but time is pressing.

"Indeed," Hank confirms.

"We will arrange an escort back to your flying conveyance," Lucius offers.

Being polite the offer is accepted.

"Just need to put this back," Clark says, holding up the pendant.

"What is it, anyway?" Rogue asks about the pendant since they never have gotten a real explanation of what it is.

"Hmm...journal," Clark decides is an appropriate description. "Think of it like a journal. Instead of writing stuff down, though, this stores a copy of someone's memories. Jor-El left it here because he felt it held too many bad memories. I think...perhaps, there might be more stored in it than I have seen but I also have a feeling that that is for another day."

No-one argues with Clark as they depart the chamber which seals up behind them. Clark then returns the pendant to its storage spot in the wall. It hasn't explained everything to him like why Jor-El carved all this writing on the walls. Maybe one day it will.

If Clark is to look at the positive he leaves this place with a deeper understanding of his father than before but still so many questions about how Jor-El changed from someone...well Clark could actually see himself for the first time in his father. How did Jor-El change from that to what he speaks to in the cave?

Clark wishes he had an answer but like he said that is for another day.

* * *

When they reach the jet they are surprised to find a large crowd has gathered near it.

"What is going on?" Lucius demands to know from one of the guard left to protect the jet.

Before an answer can be given one of the crowd points and shouts. "There he is!"

The crowd surges forward. The escort with the X-Men form a protective line in front and the crowd stops.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Lucius demands to know of his people.

"Is it true?" a woman asks.

"Is what true?"

"That He is the Son of the Child of the Stars, the Son of the Saviour," a man points at Clark.

"Oh Pluto's arse," Amara swears. "Someone must have blabbed," she concludes. Most likely one of the guards or servants who were there when her parents dropped to their knees thinking Clark was Jor-El.

Clark looks near panic-stricken. This...he doesn't know how to handle this.

"Remain calm, Superman," the Professor says, seeing Clark's expression.

"What do I do?" Clark asks in a desperate, whispered plea for advice.

"Tell the truth. There is little else to be done," the Professor must reluctantly advise. This is precisely what he was wanting to avoid which is why he was so insistent of Clark not saying anything but it's too late now. They're stuck.

Clark steps forward through the line of guards. He takes a shaky breath. "Yes. I am," he confirms what they ask. What else can he say? It's the truth.

The second he says it Clark can see it in the people's eyes. The awe of being in the presence of a being they ordain to be a God. A memory flashes in his head of Jor-El facing the same thing before he left Nova Roma. Words come to Clark's mind of what to say. "My father saw greatness within you that Selene stifled with her cruelty because she was afraid...she knew if she let you become what you could be that you would no longer need her. He chose to confront her so you could be free to achieve all you are capable of. I know if he was here now he would be very proud of everything you have achieved since that fateful day."

Charles looks on with some pride at Clark. He's doing amazingly well handling this so far.

"Are you staying?" someone asks and you can hear hope in their tone that wishes that the Son of the Child of the Stars would stay.

"As much as I would wish to stay I cannot," Clark tries to let them down as gently as possible.

"Why?" another voice asks in desperate disappointment.

"Because the same evil my father fought is still out there, beyond the shores of your island and I have to protect the people out there from it."

"But you can do so much for us!" yet another voice argues.

Clark takes a moment to consider what would be a good response. "I can," he concedes. "I can do much most people can't but just because I can do something doesn't mean I should. Hand in hand with great power comes a responsibility to use it wisely."(Peter's never going to let Clark hear the end of using that line!)"One of humanity's greatest qualities is your drive, your desire to do the impossible. If I was to do it for you then you lose that quality which my father admired most in you. It would make me no better than Selene because, however unintentional it was, I would stifle that drive. Always strive to do good and to make the world a better place for yourselves and your children and I will always be around to protect you from that which you cannot protect yourselves from."

Some of the people look a little misty eyed at his words.

"I have to go now," Clark announces to them. "I do so without worry. I have to come to know your Princess well and I believe her to be a shining example of what the people of Nova Roma are like. Therefore, I know you will achieve the great things my father believed you could."

Clark turns his head to look behind him at his friends. "Time to go," he says...pleads really. He can't stay in a place where people worship him.

The X-Men step forward and Clark leads them towards the jet. The crowd simply parts in front of him. A small girl is knocked over. That seems familiar. Like the memory of his father. Clark bends down and picks her up. "Are you hurt?" he asks her at the same time he scans her over.

She shakes her head vigorously but says nothing. Too shy. Her mother steps forward and takes her daughter back. She thanks Clark, bowing as she does so and moves back into the crowd.

"No, wait! My toy!" the little girl cries suddenly.

Clark looks down and there is a little metal sphere with a long handle...a broken handle. Clark bends down and picks it up and hears the noise it makes when he picks it up. It's a rattle he realises. Clark brings the two broken pieces together and his eyes glow red before he welds it back together. A quick burst of freeze breath cools it down. He hands it over, back to its owner. "There we go. Good as new."

The girl's eyes light up and she smiles delightedly. "Thank you," she says.

"You're very welcome."

"Thank you, my Lord," the mother says, bowing her head once more in reverence.

"Just take care of her," he says to the mother. He looks at the girl and points at her nose. "And you be good and listen to your mother. Mothers always know best," he says with a playful wink quoting the exact words his mother has used at him.

The girl giggles at that.

Clark can only smile at the fact he brought a little happiness to the girl.

This act only makes everyone in the crowd look at him with more awe than before at the power he just wielded. Also the fact, that despite being a God, he showed incredible humility. It only raised him up in their opinion.

Clark resumes his journey into the jet followed by everyone else. As soon as the ramp is closed up and no-one can see him he lets out a breath. He is going to raise a hand to his head when he pauses at the fact his hand is shaking, almost violently. He feels a hand on his shoulder. It's Storm.

Ororo knows all too well what Clark is going through. She takes his shaking hand into her own and helps steady it.

"How do you cope?" he asks her.

"With being seen as a God, you mean?" Storm guesses he means. Back home in Africa, her tribe saw her as a Goddess because of the power she wields.

Clark nods.

Storm takes a moment to compose her response. "It's complicated. It's flattering at first. Having people elevate you in such a way and then you realise the dangers. That they start to become reliant on you instead of seeking within themselves for the answers to overcome their problems. In the end I suppose I can admit I didn't cope...or at least I didn't know how to make them understand what they should be doing without destroying their faith. Faith is important. Faith can be good...but faith can be blind."

"What did you do?"

"Ran away," Storm confesses. That's how she ended up on the streets of Cairo with her sister. "Not my best decision but I was very young and couldn't cope. You did a far better job than I," she compliments him.

"Did I?" Clark asks in all honesty, not sure he did. "I was just trying to do what you said. Not destroy their faith but equally not having them sit around and expect me to fix their problems."

"There might have been better words...more impactful words but I believe you got what you were trying to across. It is a difficult balance to strike. I have been trying for many years to strike it without ever quite succeeding. In the end the best solution I have so far is the why I don't go home very often. If I'm not around they can't just sit and wait for me to solve their problems. It's harsh sounding, I know but by not being there I force them to think of their own solutions. I do keep an eye on them to make sure they're alright. They are my extended family. Like you said to the Nova Romans my interference is limited to protecting them against that they can't protect themselves from."

"I never wanted this."

"Neither did I," Storm shares Clark's feelings exactly.

"I just wish I could make them understand what I am."

"One day, perhaps. When they're ready," Storm says, expressing her personal wish about herself as well as advice for Clark.

"We're going. Get strapped in," Logan orders, thinking he's given them enough time. As Storm slips into the co-pilot chair next to him he glances over at her. He's never asked her about that her being a Goddess stuff. It's just a reminder of how far apart they are yet he can't imagine not continuing this slow, gradual process of dating they're going through. He's pretty sure that's messed up...but then again messed up is normal for him.

Clark sits down and tries to absorb what has happened. His hand reaches for his jacket pocket and he feels for the stone that is still there, safe and sound. It was done. It was over...almost. They had to go back to the mansion, pick up the other 2 and then go to Smallville. The caves were probably the safest place to unite them.

The jet takes off and Clark leans over to Amara to say something. "I meant what I said. If your people ever need me I'll be there," he promises her.

"Thank you, Clark," Amara says with a smile. She already had a smile at his words to that crowd. She liked how he seemed to believe how her people could rise up to greatness.

"Is it me or is this going too well?" Evan suddenly asks.

"What are you on about Evan?" Scott asks, with a light scowl.

"We have the stone and haven't been attacked once."

"Ya have ta admit, that is a little weird," Rogue says, in agreement with Evan for once.

Kurt and Kitty murmur in agreement. It was almost creepy how well this mission had seemed to have gone.

"Perhaps we'll catch a break," Hank says.

Logan snorts. "Yeah and maybe Magneto will call off his war and set up a flower shop," he pours scorn on that idea. "I ain't taking anything for granted until we put those stones where no-one can find them."

"We shall remain alert," the Professor says.

"Clark?" Jean queries.

"Yes, Jeannie?" Clark says, unusually using that nickname.

Jean looks at him peculiarly for a moment. Only his alter ego Kal called her 'Jeannie'. "How did you come up with what you said back there?" she wonders.

"Some of it was from what Jor-El said when he left and the rest I just improvised. Now if I could just make myself forget it all that would be good."

"Why would you want to forget it?"

"Ok in my best Kitty impression it goes something like this. Um hello," he imitates Kitty's Valley Girl accent. "I saw my dad like totally do the dirty deed with the evil dudette."

"Oh," Jean says, looking a tad embarrassed at forgetting that.

"I so totally don't sound like that," Kitty insists with a frown.

"You're right. I was watering it down by at least 1000%," Clark quips which makes Rogue snigger. "See," he points at Rogue. "She agrees with me."

Kitty scowls...which comes off more as a pout. Kitty just can't look scary.

Rogue sniggers a little more. It was still funny the way Kitty and Clark would rile each other up. No matter how estranged she and Clark were, Rogue could still find humour in it. Her gaze turns to him. Storm said she needed to be patient and try and understand. They just need a chance to talk. Rogue wants to try...she has to try and see if they can work it out. As soon as they get a chance she'll let him explain his side of the story.

* * *

The next few hours pass by. They are back over the American mainland, heading for home. Kitty is asking Amara something that occurred to her about Nova Roma. "I may be mistaken but didn't Rome, like, really hate the idea of Kingship," she recalls from reading it somewhere.

"The last King of Rome was a brutal tyrant. After he was overthrown the idea of Kingship was seen as undesirable, yes," Amara confirms. She is in-between bouts of air-sickness. She really hates flying.

"So how did your grandfazher become King?" Kurt asks, picking up on Kitty's line of questioning.

"It was not just Selene we got rid of. It was the whole structure that had supported her. All those still loyal to her had to be removed from positions of power in the Senate and the army. The uprising could also be seen as a short and brutal civil war. In the aftermath that meant a power vacuum. The old Senate was dissolved and until a new one could be convened some structure of government needed to be put into place. Without a Senate that inevitably meant an autocratic system. The leaders of the rebellion looked into the past for inspiration and remembered that once Rome had been a kingdom so they used that model. Since my grandfather was the hero of the rebellion they gave him the title," Amara tells the story.

"Just that reason?" Scott queries sceptically. He doesn't quite buy it that they would just grant her grandfather the title and prestige of kingship like that.

Amara sighs and reluctantly gives another reason her father was chosen. "There is a myth in our family that we're descended from Hercules, himself, so that gave the role some divine right and lineage. I'm pretty certain it's just a story that was made up by one of my ancestors to elevate himself. All the important families on Nova Roma try to claim some sort of lofty ancestor. It is just the done thing."

"Why don't you believe it?" Clark asks, because it seems a fair point. Amara truly does believe her Gods are real.

"It would be flattering, of course but my grandfather never believed it. I see no reason to argue with his belief." And that is that as far as Amara is concerned.

"How much power does the role of King have now?" Hank wonders since from Amara's story the role having absolute power was only meant to temporary until a new Senate was created.

"Power is shared with the Senate about equally. For a law to pass the King and Senate must be in agreement with each other. It is intended to promote unity through enforced cooperation. My grandfather's idea to try and knit the wounds of the uprising."

"The Senate is elected?" Hank queries.

"Every 4 years, yes. Senators are the representatives of the people. It is to make sure they, who suffered the most under Selene, can have a voice and are never ignored again. The King is allowed to appoint a ruling council...uh, a Cabinet, like the US President does," she tries to give an analogous example.

Fascinating. Truly fascinating. Hank wishes he had spoken to Amara more about her home earlier. An oversight on his part.

"We've got a problem," Logan suddenly says.

"What is it, Logan?" the Professor asks.

"I can't move."

Before anyone can figure out what he means the whole jet jerks suddenly and they find themselves being pulled off course.

Storm is trying the controls. "Something has overridden the controls," she announces, her voice remaining resolutely calm despite the situation.

"Logan can't move," Clark says.

"What was that, Clark?" the Professor asks.

"Logan can't move...like some force is pulling on your bones, right?"

"Yeah. Exactly like that," Logan can report.

Jean figures it out. "That can only mean..."

Scott finishes Jean's thought in grim, grave tones. "Magneto."

* * *

_Author's Note: Ok so basically here I had Jor-El identify what would be in the DC universe the offshoot of humanity known as the Homo Magi. I like the concept and it makes sense in a world with mutants. In the comics Hercules is allegedly Amara's ancestor so I thought I would throw it in there and also I may have been watching way too much Spartacus on the TV but I just find it funny that Amara, the little princess, would swear in a way Logan would probably envy. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the fight for the 3rd stone ends up having a most unforeseen outcome._


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

"We're descending...rapidly," Storm reports, her voice strained at the helplessness she feels as the x-jet, under what is probably Magneto's control, plummets towards the ground.

"He's going to crash us!" Evan cries, panic creeping into his voice because they're helpless.

Actually the Professor doesn't think so. A belief he is relieved to say is enforced when their descent starts to slow.

"We're slowing," Storm reports, even her normally calm tones showing relief.

"He wants us alive," Hank makes the obvious deduction.

"Why?" Jean asks. "What does he want?"

"What do you think?" Clark asks back, in a disrespectful tone. He knew it! He just knew something like this would happen. He is so sick of this. Is it any wonder he did what he did with the Hellfire Club.

"Tha stone," Rogue groans.

"Just vhen you zhink ve can get a break," Kurt complains.

Scott's whole demeanour shifts into serious determination. Magneto was not getting the stone. Full stop. If they had to fight then fight they would.

"How did he like know where we would be?" Kitty asks.

That's a good question, Charles agrees. This is the 2nd time now Magneto knew where and when to show up. Assuming they survive this and he certainly wants to believe they will, they must find an answer as to how Magneto always manages to seem to know where they are.

"Don't suppose there's any chance he just wants to have a friendly chat and catch up is there?" Amara asks, trying to add some humour to the situation. Blame Tabby's influence for that.

Charles smiles a tiny smile. "As much as I wish that to be the case I doubt it, Amara. Just stay calm and listen to Cyclops," he advises her as she has limited experience of situations like this.

"We're coming into land," Storm reports and now they are this close to the ground they can see Magneto, accompanied by the Acolytes. A confrontation seemed to be inevitable.

"Let me talk to him first," the Professor requests.

"You're wasting your time, Chuck," Logan pours scorn on that idea. A Logan still unable to move and getting more pissed off about it by the second. Not to mention he can already smell Creed's stink from here.

"Perhaps but I must try," Charles says even if he knows the chances are slim Magneto will listen to him.

The jet sets down in the middle of a dusty wilderness somewhere on the American plains. Logan feels the pull on his bones ease off as Magneto releases him. The ramp is lowered and they all disembark to line up opposite Magneto, Live Wire, Sandman, Ruckus, Gambit, Colossus, Pyro, Sabretooth and Frenzy. Same line-up as they faced in China.

"Magneto," the Professor acknowledges his old friend.

"Charles," Magneto returns the acknowledgement.

"I was not aware you possessed a gift of foresight," Charles remarks in relation as to how Magneto happens to be here.

A tight smile comes to Magneto's face. "Don't make this harder than it need be, Charles," he asks although he knows his old friend will refuse.

"I don't. It is your actions that make it more difficult for all of us."

"Of what do you refer to?"

"The series of attacks on the Friends of Humanity."

Magneto shows no surprise that Charles figured it was him. To be honest he was not trying very hard to hide it was him. "I am simply doing what must be done to ensure our survival," he states in flat, emotionless tones.

"And a certain incident in Eureka, California?" Charles inquires about. It was still a mystery to the X-Men about the missing girl and her mother.

Magneto says nothing.

"Where's the girl and her mother, Magneto?" Charles asks. He might as well take advantage of the situation to ask about those things he believes Magneto had been doing lately. It also buys Scott time to make a plan.

"Safe."

"I have your word on that."

"If you wish."

"Why?" Charles asks the question as in why did Magneto abduct these particular two people.

"Not your concern, Charles."

"You abduct two people and I am to not be concerned?"

"I abducted no-one...and that is all I have to say on the matter."

Charles can see it is pointless to keep pursuing that line of questioning. "Why have you brought us here?" he finally gets to it.

"Hand the stone over, Charles," Magneto demands.

"Oh wow, that wasn't predictable in the least or anything," Superman mocks. "Don't you have better things to do? I'm sure there's a kitten somewhere that needs stepped on," he says, implying something about the level of cartoon villainy he ranks Magneto at.

Live Wire sniggers. That was funny. Almost as good as something she would say. If only he was on their side. The delicious _fun _they could have together.

Magneto is not amused by Live Wire's reaction nor Superman's tone. "You seemed to have developed a streak of disrespect, Superman," Magneto says in his cold, dark tones.

"Well haven't had the best few weeks, you see. Got kidnapped by the Inner Circle...oh but wait, you knew that," Superman says.

"I regret that you endured that. I am aware of how they treat their 'guests'. Rest assured in the revolution to come organisations like that will have no place. That'll be made easier if you were willing to join me and use the power of the 3 stones to assist our cause."

"Yeah how about I go with no, not a chance...and seriously how has George Lucas not sued you yet for the Darth Vader rip off?"

Live Wire sniggers more.

"He's got a point there, mate," Pyro ends up agreeing.

Magneto shoots Pyro a withering glare before returning his focus upon Superman. "This is a pointless discussion."

"Ah. I get you. Secret deal on the side. Wink, wink and all that. You sly dog!" Superman says with his lips half-curved up into a smirk.

A few of the X-Men giggle. Clark was really letting it rip today.

Charles, too, has to smile reluctantly at Clark's humorous barbs. "While I may have phrased it differently, Magneto, Superman expresses a view I have already expressed to you. The stones are not meant for you. They will not bring about what you believe. I ask you to let us leave peacefully."

"You know I must refuse," Magneto says flatly. "It is not hard to make a guess that, with Superman standing at your side, he escaped the Hellfire Club with the 2nd stone. You are currently returning with the 3rd and final one."

"How does he like know that?" Shadowcat whispers.

Behind his visor Cyclops' eyes narrow. It was a very good question. They needed an answer to that soon or Magneto would have a constant advantage over them.

"Hand the stone over," Magneto repeats his demand. "You may not think I should have them but I will not allow anyone else to possess all 3," he declares. This way he at least makes sure his enemies do not have access to the power.

"You will not allow? Your arrogance is astounding!" a haughty toned voice declares of Magneto.

All turn their heads in the same direction to the source of the voice.

Superman groans at the female figure that has appeared a short distance away. "Isobel."

Isobel smiles thinly. "Superman. So nice to see you again. Don't you fret. I won't be tying you up this time. I have a magical prison prepared for you instead," she informs him, countering his accusation from last time that she isn't original thinking in how she imprisons him.

"Oh, gee, thanks. That's so thoughtful!" Superman proclaims with award winning sarcasm.

"Only the best for you," Isobel says with a dark smile.

"Uh, lady," Live Wire says in her classic irritating tones. "In case you didn't notice you're a little outnumbered."

Isobel chuckles...in fact it is more of a witchly cackle.

"Oh zhat can't be good," Nightcrawler comments at Isobel's laughter.

"With my mother indisposed I..._borrowed _a few of her darker mystical tomes."

"Oh definitely not good," Nightcrawler further adds as his beliefs are only confirmed.

"Hear my warning, witch, for I shall only give it once," Magneto says to her in grave tones. "Leave now or prepare to return to being the ghost you truly are."

"No mutant, no matter how much power they wield, dictates to me!" Isobel rebuffs him. "I have not endured fire, death and 4 centuries in purgatory to meekly fade into the aether. I shall have what belongs to me and anyone who stands in my way shall learn what it means to be burned to death!" Isobel looks at Amara. "And I'm afraid, my _dear_ niece, that includes you," she says with little to no care for her relative. A sign of how desperate she has become.

"Well I would have hated to be left out," Amara mutters sarcastically while glaring at her_ dear_ auntie.

"I have seen more death, in more horrific ways, than even one such as yourself can imagine," Magneto says, showing there is nothing Isobel can say that can intimidate him. "I have seen and endured and I shall endure long past the moment you return to where you belong," he promises her.

"Wow. When did this turn into a pissing contest?" Live Wire asks.

Isobel holds her hands out in front of her and a book materialises into her hands. She chants some words and the book melts into her hands, into her skin. Lines of black travel under her skin, rising up her neck, over her face and into her eyes which turn as coal black as her mother's. The sky above mirror's Isobel's eyes turning pitch black. The shadows on the ground grow darker before they start to move, taking the shape on unnatural, spindly, humanoid creatures. They lumber forward to gather next to Isobel.

"Merde," Gambit swears under his breath.

Isobel pats one of the creatures on its head. "My mother's minions," she explains what they are. "Adorable aren't they?"

"About as much as your ass, lady," Live Wire says back insultingly.

Isobel smiles in a way that is as equally cruel as anything her mother is capable of. "Rip them apart," she commands. "Oh, except him," she points at Superman. "I want him alive. Bring me him and the stone."

"I feel so special at being spared!" Superman says in a mocking tone.

"I said alive. I didn't say you had to be in good shape. Make him suffer."

"Me and my big mouth," Superman grumbles. "Now I know how Spidey feels."

"Hey!" Shadowcat protests, in defence of her boyfriend.

Isobel rolls her eyes. "Attack already!" she commands impatiently of what are now her minions.

The creatures lumber forward, advancing on the two groups.

"What's the plan now?" Sandman asks Magneto.

"The same as before. We retrieve the stone and leave," Magneto states, showing remarkable calmness considering what they are facing. "It is Superman we must reach. We only need to create a path to him."

"It's nice to be wanted," Superman quips, having heard that of course.

"What our plan?" Spyke asks Cyclops, looking to the X-Men's leader for guidance and inspiration to overcome the fear gnawing at his gut that, this time, they're in big trouble.

"I'll tell you when I have one," Cyclops replies as he desperately tries to think of one. His original plan had been to immobilise Magneto since they couldn't leave as long as he could hold the jet in his magnetic grip. Now he had to deal with Isobel and whatever these things are that she has summoned up as well as Magneto and the Acolytes. These creatures that had, as their first move, cut them off from the jet. Their primary means of escape. "Defence posture," he orders until he figures something out.

The X-Men form a circle, back to back, protecting each other with the Professor in the centre. The shadow creatures have split into two groups. One group going for the Acolytes. One heading for the X-Men.

Cyclops unleashes a crimson blast, shattering the creature he hits to pieces. There is a brief moment of triumphalism at his success. It is only a very brief moment as the pieces meld back together, the creature reforms and lumbers forward once again.

Jean unleashes a telekinetic wave, knocking a few of the creatures down...only for them to get right back up and continue forward.

Spyke unleashes his bone darts but the creatures shrug them off, almost as if they never happened.

Magma had transformed into her beautiful fire form of deep orange and was throwing various fire attacks at the creatures. Like Spyke's attacks the creatures just shrugged them off and kept marching. Creatures courtesy of her _Auntie_ Isobel. Now there was one member of her newly extended family she could do without.

Rogue makes a quick copy of Shadowcat's power and the two girls run forward looking to phase the creatures into the ground to see if that will stop them. The creatures split into oily puddles at the attempt before reforming. A couple raise their hands, now in the shape of lethal looking claws, ready to strike the two girls down.

Nightcrawler and Superman react instantly at seeing their teammates in trouble. Kurt teleports in and grabs Kitty while Clark shifts into superspeed and sweeps his girlfriend out of the way. He then unleashes a blast of freeze-breath, freezing a few of the creatures in ice...but they manage to slide through cracks in the imperfect chunk of ice, reform and keep coming.

Storm unleashes a barrage of lightning upon the creatures. They make a hideous inhuman screech as the electricity passes through their forms.

Wolverine, who is cutting a few creatures to pieces, notices. "Ya hurt them, Ro," he remarks.

"Not enough," Storm says grimly as the creatures with literally smoking bodies, continue their relentless march.

Logan had to admit that, as the creatures he cut up reform, it was not enough. There seemed to be no way to stop them.

Beast throws one creature into several others and they collapse down in a heap before he turns to Charles at the centre of their circle. "Anything?" he inquires.

"The creatures have no mind. I can't even sense that they exist at all," Charles reports what he had found with his telepathy. This rules out any possibility of him shutting them down.

"Charles, we can only hold them off for so long," Beast makes the grim assessment. If the creatures couldn't be hurt and don't tire, sooner or later they will wear the X-Men down.

The key was, of course Isobel, but there was an army between them and her. An army that seemed to grow by the moment as more and more of the creatures emerged from the darkness.

The X-Men were not the only ones discovering the seemingly unstoppable nature of the creatures. The Acolytes were too.

Gambit bombarded them with his charged cards. Pieces of the creatures would be blasted off but they would reform and walk on as if nothing had happened.

Ruckus screams knocking several creatures down but they get back up and advance.

Sandman dissolves into a tornado of sand, picking the creatures up and flinging them away. That only buys a little more time in how long it takes the creatures to get back up and lumber back.

Pyro unleashes waves of fire, laughing manically(his normal...if that word can ever be applied to Pyro) as he does so. The creatures lumber on as of the fire isn't there at all.

Live Wire, like Storm, has the most effect on them with her electrical attacks but it only slows them down a little.

Sabretooth, Colossus and Frenzy resort to having to use brute force close in but since the creatures can't feel pain and can't be hurt that's a battle they can only inevitable lose in time.

Magneto floats above the scene, making no move yet as he assesses the situation. A wise man might think retreat is the most prudent course but he remembers Blindfold's words about this being his final chance. He doesn't believe she was lying so therefore he cannot take the option of withdrawing.

Magneto knows his objective. Question is how does he get it. He needs to isolate Superman from the X-Men. If he can get Superman away, these creatures will prevent the X-Men coming to the rescue.

Magneto turns round and spies the metal transport spheres that brought them here. Yes. He can use them. He raises them into the air and melds them into one large metallic blob which he reshapes to his needs. It takes on the shape of a wedge or a plough. He'll use it to plough a path through the army of spindly shadow creatures for his Acolytes to reach Superman.

Magneto brings his creation down, crashing into the Earth and order his Acolytes to line up behind it as he propels it forward, carving a great gouge in the earth, knocking the creatures flying in every direction. The odd one that somehow manages to get over the edge is dealt with by his Acolytes.

Magneto aims his plough right at the X-Men.

Superman spots the danger and zips directly into the path of it...just as Magneto was hoping he would. The plough melts like liquid and wraps itself around Superman before yanking him away in a sudden change of direction.

The X-Men remain too busy fighting the creatures to get to him.

Magma watches Clark get pulled away in horror. She had tried not to say it to him because she knew he would be uncomfortable but despite everything he said, to her, Jor-El is a God. She has worshipped him for as long as she can remember and as Jor-El's son Clark too is a God to her and she can't...she won't let Magneto harm him. Not while she's still breathing.

At this thought something inside Amara snaps and a never before used instinct inside her wakes up. The fiery aura around her flares up bright as she slams her hands into the ground. "STOP!" she screams at the top of her lungs and the ground in front of her tears open. The ground shakes like in the most powerful earthquake imaginable and the tear rips along at incredible speed, hits the Acolytes and catapults them like bowling pins through the air. By luck Frenzy ends up hitting Magneto and both fall to the ground which results in Clark being dropped.

Then there is silence. Everyone has just stopped, stunned at Amara's display of power.

Even Isobel can only stand there, slack-jawed at what her niece just did.

Magma is on her knees, breathing hard, her fiery aura dimmed well below its normal after the energy she just expelled.

"Vhoa," Nightcrawler says, somewhat awe-struck.

"Right there with you dude," Spyke says in equally awed tone.

"Magma...what did you just do?" Cyclops asks, his voice bereft of its usual authority but he is as off kilter as anyone. He didn't know Amara could do that.

Magma looks at what she did for the 1st time as her mind lets it sink in. She raises her hands and looks at them, confused. "I don't know," she says at a whisper, unable to believe she just did that.

Isobel snaps out of it first. "My creatures, finish them!" she commands as she vanishes in her purple mist.

Nightcrawler teleports an obviously exhausted Amara next to the Professor as the X-Men reform their defence position.

The Acolytes, meanwhile, just have to fight to survive as the creatures swarm over their fallen bodies.

Superman dusts himself down as he gets back to his feet. He hears footsteps crunch in the dirt and spins round. A fist comes for his face which he catches easily. He looks into the intense gaze of the superstrong girl with brown skin and black hair. "We've never been formally introduced. I'm Superman and you are?"

"The girl who is going to kick your ass," Frenzy promises through gritted teeth.

"Ah, no. That's extremely unlikely...but if it's any consolation I think you would embarrass the Blob in an arm wrestling contest," Superman assesses her strength to at least be on a par with Fred.

With a cry of aggression Frenzy swings her other fist at him only for Superman to duck under it and give her a push-kick away on her posterior.

"Look, lady, no matter how strong you think you are, I'm faster than a speeding bullet..." Superman blurs into motion directly into her, knocking her flying with a superpowered, superspeed punch, "which you're not."

Frenzy wipes the back of her hand against her lip and is surprised to see a drop of blood...well a drop of her blood. She's seen other people's blood on her hands starting with her father's. After that 'incident' she didn't know what to do, she drifted from one place to the next, to one _job _to the next. She will admit she lacked purpose until the day she saw Magneto's broadcast to the world after mutants were revealed. Then she knew her purpose. The future, like Magneto said, belonged to mutants and she would help him ensure that that future would come to pass no matter what she had to do even if that included _removing _the traitors to their own kind. She gets to her feet and charges at him.

"FRENZY!" Magneto's booming voice almost causes her to fall flat on her face in surprise.

Frenzy looks at him incredulously.

"Go assist the other Acolytes," Magneto commands.

"But..." she starts to protest.

"Now!" Magneto commands, his voice broaching no argument.

Frenzy's hands clench tightly into fists and for a moment her anger almost overcomes her sense to obey but she manages to keep her temper at bay and does as is ordered.

Magneto had done this for 2 reasons. One; the Acolytes needed saving and he needed them. Two; on her own she was no match for Superman. That's what he needed the Acolytes for.

Superman activates the switch on his belt buckle that turns on the small current that has the molecules of his costume realign to protect him from somewhat from the radiation kryptonite produces...like the piece Magneto has cleverly concealed into his armour. The piece glowing even at this distance and Clark can feel the sickness start to slowly creep in even as protected as he is.

"It had been awhile since our last encounter," Magneto remarks.

"Not long enough," Superman snorts rudely, taking a careful step or two away from the kryptonite.

Magneto raises his hands in a gesture of peace. "Before we resort to any unpleasantness, I request you hear what I have to say. It could aid your friends out of this dilemma."

Superman glances over at his friends. They were holding their own but who knows for how long. "Make it quick," he demands of Magneto.

Magneto smiles graciously. "We do not have to be enemies. Quite the opposite as matter of fact."

"I'm sorry did you hit your head when you fell? Because that sounded like you thought we could be allies?" Superman asks in a tone like he can't believe he heard that.

Magneto manages a smile. "My response is why have you chosen a side in a dispute of a people resident of a world you don't come from?"

Superman's expression is completely flat. "The Professor mentioned you figured that out. Congratulations," he says, his tone flat and humourless.

"So what do I call you? And not that pseudonym you allowed that cockroach Jameson to label you with. What is your real name?"

"Kal-El," Superman says, thinking it makes little difference if Magneto knows his name or not since Magneto already knows he is an alien.

"Kal-El," Magneto repeats, satisfied by the response. "So I ask again, why have you chosen a side?"

"I didn't. The Professor simply offered to help me learn control of my powers. You're the one who tried to force me to choose a side," Superman says and then hides the grimace off his face as best he can. His grimace at mentioning something he isn't entirely sure Magneto remembers. Their first encounter in Smallville when Magneto threatened his parents and hit him with the tractor...Clark isn't sure what Magneto remembers of that after Wanda's spell.

"I didn't know what you were then," Magneto offers in his defence. "Now I do."

"And that changes things?" Superman queries sceptically.

"Of course it does. You're unique. Evolved far above and beyond any mutant on this planet and to have travelled so far across the stars have a technology more advanced than anyone on this world can dream of. Which brings us to the 3 stones doesn't it? They're not magical. They come from your world don't they?" Magneto asks a question he suspects he knows the answer to. "Now in time I'm certain I can discover their secrets but it would be so much easier and quicker if you were to do it."

"I'm not helping you conquer the world, Magneto," Superman dismisses the man. "I've got more important things to do like this stupid crossword puzzle I've been stuck on all week. I tell you it is getting on my nerves."

"I have no desire to conquer the world, Kal-El," Magneto says, amused sounding by the allegation. "I only desire to protect mutantkind and you can help me in that task better than anyone else because you are uniquely placed to do the one thing I can't."

Superman arches an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"Unite us. You are not of this world and can be above our petty disputes. More than that, from our previous encounters, I have seen the spark of greatness inside you. You can be a great leader if you choose to be."

Superman laughs a little which puzzles Magneto. "Magneto," Superman says. "There is one tiny little flaw with your proposal."

"Which is?"

"The little part where you wage war against humanity."

"War is inevitable. Humanity is too bigoted and closed minded. Too many people in power fear change, even the change of progress that mutants can bring of transforming this world into a paradise. They fear losing their power, losing what they have. Look at what has happened since mutants were revealed. You know, as well as I, of their little hate groups. Attacking people in the street if they are suspected of being a mutant. Intimidating even the enlightened few who have an open mind into silence. Plotting and planning how to exterminate us and what have those in power done about them? Nothing." Magneto's expression turns almost sad. "I wish it was not the case. I desire to live in peace but I am also a realist. There are simply too few good people amongst the humans to bring about peace."

Clark's heard this pitch before and he also has the perfect counter argument. "You're wrong. You say there are too few good people but I know that for every bad deed committed there are at last 3 good ones because I hear it every second of every day. For some reason you have convinced yourself of the opposite. You may have given up on humanity but I haven't. Worse still you almost dragged your own daughter down with you. Take this one consolation Magneto, before I give you that concussion you are long overdue, that Wanda, despite what you did to her, is a far better person than you shall ever be."

Magneto's expression hardens. He glances over at his Acolytes. Despite Frenzy's help they were still struggling to stave off the creatures. However, the lump of metal that comprised the transport spheres had dropped nearby after Frenzy had impacted him and he had lost his concentration. He reaches out with his powers to connect with it and readies himself for the combat against his powerful foe.

Superman's foot digs into the surface as he prepares to push off. The ground cracks under his power and in a blur he is off.

Magneto raises the metal which moves like a wave across the ground towards the red/blue blur.

Moments until they collide...

They never do.

Both combatants are struck by purplish energy bolts. Mystical bolts.

Superman goes skidding across the ground, his costume slightly scorched as Magneto is knocked down hard.

"I grow weary of you both," a cold voice expresses her displeasure.

"Isn't there a castle somewhere you can be haunting?" Superman asks with a slight pained groan as he pushes himself back to his feet.

"I may not have expressed it quite that way but the sentiment I agree with," Magneto says as he too rises to his feet.

"I shall not be denied my destiny!" Isobel proclaims loudly.

Superman rolls her eyes. "She sounds like a spoilt child demanding stuff from her parents, doesn't she?"

"Indeed," Magneto agrees.

"Then again considering who her mother is I can just about excuse it."

Isobel fumes. "You leave my mother out of this! I'm greater than her!" she proclaims.

"Wow. I'm sensing mommy issues but that isn't your main problem right now Isobel," Superman says to her.

"Is that so?" she sneers.

"Yes. Your main issue is that the bulk of your power came from your spell book, which we destroyed, so the question becomes how are you pulling this off?"

Magneto remembers Blindfold's words about the ghost's desperation. He looks closely at her and can see the strain on her face, the sweat peppering her brow. "You've gambled everything in this act," he assesses. "If you fail you shall leave yourself drained and helpless. Foolish," he critiques.

Isobel glares hard, fighting off the fatigue. "I shall not fail and you, old man, shall not live long enough to see my triumph!"

"I'm not the one who can barely stand," Magneto retorts. Oh she's hiding it well but Magneto can see it in the way she is holding her body. "And I do believe I owe you for bewitching the minds of my followers and engineering the possession of my daughter," Magneto tells her of the payback he has not forgotten she is owed.

"Just try it," Isobel dares Magneto.

Magneto summons the metal blob to him and then spots Isobel's eyes widening in wonder. His head snaps round and there, embedded in the metal is a black object.

It's the stone.

Superman's hands reach into his pockets. Oh crap! It must have fallen out when Magneto grabbed him that first time. His hand reaches out to summon it.

Isobel slams a spell bolt into the metal lump sending it flying everywhere and tries to grab the stone with a spell. The energy seems to react with it and the symbol on the stone lights up. "It is mine!" she proclaims as she fights the pull of the stone to return to Clark.

With Superman and the witch locked in this battle Magneto can see a chance for himself. He propels himself forward through the air and reaches out to grab the stone.

"NO!" Superman cries breaking the battle with Isobel and propels himself at the stone, reaching out to grab it.

Magneto and Superman grab it at the exact same moment and a blinding flash occurs.

Isobel is forced to cover her eyes. It takes several moments for the spots to clear. When they do she finds Superman standing directly in front of her. Next moment a powerful crushing hand is around her throat.

"Listen to me carefully," Superman says, his voice dark and cold and sounding almost like another person. "If you value your life you will teleport myself and my Acolytes out of here."

"Your Acolytes?" Isobel queries, puzzled and then that is when she looks into his eyes and sees what or more accurately who is in there. "Magneto!" she gasps in shock.

Magneto doesn't know how it happened. One moment he was reaching for the stone. Next he was looking at his own prone body lying in the dirt. How it happened doesn't matter. Now what matters is leaving because he has what he wants. He holds the stone up in front of Isobel's face. "You want this? Then we can cut a deal," he offers. "Or I can simply squeeze," he says maliciously and tightens his grip around her throat.

"Deal," Isobel chokes out. "We can make a deal," she says in desperation to preserve her own life.

Magneto loosens his grip but still holds his hand around her throat. "Then do it...and no tricks. Betray me and I will snap your neck," he promises.

"No tricks," Isobel promises...mostly because she is too tired to do anything else. "I don't know how far I can get us. You know why."

"Foolish," Magneto mutters, repeating his criticism from earlier. "Just get us as far as you can," he commands.

Isobel closes her eyes, reaches for what power she has left and chants her spell. Her and Magneto in Superman's body vanish in a purple mist and then one by one so do the Acolytes. Once they are all gone the spell that summoned the creatures collapses. They disintegrate into nothing and the darkness over the sky lifts.

"What...just...happened?" a breathless Rogue asks. All the X-Men are breathless after fighting for their lives.

No-one has a good answer to her question. They all take several minutes to regain their breath.

"Hey!" Kitty suddenly says. "Where's Amara?" she asks since the Princess has vanished.

Amara's head pops out of the x-jet. "I'm here!" she announces her location. "Do we have blankets or something in here?" she asks.

"Why?" Beast asks.

"Because I...um...wasn't wearing my uniform when I transformed," Amara admits. She had never brought it. She had been wearing her dress.

"So?" Evan asks, not understanding what that means.

Rogue rolls her eyes and hits him across the back of the head. "Her clothes would have burned off, dumbass!" In other words Amara is naked. The uniforms are made of a special material that can adjust and survive whatever power someone has. Normal clothes on Amara just disintegrate as soon as she transforms.

Evan rubs the back of his head. "How was I suppose to know what she meant?" he protests.

Rogue rolls her eyes again. How could he not know? It's pretty flamin obvious.

Charles has to smile a little. "Storm. If you would," he asks the weather witch to deal with this.

Storm heads to the x-jet to assist Amara.

"Thanks!" Amara says. It is, by the way, not because she is embarrassed or anything. Nova Roman's have a different view on modesty. It is more she knows that other people find it uncomfortable.

The sound of footsteps approaching gets everyone's attention. They turn to the direction it is coming from and find walking towards them comes Magneto sans helmet. They are all completely surprised by this.

"Stop right there, Magneto!" Cyclops orders as his fingers twitch on his visor control.

'Magneto' stops and raises his hands. "Scott, please. It's me," he pleads.

Wolverine growls and charges at Magneto.

Charles knows instantly something is wrong. Magneto without his helmet just walking towards them. There is no way his old friend would just do that. He reaches out with his mind and connects with 'Magneto'. His eyes widen in shock...and horror as the mind he connects with shows him what has happened. "Clark," he gasps.

"Clark?!" the X-Men exclaim.

"Logan! Stop!" the Professor yells.

Logan skids to a halt mere feet from his goal and shoots the Professor a glare.

"It's Clark, Logan."

Logan wants to dismiss it but the certainty in the Professor tone means he can't. He looks into 'Magneto's' eyes and can see the difference instantly. "Space boy?"

A tiny reluctant smile forms on Clark's face. At least he survived. After waking up and finding himself in Magneto's body seeking out his friends was all he could think of to do despite knowing how they might react to seeing Magneto. Also now he knows what Transference meant in relation to the stone. Next Clark comes up with what may be the greatest understatement ever made. "I think we've got a bit of a problem."

* * *

_Author's Note: Amara's powers extend far beyond generating a few fireballs into being able to generate earthquakes(Avalanche eat your heart out!) and control over magma(hence the true reason behind her name) and I thought this place was a good as time as any to start expanding them into their full might. In fact if you read up on her power set she's up there with the most powerful mutants on the planet. Oh dear, Magneto has Clark's body. That is a new level of badness. Wonder how I'm fixing this? Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; There's no time to waste as the X-Men must come up with a plan to find Magneto and get Clark his body back._


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

When Jonathan and Martha Kent found that little boy next to his space ship they pretty much knew right away that raising that boy would probably involve a few unforeseen and unpredictable events and sure enough it has.

However, right now, the current episode they are experiencing may have just taken the cake. The X-Men returned to inform Martha and Jonathan that their son was now inhabiting Magneto's body and Magneto was now parading around in their son's body.

Now a logical person would dismiss this as impossible and nonsense. Except you can't do that when the person telling you this happens to be, arguably, the most powerful telepath on the planet.

As they stand in Charles' office they turn their gaze to the silver haired man sitting in the corner.

"Clark?" Martha queries with trepidation, not sure what to say.

"Hi mom," Clark replies with a strained smile and a look of deep worry in his eyes.

It is strange to hear that come from Magneto's lips.

"Are you alright, son?" Jonathan asks.

"Depends by what you mean by alright. If you mean am I all here then yes I'm alright but if you mean am I alright by being stuck in Magneto's body while he is gallivanting around in mine then no, I am definitely not alright."

"How did this happen?" Martha asks.

Clark sighs. "It was the Crystal of Water. The power of transference."

"That's what it meant?" Jonathan asks to confirm.

Clark nods. "Apparently so."

"It transferred you and Magneto into each other's body."

"Yep."

"How?"

"I don't know how it did it. It was during the battle we told you about. Magneto and myself got separated from the main fight when Isobel showed up. Her magic somehow activated the stone, Magneto and I grabbed it at the same time and poof! I'm in here and he's in my body."

"Can the stone reverse it?" Martha wonders and hopes that is the case.

"Probably...except Magneto still has it," Clark gives the bad news. "And Isobel joined him, apparently, since she teleported them away."

"So what do we do?" Jonathan asks.

"Get it back as quickly as possible," Clark responds. "We only have a small window."

"What do you mean, Clark?" the Professor asks.

"Until Magneto figures out how my powers work. Until he does he's vulnerable."

"Except how do we find him?" Martha asks.

"Oh, that part's easy," Clark says with a strange lightness.

"In what way?" Jonathan asks.

"I can still hear it."

"Hear what?"

"The stone," Clark explains. "Remember I said they emitted a tone, like a burglar alarm. For whatever reason I can still hear it." He raises a hand and points roughly west. "It's in that direction for the moment."

"Why didn't you mention this earlier, Clark?" Charles asks, miffed by this.

"Two reasons. One; because you would have insisted in going after him even when everyone was exhausted and two; this is me we're talking about Professor. I'm virtually invulnerable. You can't just go charging in. After all that is why we sat down and made that plan."

"What plan?" Jonathan demands to know what Clark is talking about.

"After the summer, after I came back from being Jor-El's little puppet, the Professor, Scott and I sat down and discussed what to do if it ever happened again. It's happened far too frequently that I've been manipulated in some way so we sat down and came up with a plan on how to stop me."

Jonathan and Martha look at the Professor with hurt and betrayed expressions.

"Don't blame the Professor," Clark says. He can see his parents are wanting to. "I insisted on keeping it a secret."

"Why Clark?" Martha asks, unable to understand her son's thinking.

"Because you've done so much for me, suffered so much because of me. I wasn't going to put you through the pain and dilemma of thinking up ways to disable me," Clark explains how he was trying to spare them.

Jonathan moves over to his son and places a hand on his shoulder. It's weird since it's Magneto's shoulder but the aims the same. "Clark, we're a family. We go through these things together just like every other time," he points out.

"Dad...your health has already been damaged because of me, because of my foolish choices. I was not going to put you or mom at any more risk," Clark argues, the guilt of that still seeping through his voice.

"Clark, honey," his mother says in her most caring tone. "You could still have talked to us."

"And you would never have agreed but it still needed to be done," Clark states firmly,

Jonathan and Martha share a look. They thought it was only recently Clark had been acting out of character but from the sound of it he was making un-Clark-like decisions months ago. These days it feels like they are losing touch and understanding with their own son. That's not a nice feeling. Once this, yet another, crisis is over a serious discussion about the state of their family is going to have to be had.

The door flies open at this point and Claire comes in looking quite agitated. "Is it true?" she asks.

"What is?" Charles asks. "And we knock before entering," he tells Claire off.

"Sorry but is it?"

"Claire, honey," Martha says to her daughter. "What do you mean?"

Claire looks at 'Magneto'. "That...that is Clark," she explains what she has heard through the mansion gossip grapevine.

"Fraid so," Clark confirms for her.

"Fuck me!" Claire swears.

"Claire," Martha chastises strongly her daughter's poor language.

Clark chuckles. "Isn't that sort of thing you should be saying to your girlfriend and not your brother," he jokes.

A sour expression comes to Claire's face. "Oh yeah. It's you. No-one else's humour is that shitty."

Martha sighs loudly and drops her head into her hand at her seeming impossible task of curbing her daughter's language.

"It's so nice to have family," Clark mutters.

Claire grins broadly, totally ignoring her brother's mutterings. "It is, isn't it."

"Don't you have Bobby to kill or something?"

"Oh I'll get him later," Claire says with that disturbing gleam in her eye. "So what's it like? You know, being in that body?"

"I've had better days," Clark massively understates how awkward it is. "It's weird mostly."

"Weird how?"

"Apart from the obvious, I normally have super-senses. It's strange for it to be so quiet to start with and then there are Magneto's powers. I can sense all the electromagnetic fields around me," he gestures with his hands at his surroundings and a metal trophy shoots off a shelf on the wall into his hand. "Sorry," Clark apologises as he places the trophy down.

"It's alright, Clark," Charles assures him. "Remember what we discussed on the flight back. Remain calm. Centre the power at the core of you."

Clark nods, shuts his eyes and tries to do what the Professor taught him. It was how he knows that it is electromagnetic fields he senses because the Professor explained it. It was really strange to feel these things. On the flight home the Professor had had to give Clark a crash course in the very basics of controlling Magneto's powers or who knows what damage he could cause.

"Can we return to what precisely it is you planned in how to deal with Clark?" Jonathan asks, still deeply unhappy about this.

"That's better saved for when we can show everyone," Clark determines.

"It can wait until the morning," Charles determines. "It's late and as you said Clark, we're all exhausted," he has to agree with the alien teen in the end. They are in no shape to go chasing after Magneto. "We'll have that meeting 1st thing," he decides. "However, first Clark have Beast examine you in the infirmary before turning in."

"Right Professor," Clark concedes to the Professor's authority.

"I'll make sure he goes!" Claire volunteers herself.

"Oy!"

"Oh shut up, bro!" Claire tells him as she grabs his arm and drags him out. After all he's her brother and she has to look after him. Their parents leave with them.

A few moments later Logan walks in. "How's the kid doing?" he asks, having passed Clark.

"Remarkably well, considering," is Charles' response.

"So what are we doing about Mags? He can't be left in control of the kid's body," Logan determines. The idea of Magneto with that much power...doesn't bear thinking about.

"Apparently Clark can hear the tone the stone emits still, so we'll grab a little rest and 1st thing tomorrow plan our response. We can't go charging in this time."

Logan supposed that was right but he didn't like it. "By the way, we figured out what the hell happened with the Princess?" Logan asks because that was way beyond anything he has ever seen her pull off before. In fact he was pretty certain it made no sense that she could do that since he thought her powers were fire related.

Charles lets out a long breath. "No. We haven't. Her powers obviously went through some sort of evolution during the battle."

"Chuck, she ripped the earth apart like paper," Logan lays down the bare facts of it.

"Amara may not be as straight forward as we once believed. She is the granddaughter of an immortal sorceress. It adds complications...or we simply misclassified her power set," Charles proposes as one answer that he may have misjudged Amara's powers. "Truth is Logan I don't have the answers yet. Once we get Clark's body back I assure you, though, I shall make Amara a priority."

* * *

Early the next morning everyone gathers in the Danger Room...and that is everyone X-Man, New Mutant and adult alike.

Inevitably everyone can only stare at Clark in Magneto's body, especially since he is out of the armour and in his more traditional wear of jeans and plaid shirt.

Domino pats him on the arm. "Don't you fret none. We're going to...Ah...ah...ACHOO!" she sneezes all over him. She still has the cold.

Clark wipes the gunk off his face. "Thanks Dom," he says grimly.

"Sorry," Dom sniffles as she digs this huge bundle of snot covered tissues out of her pockets which causes several people to make a face of disgust.

"No. It's fine. As long as we get Magneto back in here soon he can suffer for the next few days with it," Clark says with dry humour about the fact Domino has probably just given this body the cold.

"Good point," Dom concedes as she blows her nose. "We'll just call it all part of my cunning plan to get payback on him."

"Right. Whatever ya say, Dom," Rogue says with a roll of her eyes. Honestly Domino has been insufferable with her whining. It's only a dang cold.

The Professor brings the meeting to order. "You all know what has transpired but I will summarise it again. The situation is that Magneto and Superman have swapped bodies." He looks at Tarot. "Marie," he address the dark-haired French girl. "What we will discuss will make the least sense to you but I hope you understand that secrets were required to be kept until you had earned our complete trust."

Marie looks and is puzzled. She looks to her girlfriend who has an unusual guilty expression on her face. "You know what he's talking about don't you?"

This pained Claire, keeping it secret. Trust her it did. "I never wanted to...but it involves my family. I've never had a family before. If I can't protect them then what's the point."

Rogue scoffs lightly. "Definitely related," she mutters under her breath because that sounds almost identical to Clark's line lately about his justifications for his actions.

"Family?" Marie queries, baffled how Superman is anything to do with Claire's family.

Claire looks to Clark.

Clark nods. "Go ahead. Tell her," he permits, gesturing for his sister to do so.

Claire turns her focus back to her girlfriend. "Clark is Superman," she simply says it.

Tarot blinks, befuddled by that. "I...what?"

"Clark is Superman," the Professor confirms what Claire is saying. "And we are about to discuss how to disable him. Information the organisation you use to work for would do anything to obtain. That's why it was kept secret from you, Marie. In fairness we haven't discussed in front of you how to disable any of us but Clark, in particular, for reasons you'll learn shortly, must have his secrets protected. Trust is earned Marie and when you had earned ours you would been allowed into the fold."

Marie isn't sure whether to be upset or be understanding. She guesses if the positions were reversed she wouldn't just instantly trust her either. It goes to show there are still things about her girlfriend to learn. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Scott," the Professor says, inviting the leader of the X-Men to take charge of this meeting.

Cyclops moves to the front and addresses Marie's question. "Because we don't have the luxury of not telling you, Tarot. Magneto has been recruiting mutants for months. We don't know how many he has on his side now but suspect it runs into at least several dozen. If we are going to retrieve Clark's body and the stone we will require everyone to try and equalise the numbers as much as possible. Are you willing to aid us?" he asks because he can't afford people on this mission who aren't up for it.

"Look, I chose to come here more for Claire than your ideals. I admit it," Marie says. "But this is her brother and is important to her so it is important to me."

Claire's face softens in a way no-one has ever seen it before. Her orange eyes even mist up a little at Marie's words. For so long she had to keep her heart hard but she can feel her defences cracking the more time she spends around her family and her girlfriend.

_'Good enough,' _Scott thinks to himself. "Ok," he accepts Marie's response. "Lets get you up to speed. Clark, summarise, please," he requests.

Clark steps forward. "Okily dokily," he says in a pitch-perfect Ned Flanders impression.

"Ok that was just freaky," Bobby remarks at hearing that come out of Magneto's mouth.

"Uh huh," Ray agrees.

"Summarise it," Clark murmurs to himself. "Ok. I'm not a mutant, Marie. I'm an alien. I come from a planet called Krypton. For the last few months we've been hunting for 3 stones my people left here, on Earth. One was in China, which was what you were truly after in that temple. When the stones are combined they form what is essentially a giant refuge of all Kryptonian knowledge, of a race millions of years older and far, far advanced beyond mankind. That's enough power to enslave this world which is why everyone and their uncle is after them...although we suspect only Magneto knows what they and I truly are. Everyone else thinks they're magical and that I'm just an unusual mutant with some strange link to them. We have 2 of the stones and were just retrieving the 3rd from Amara's home of Nova Roma when we were ambushed by Magneto and Isobel. During the fight the stone was activated and it swapped me and Magneto around into each other's body and now we are about to plan an assault to take down my virtually invulnerable ass, get the stone back and swap me and Magneto back." He looks to Scott. "How was that?"

"I think that was the gist of it," Scott thinks it was good enough. "Marie?" he queries about how she is coping.

Various expressions pass over Marie's face as she tries to take that in. "Uh...extra-terrestre? Vraiment?" she asks, her mind having a few difficulties processing this. Translates to Alien? Really?

"Oui," Rogue confirms. "C'est un peu un choc, je sais," she sympathises. Translates to Yes. It's a bit of a shock I know.

"Vous avez un don pour euphémisme," Marie says, her mind still reeling so much she can only speak in her native French. Translates to You have a gift for understatement.

Rogue shrugs. She only spoke because of how fluid she is in French.

Claire rubs her girlfriend's back. "Are you ok?"

Marie looks at her girlfriend with confusion deep in her eyes. This is...she never expected this. "Can I get back to you on that?" she requests.

"Sure." After all who is Claire to judge. When Clark told her she might have gotten a little pissed at him, partially blaming him for the death of who she thought were her parents in the meteor shower. She took her anger out on the Danger Room. She told him at the time that she didn't hate him but that she needed time to deal with it and since she loves having him as her new brother she can say she has dealt with it.

Scott decides to move the meeting on. "Thank you, Clark," he says as a sign for Clark to step back. Clark does so and Scott gets to the point of this meeting. "Now. As you all know Clark was abducted by his father over the summer and reprogrammed. After he came back, he, the Professor and I sat down, at Clark's suggestion, to plan what to do if Clark should ever become controlled by anyone like that again. The question was a brutally simple one. How do we disable Clark should the need arise?"

"Ya what?!" Rogue exclaims. "Ya...ya thought out ways to hurt him?!"

"Rogue," Clark says gently. "It was my idea."

"Are ya nuts?!" Rogue asks him, because he must have been.

"No. My thoughts at the time had never been clearer," Clark says very calmly. "When I was Kal-El, Jor-El amplified my powers to my physical peak. I got a glimpse of just how powerful I could become one day. You think I'm powerful now, Rogue? It's nothing compared to what power I will wield in the future," his tone trying to emphasise the scale in difference to what he will be like one day. "That day I came to understand just how dangerous I am and the necessity in needing to concoct ways to stop me."

"How did you do this without anyone knowing?" Jonathan wants to know. He had been pondering that question along with many others all night.

"This is where my part in this deception comes in I'm afraid," Beast admits, feeling guilt for it. "When Clark came to see me for what you thought were his routine tests, they were in fact an exploration of how we could disable him."

"Ok I'm not saying I approve," Logan says. "But what did ya come up with?"

"Well first off your claws are capable of cutting Clark," Beast reminds everyone.

"But we weren't going to rely on one method," Clark explains. "We thought it best to come up with as many different options as possible."

Beast moves over to a table that has been generated in the Danger Room, upon which sit two large and sophisticated looking...well weapons to be blunt along with a smaller 3rd one. He picks one of the larger weapons up, which even for his size is awkward due to the bulkiness of it. "We call this one a kryptonite canon." Beast powers it up, aims it away from the group at the wall and discharges the weapon. An intense green energy beam shoots out the end. "I believe it is self-explanatory," he says after the demonstration.

"It fires an intense beam of kryptonite radiation, making my weakness to the rock a long range effect," Clark adds an explanation.

Beast lays the device back on the table and opens up the main chamber of it. Inside is a piece of kryptonite. "It does have a limited number of shots before the piece is drained," he gives the limitations of the weapon. "To extend it's effectiveness as much as possible this is in fact a piece of kryptonite we refined to be as pure as possible."

"It's a weapon to kill you," Kurt says, horrified by that idea they have created a weapon to kill his friend.

"Only through prolonged exposure. A few concentrated blasts will only weaken me," Clark states, his tone rather detached from it all. "Besides Kurt if we wanted to make something to kill me it isn't all that hard. A few bullets, forged out of kryptonite, shot into my vital organs could do it."

"We went to great pains to design weapons to disable Clark only," the Professor insists about the very difficult decision that they made.

"ACHOO!" Domino sneezes again. "Excuse me," she says. "That's neat and all but don't you recharge instantly in the sun," she recalls.

"That brings us to what is behind curtain number 2," Clark jokes dryly. "Mr McCoy. If you will," he asks Beast to demonstrate the second weapon. Beast picks it as Clark narrates. "As some of you will recall, shortly after I came here my powers went kooky."

"Oh yeah," Kitty says as she remembers that. "That weird comet that hit the sun and changed the wavelength of its light."

"And remember you asked me about what would happen if the sun was to turn into a Red Giant, would I lose my powers?"

"I remember you, like, made a lame joke."

"And yet look at who you're dating," Clark hits back.

"That's true," Sam says, agreeing with Clark.

"You've got to give him that one," Tabby agrees with her boyfriend.

Kitty makes a sour expression. "Peter's not that bad!" she insists. "I like his humour! It lightens up the situation," she defends him.

"Wow. You've got it bad don't you?" Tabby says with an amused grin.

The Professor coughs. "Can we return to topic?" he requests.

"Sure Professor," Kitty agrees.

"Clark. Please, continue," the Professor tells him.

"The answer to your question is yes, Kitty," Clark informs her. "Mr McCoy, a demonstration."

Beast fires the weapon at the wall and it emits an intense red light. "We call this a red solar projector," he gives the name they have so far.

Clark explains what it is they are witnessing. "Through extensive testing we discovered that if you saturate my body with a specific set of wavelengths of light at the red end of the spectrum it can cancel out the effect of the yellow sun. Now when I say saturate I do mean saturate and remember my body is like a solar battery. Even once exposed it takes a short period to run me down. The best effect is to hit me with both weapons simultaneously. Once weakened I should be susceptible to the tranquilliser we've been working on."

Beast returns to the table and picks up a small dart inside which is a pale green liquid. "To make it effective on Clark we had to lace it with minute traces of kryptonite." Hence the green colour. "Not lethal but enough to put him to sleep for a few minutes."

It was a little disconcerting for the people present to see it laid out in front of them exactly how to take down their friend.

Domino steps up the table and examines the larger weapons. "No offence here Doc but these ain't exactly light and portable," she critiques and she knows more about guns of all sorts than anyone here.

"It is a brand new technology we were inventing, Domino," Beast defends his work. "And these are, in fact, only the prototypes. We only began this a little over 2 months ago. I have not had nearly enough time to consider how to miniaturise them."

"No-one is questioning your work, Hank," Charles says. "You have done a remarkable job," he praises him.

"I am not certain I approve of this," Ororo says with an unhappy frown.

"Weren't you the one that said to me that this place was about stopping dangerous mutants, even if it was one of us," Logan reminds her of something she said to him after the 1st time they encountered Clark on red kryptonite.

Ororo is caught short. She did say that. "Perhaps I did say that, Logan, but that doesn't mean I have to think it appropriate that we create weapons of this nature."

"I share your feelings, Storm," Charles expresses his true feeling on the matter.

"Except I am not a normal person in any regard," Clark defends the decision. "I possess few weaknesses. To stop me you must exploit the ones I have. It is no different to how we target the Juggernaut's helmet because he's vulnerable to telepathy," Clark makes an analogous example.

Domino has picked up the smaller weapon. "What's this?" she asks.

Beast grabs that before she activates it. "Please, be careful with that," he says in anxious tones.

"Why? Is it dangerous?"

"To your eardrums, yes. It's a sonic gun."

"Because my hearing is so sensitive," Clark explains why they created that one. "Trust me it hurts and is quite disorientating," he describes his experience of having it tested upon him. "The idea was to try and exploit all my weaknesses. Speaking of which did you phone him, Professor?" Clark asks.

"Phone who?" Jean asks.

"Dr Strange," Clark answers.

"Oh, right, to fight Isobel," Evan assumes.

"And because I'm vulnerable to magic," Clark reminds everyone of his other weakness. "That and to bring the one of the few people who has ever truly hurt me."

"Wanda," Martha makes the deduction. The first time Clark ever fought Wanda he came home sporting this massive bruise. She had worried for him then and she worries for him right now. She is not happy about this...yet she can see if they are to get Clark his body back then what they have created is what they have to do...yet he is her son and she can't bear the thought of harm coming to him. It is a conflict within that is unlikely to be resolved.

"That's would be correct," Clark confirms.

"I did phone Stephen," the Professor confirms. "He'll be here a little later this morning."

"Whoa. You actually managed to get a hold of him this time," Ray says in surprise because they could never get him before.

"Yes I did...and please refrain from the smart talk, Ray," the Professor lightly chastises Ray.

Scott takes charge again. "There are two possible scenarios we can think of that we might face. One; Magneto has the stone on him in which case he is the only target of our assault. Two; he doesn't have it on his person. In which case we have to split into two teams. Team 1 will be assigned the task of disabling Magneto while Team 2 will search for and recover the stone. It is very likely he will keep it near him so is in the same base he is."

Bobby raises his hand.

"Yes Bobby?" Scott asks with slight dread what is about to come out the compulsive joker's mouth.

"Can we rename the teams because, seriously, that's lame. I was thinking Team Strike Force Cobra for whatever team I'm on."

Scott rubs his brow and looks to Jean who just shrugs as if to say 'Well it's Bobby, what do you expect'.

Scott continues laying out the basics of the plan. "For some reason we can't explain Clark can hear a tone that the stone is emitting so he obviously must be on Team 2 in the 2nd scenario. From what Clark can deduce it is somewhere west of us which is an advantage."

"In what way?" Amara asks.

"My body is charged by the sun so therefore any assault is best waited until tonight," Clark explains therefore denying his body any chance to recharge itself.

"Which gives us a few hours to run through some simulations here in the Danger Room," Scott points out how it is advantageous. Sure they can only very roughly guess what the layout of the base might be from what was seen during the Rebirth incident but at least they can run it through a couple of times and not go in completely blind.

Logan checks his watch. "Alright you have 10 minutes to get changed and be back here and then we'll decide on team line-ups. Be snappy about it!" he barks.

The large group moves out.

Claire walks with her girlfriend, wondering if she is ok. She's been awfully quiet which is strange because Marie was talkative and peppy usually. Almost the opposite of Claire but she has come to find she misses it when Marie isn't talking to her. "Are you going to be ok?" she asks in a caring whisper.

Marie had had a while to let it sink in now. They were right before about keeping it secret. Ms Frost and the Hellfire Club would do anything to know this but as she looks into her girlfriend's face Marie realises she couldn't do that to Claire. She literally cannot choose an act she knows would hurt the fiery redhead. Marie swallows hard. She knows how crazy this might sound because they haven't been dating long but she thinks she might be in love. "I'm ok...as long as you're with me. You're with me, right?"

Claire smiles a gentle caressing smile and puts her arm around Marie's waist and locks her fingers with Marie's. "Of course I am," she assures her girlfriend.

Marie smiles back brilliantly. "Then yes, I'm alright."

Amara watches this and a pang of jealousy hits her. Ok she may not be completely over her Claire crush she might have to confess. She sighs. She'll cope. What choice does she have?

At this point Jean jogs to catch up with Amara. "Can I have a word Amara?" she requests of the Nova Roman princess.

"Uh, sure," Amara says with the normal uncertainty of wondering what Jean would want to say to her.

Jean guides Amara off to the side. "How are you doing after yesterday?" she asks with concern as to how Amara is coping with her power surge or whatever it was that happened during the fight.

"I haven't been able to repeat it," Amara responds which avoids any sort of explanation of her feelings.

"Amara, the year before you came my powers went through a surge. So much of one I couldn't control them any longer and I know how scared I was. It's okay if you are," Jean tries to assure Amara that any feelings she has in that direction are normal. In fact her own experience with her power surge is why she chose to speak to Amara thinking that she could relate better to what Amara is going through.

"Can you be afraid of what you don't understand?" Amara asks. "I thought my powers were fire based. Now I don't know what they are."

"We'll figure it out. I promise you, that together we'll discover the truth," Jean swears. "But for now just let me say that I know Scott has no worry about bringing you on this mission. We both know that you won't let anyone down," she says to try and bolster Amara's confidence.

"Thank you, Jean," Amara says, touched by the attempt to reach out to her.

"So you're alright?" Jean asks, just to make sure Amara can cope with the mission today.

"I'm...confused mostly. I just don't know how I did what I did."

"Discovering the truth of our powers can be as much of a journey as discovering about ourselves. It is something that we all go through as we travel through life to try to understand who we are."

"That's...very like something the Professor would say," Amara has to say.

Jean smiles a little, pleased that her mentor has rubbed off on her a little.

Amara is not the only one of them that gets pulled away for a talk. Rogue yanks Clark into a room and shuts the door so they can talk in private.

Rogue opens her mouth but Clark cuts her off with a raise of his hand. "I know what you're going to say...or more correctly yell to me about. It's about keeping from you that I helped design weapons, right?"

Yes it was but Rogue remembers Storm's words when they were on Nova Roma about letting Clark tell his side of the story and not to lose her temper. She counts back from 5. "Clark...ah don't want ta yell at ya. Ah'm tired of us fighting," she confesses a truth. She is tired of fighting him. "Ah want ta understand your thinking."

Clark sighs and looks softly at her. Even with him in Magneto's body it has an effect. "That's...a conversation I really wish we had time for," he says genuinely. "But we don't," he has to be blunt about it. He takes her hands into what are currently(and hopefully only temporarily) his own hands. "But we will talk. I did say I was willing to answer any question you had," he reminds her.

Rogue looks a little guilty because he did say that but she keeps losing her temper before he fully explains. "Ah'm sorry. Ah know ah keep kinda losing it."

Clark smiles gently. "I told you that your temper isn't so bad. In fact you're kind of cute when you're steamed."

Rogue smiles a little. "How are ya doing, really?"

"It's all just strange. There's so many things you do without thinking because you know what size you are. I keep having to readjust because I keep misjudging how long my arms are or how wide my stride is. It's all also so quiet. I never thought I would miss all the noise...well there is only one noise I miss."

"What noise?"

Clark places his hand over Rogue's chest and his fingers tap out a rhythm. "This one."

Rogue looks down at his hand, really confused until she releases he is tapping out her heartbeat. "Ya listen ta mah heart?"

"You're the girl I love. Of course I do. It helps me sleep. It's soothing."

For anyone else Rogue would roll her eyes, scoff and make a cutting remark but for Clark she knows he means it.

"When I first developed my super hearing and I thought I would go mad with the noise it was your voice that saved me. Somehow I just focussed in on it."

"We weren't dating yet," Rogue points out about that time.

"No...but I was crushing on you rotten."

"Want a confession. So was ah."

"You were crushing on yourself? Wow, that's a little narcissistic and vain isn't it?" he teases as he twists her words.

Rogue does roll her eyes but can't help but smile a little.

"I do love you, Rogue. Whatever we're going through or whatever happens to me never doubt that."

"Ah love ya too, sugah."

Clark lips curve into an amused grin. "I bet you never thought you would have this conversation with Magneto, huh?" he jokes.

"No...and if Gawd is listening ah nevah will. That's creepy in ways ah don't even want ta begin ta imagine."

* * *

_Author's Note: It seemed obvious to me that after all the times Clark has been out of control that ways to disable him would have to be created and here they are. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; We catch up with Magneto to see how he and Lorna are coping with the body switch and Dr Strange and Wanda arrive at the Institute._


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

**At Magneto's base...**

Many unexpected things had happened these last 12 or so hours to Magneto. One he was dealing with as priority was the witch Thoreaux. They now had an alliance but he doubted she could be trusted, taking her spoken words and obvious desperation to gain the stones as proof of that belief. That's why he had brought her to Blindfold for Ruth to divine whether...or more likely when he would be betrayed by her.

"The ghost," Ruth remarks as her non-existent eyes turn to her guests from where she sits on the floor.

"The Seer," Isobel returns with little short of loathing in her tone. "Did you foresee this?" she asks, gesturing with her head at Magneto in Superman's body.

"Transference...Transition. Yes, please. I did. Thank you."

"So you did," Magneto recalls her words. Those words. Ruth's veracity is as impressive as always.

"You want to know when she'll betray you, yes, no, you're welcome," Ruth already knows why he is here. Of course she knows.

"Which is it, Ruth?" Magneto needs to know.

"She will remain true to her nature...as does the darkness that is coming for her," Ruth forebodes Isobel's future.

Isobel shakes her head. "Seers," she snorts. "You think it's so clever to be cryptic. It's damn annoying!" she blusters.

Ruth smiles to herself. "I speak only what I see, please."

"What do you see for myself?" Magneto asks her a slightly different question to see if he can get his answer that way.

Ruth cocks her head. "Mutants gather in the savage place. A kingdom in the jungle will rise."

A smile comes to Magneto. It seems his plans for the Savage Land will work out. However his original question still hasn't been answered.

"Yes," Ruth says.

"Yes, what?"

"Her betrayal is inevitable."

"I honour my deals!" Isobel insists.

"Yes."

Magneto looks at Ruth more puzzled. "Which is it?"

"Both, neither, yes, no, thank you and goodbye. Oh where's my blue jell-o?"

"Seers," Isobel mutters disparagingly.

"Witches," Ruth mutters back with her tongue firmly in cheek.

Isobel actually growls in annoyance.

Magneto finds the little exchange amusing but leaves the same uncertainty. He can't be certain of Isobel's loyalty or lack of. It seems Ruth can't give him an answer. Either she can't see it or can't interpret what she sees into words that make sense. "What is it you desire, Countess?" he asks her directly.

"For the moment, the means to be free of my mother."

"The wiles of the Black Queen have far yet to stain with her darkness," Ruth echoes darkly.

"Oh please. I can see the future too you know and I know that it is possible to reshape it," Isobel dismisses Blindfold's ramblings as she sees them.

"Pieces move. The puzzle changes."

"Yes. Exactly!" Isobel agrees with Blindfold's description.

"You believe the stones can do this," Magneto assumes.

"They were made by Gods!"

"Yes. I am aware of the myths surrounding them," Magneto states calmly, revealing nothing of the truth he suspects.

Isobel turns and looks Magneto directly in the currently cerulean blues eyes he has. "Look, Magneto. Lets face the truth. Neither of us can 100% trust the other. However, use the stones' power to aid me in destroying my mother and...and my powers will be yours to command in aiding you in your goals," she offers a deal.

Magneto ponders this for several moments. A magical being on his side would be useful. "I will consider it," he says to not instantly accept her proposal but to leave her waiting on him.

"We need the other 2 stones," Isobel points out.

"Which means an assault on the Institute," Magneto points out what that would entail. "That needs planning and I need time to adjust to this body."

"Any time you waste simply gives them time to plan a counter strike," Isobel argues.

"Except this facility is shielded. Charles can't detect me," Magneto states with utmost assuredness. "And even if he could do you believe this facility to be undefended? And for arguments sake, let us say they breached the outer defences I have them outnumbered with my own followers. Any attack upon me would be futile."

Isobel frowns and then looks to Blindfold. "What say you Seer? Is any attack futile?"

"True nature wins through," Ruth repeats a line she spoke before.

"I believe that is all we shall get from her today," Magneto senses from his previous experiences with her.

"Heed my advice. Seers are fickle and not to be trusted," Isobel warns.

"I only speak what I see, thank you," Ruth repeats again with one final line before she grabs a piece of paper and some crayons and starts drawing.

"Ruth has no reason to lie to me," Magneto states, quite confident in the belief that Ruth does speak the truth of what she sees to him. There are good reasons he believes that that don't require to be mentioned.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Isobel wishes him to remember because she knows Seers and how fickle they can be. "Now, with your permission, may I return to the quarters you provided. I need to meditate and rest," she requests out of a need to show politeness and respect.

"The stone is guarded at all times," Magneto warns her in case she tries something.

"I honour my deals," Isobel repeats, insulted she is not believed. Of course anyone who knows her history would seriously question that claim.

"So you say," Magneto says with ambiguous tones not believing her either way. "And, yes, you may retire to your quarters," he permits.

Isobel leaves, her unhappiness at the situation she has found herself in clear.

Magneto looks down at Ruth who is doodling on paper. He'll have those collected later. She often draws the future. He turns and leaves the room, passing the guards outside the door that ensure Ruth stays put. He decides to head to visit Lorna's mother, Suzanna, who was still in her coma. Nothing he had tried yet had been able to wake her from it but he would continue his efforts. He wasn't going to give up.

When he arrives in the room where Suzanna is cared for he finds Lorna sitting at the bedside. "How is she?" he asks his daughter.

Lorna looks up with her luminous green eyes, her expression showing how she is struggling to cope with the fact her father is now in Superman's body. Yeah. Biggest shock ever. "S-she's the same," she has to sadly report about her mother. It tore Lorna up a little every day that her mother was like this.

"Have hope Lorna," he tries to keep her spirits up.

Lorna nods.

"How are you doing?"

"Oh, err, fine."

Magneto's brow quirks at her momentarily hesitation. "Something troubles you."

"No!" she says a little too high pitched.

"Lorna. If you have any problems at all I am here for you."

"That's the problem," she mumbles.

"Excuse me?"

Lorna sighs. "I said that's the problem," she repeats. "I mean just...just look at you."

It takes Magneto a moment to grasp understanding. "I have not taken into account how this incident has affected you. I apologise," he says because he can see how this would be slightly traumatic to her to see her father in someone else's body.

"How are you so calm?" Lorna can't understand. "I'm freaking out and I'm not the one who was body-swapped!"

"I'm an old man, Lorna. I have experienced much that would be difficult to explain," Magneto gives his reasoning about how he is handling this transition with as much calm as he is.

Lorna does sometimes forget exactly how old her father is. "When do we tell Pietro about what has happened?" she wonders. Her brother and the entire Brotherhood were currently away performing her father's wishes and aiding that Sinister guy down in the Savage Land to secure a living space for mutantkind. Lorna could have helped but for the moment she doesn't wish to be away from her mother for long.

Magneto takes a moment to compose a response. He hadn't thought yet of what to say to his son. He sees no urgent need to call them back. This, in fact, wasn't his first thought on where to send the Brotherhood but Sinister had requested assistance. Apparently the leader of the local human tribes...Ka-Zar Magneto recalls his name to be. Apparently he was causing trouble so Magneto thought that this relatively simple task fell within the Brotherhood's abilities so that was where he sent them. Perhaps if Pietro can prove he can do this simple task Magneto might consider giving his son responsibility for more important matters. "When Pietro and the others have completed their task and call in I shall inform them. There is no need to distract them with this at the moment," he decides and informs Lorna.

Lorna nods. Her father knows best.

"I know this must be awkward Lorna and I shall endeavour to take account of this from now on," he promises her, seeing from her expression how awkward she looks at being around him. Yes, he must allow her time to adjust. He needs time to adjust. He has yet to learn how to control all of Superman's powers but he shall and as soon as he does the time for mutants to rise up and take their rightful place will be here.

"Thanks," Lorna says but the problem is a little more complex than he thinks. It isn't just that her father is in Superman's body. It is the fact he is a super hot body that she may have a teeny tiny crush on. Oy vey, she is going to need so much therapy!

* * *

**At the Institute...**

Outside the front door a shimmering portal appears and out of it step Dr Stephen Strange and Wanda Maximoff. They didn't know precisely why they had been called but knew it must be urgent.

Waiting to receive them is Storm with a bemused expression upon her face. "Don't you ever travel anywhere normally, Doctor?"

Dr Strange smiles genially. "Well it does have it's advantages. Fast, no traffic and you would be surprised how much money I have saved without car payments, insurance or gas to fund."

Ororo turns to Wanda, dressed up in her typical Scarlet Witch uniform. "Hello Wanda. It's nice to see you as always," she greets the Goth mutant sorceress in training.

"Hi," Wanda says back a little more curtly. "So what world ending disaster are we facing this time?" she asks.

Ororo takes a moment to look at Wanda with a slightly peculiar expression as she wonders whether that was a joke. Since she has rarely ever seen Wanda's humour she has little information to make a judgement upon. "I'll let Professor Xavier explain," she says in reply.

Ororo leads the pair to the Professor's study. She will let him explain what is going on. Once beckoned inside he gestures for the pair of guests to sit.

"Thank you for coming at short notice," Charles says first off, appreciative that Stephen came.

"That's no issue," Stephen says. "What seems to be the trouble?"

"It involves Isobel. We may know where she is."

"I see," Stephen says. It had been an irritant, his failure to find the Countess and free the poor girl she was possessing. A chance to finally confront her head to head would be welcome.

Charles looks to Wanda. "And it involves your father."

Wanda's face darkens faster than Storm can summon a thunder storm. "What's he done now?" she asks, her voice tight as she tries to keep her temper in check.

Charles hesitates a moment to pray the mansion will still be standing after this before telling his two guests everything.

* * *

Clark needed to be on this mission due to his ability to hear and therefore be able to locate the stone. That meant he must gain some control over Magneto's powers if he was to be useful. The problem was he was trying to cram years of practice into a few hours. The Professor had been able to help significantly by using his telepathy to transfer his years of experience with Magneto, when they were friends, into what is currently Clark's mind.

No alien brain. No immunity to telepathy.

That had helped allow Clark develop a basic control and understanding of the magnetic powers he now had at his command in a very compressed period of time. Now he just needed some practice with them which is what he is doing currently.

While the X-Men were running through a simulation in the Danger Room, the New Mutants were currently helping Clark practice out the back of the mansion. He had decided against putting Magneto's red armour back on and opted for one of the New Mutant uniforms instead to wear. They come in all sizes.

The practice they were currently working through was really fairly simple just to allow Clark to get some feel for the powers he now possessed. It had started with a single metal ball that they tried to hit and he tried to keep away from them. He was now up to controlling 3 balls simultaneously.

"Paige! Incoming!" her brother, Sam Guthrie aka Cannonball, warns her as Clark has one ball swoop down at her.

Paige Guthrie aka Husk was transformed into a black stone like material. Her uniform had deliberately had to have pieces cut out to allow her access to her skin. The arms were missing and her midriff was exposed and instead of pant bottoms she wore a skirt that came down to just above her knees. She swings at the ball with her fist aiming to punch it but the ball swerves around her hand and tags her on the shoulder. Husk huffs in annoyance at her failure. She'll have to get better if she is to fulfil her dream of leading the X-Men one day.

Ray Crisp aka Berzerker takes shots at the balls with his electrical discharges but misses as Clark had found he could create magnetic fields that deflect the electricity off target.

Claire Selton...yes she was still going by Selton. Way too soon to consider a name change to Kent. Anyway the aptly named Volcana was hovering in the air throwing fireballs and missing. It was damn annoying how quickly her brother had gotten this good. Suddenly she is frozen solid and falls from the sky.

Luckily for Claire a quick thinking James Madrox aka Multiple has a small army of dupes cushion her fall and catch her.

"Drake!" Claire screeches in fury as she shivers at the cold.

"Accident!" Bobby Drake aka Iceman sort of apologises as he slides around her. It was in a way. He was trying to hit one of the balls and missed. Though he isn't that sorry he hit her. They have that sort of relationship.

Claire doesn't believe him for a second. Vengeance shall be hers!

Amara Aquilla aka Magma and Tabitha Smith aka Boom Boom were now back to back as Clark has his 3 small metal spheres circle around them like vultures.

"He's far too good," Boom Boom feels she has to complain. At first this practice had been easy but Clark's ability to learn was scarily fast and now it was really quite testing.

"Yep," Magma agrees.

An idea strikes Tabby. "Follow my lead and fill the air," she says to Amara. Boom Boom rubs her hands together and throws a multitude of her little energy bombs into the air. Amara throws several fire balls there too. They all explode obscuring the view of the 3 spheres.

Roberto Da Costa aka Sunspot, transformed into his pitch black form with a fiery aura, powers through the air into the fiery storm and plucks one ball out.

Cannonball shoots through it and plucks another.

At the same time Marie-Ange Colbert aka Tarot has between her fingers the card for Justice and brings the female figure holding a sword and a set of scales to life. The figure swings the scales into the fire storm and manages to scoop the last ball.

Game over.

The New Mutants win.

"Ha!" Tabby proclaims triumphantly. "You'll have to do better CK!" she teases.

Clark can only smile. "Or I could accept you're just too much for me," he jests.

Tabby manages a sultry smile. "Well unfortunately for you I have a boyfriend and I'm afraid you'll never get to see how _much _I am for you."

Amara rolls her eyes at Tabby's innuendo.

"Ok I really need to stop walking into those," Clark mutters to himself since Tabby always seems to find some way to twist his words round.

"Wanda?" one of the many Jamie clones still around suddenly says.

Clark's eyes shoot in that direction to find the Scarlet Witch standing there, her face caught in a mixture of emotions. "Guys, lets take 5," he announces.

To most of them it doesn't need explained what Clark is asking. Claire saddles up next to her girlfriend and leads her off since she doesn't know the story of Wanda's relationship with her father whose body Clark is currently occupying.

After the New Mutants head inside several moments past.

"Soooo...this is probably difficult for you," Clark says.

Wanda arches an eyebrow. "Ya think?"

Clark smiles softly. "Thank you for not hexing me on sight."

"It took some restraint," Wanda confesses. Not that she is wishing to hex Clark. It is just an almost reflexive action of her part whether she sees her father to try and hex him.

"The Professor explained everything?"

Wanda nods. She just came from his study. "Is it really you in there?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"I can't believe him!" she says in raised tones in reference to her father. This is getting added to her reasons to hate her father. That's an extremely long list.

"Yeah he's not my favourite person at the moment either."

"Are you...ok?" Wanda asks.

"Ooh debatable question actually. Everyone thinks I'm acting a bit odd after the Hellfire Club. Although they don't say it to my face but for some reason they seem to have forgotten I can hear them even when they talk behind my back."

If people were doing that to her Wanda would be pissed as hell but Clark's tone is so flat it's like he has just stopped caring what other people think. "Are you? Acting odd?" Wanda just decides to ask him flat out. Since she is staying at Dr Strange's at the minute she hasn't seen enough of Clark to know whether he has been or not.

Clark shrugs. "Maybe. Don't really have the time to dwell on it at the minute. Gotta get my body back. It's going to take a whole lot of scrubbing to get the insane megalomaniac smell out I'm betting."

Wanda bursts out in a small laugh at that. "That's probably true," she agrees.

"Thank you for coming and helping," Clark says gratefully.

"No problem...although expect bruises when you get your body back because I am kicking his ass!" she swears about her father.

"You should."

"Huh?" Wanda says, puzzled by his encouragement to harm his own body.

"Wanda you know how powerful I am. You can't afford to hold back," Clark advises, in the process permitting her to actually hurt his body but Clark is very clear in his mind that Magneto must not be able to use his powers regardless of what has to be done.

"We'll fix this, Clark. I promise," she says with heartfelt emotion. Clark has done so much for her and this is her chance to pay him back.

"I certainly hope so. Without my iron clad stomach I'm afraid it is only a matter of time before Kitty's cooking poisons me."

Wanda chuckles lightly. Yeah Kitty's cooking could truly be life-threateningly bad.

"You know I think I should probably come to my girlfriend's defence there," a voice from above breaks into the conversation.

Clark and Wanda look up and there, in a tree, is Spider-Man.

"Spidey, old chum. You made it!" Clark says with false bravado comradeship.

"And miss this?" Spider-Man asks as he somersaults down to the ground. "Not for the world. Although I must say, Old Bean, you've looked better."

"You know I could mention to Kitty the fact you hide her cookies under the potted planet in the lounge," Clark says as a small warning.

"You're looking great!" Spider-Man proclaims with over-the-top praise at Clark's threat of blackmail.

"You guys are nuts," Wanda has to declare them after watching the two of them for only a short time.

"You're only saying that because you love us," Clark says with a pout.

"We are very lovable," Spider-Man says in agreement.

Wanda throws her hands into the air and makes a sort of strangled scream of frustration at the two of them. She heads to the mansion to catch up with Tabby...and to get away from those two nutters.

"That was fun," Clark remarks.

"Wasn't it," Spider-Man agrees.

"Thanks for coming," Clark says more seriously.

After getting Kitty's phone call Peter wasn't going to say no when he heard what happened. "No problem although this is 2 you owe me."

"Uh who saved you from Doc Ock, Tombstone and Silvermane. Not to mention the Green Goblin," Clark points out examples he has helped Peter.

"I had those totally under control," Peter insists.

"Right," Clark says in a tone that show how that isn't true.

"This is totally weird though," Peter has to say about this situation. Body-swapping...wow even for him that's a new one.

"How do you think I feel? I've had to use the bathroom in someone else's body," Clark says with a shudder. "And I thought seeing my father and Selene was bad," he complains with a hand to his head.

"Yeah...that can't have been nice," Peter says, unable to actually make a joke at that.

"_Clark,"_ the Professor's telepathic voice breaks into his mind. _"It's time for your and the New Mutants' run in the Danger Room," _he informs Clark.

"_You too, Peter...and thank you for your aid at this time," _the Professor speaks to Peter.

"Ok how do you live with that?" Peter asks, weirded out at the voice in his head.

"Usually I don't. Normal telepathy doesn't work on my freaky alien brain."

"That Magneto is currently inhabiting."

"What can I say? It was a weird day. Weird things happened," Clark says with a resigned shrug. There's no point in him freaking out no matter how much he might want to. Just focus on the mission and he'll cope.

* * *

Later that day, as the sun begins to set, the X-Men, New Mutants along with Dr Strange, Wanda and Spider-Man get aboard both the x-jet and x-copter as they prepare to head out to launch their assault on whatever base Magneto is hiding at.

They had a plan. Couldn't be certain of its success and as any leader knows no plan survives past the first contact with the enemy. It was a daring plan. Perhaps you could say they were overreaching in its ambition but also they had little choice.

Magneto could not be allowed the time to figure out how to control Clark's powers. As soon as he did then he would attack them, coming for the 2 stones they possess.

Their hand has been forced.

They shall not fail.

For the world's sake they can't afford to.

The two aircraft take off and head west, chasing after the setting sun.

* * *

_Author's Note: I suppose I could have had Pietro there for his reaction but you know Magneto keeps giving him far too many chances to prove himself. And away our heroes go. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; the assault on Magneto's base begins._


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

**At Magneto's base...**

Colossus sits in his room, on his bed, looking at an old picture of his family. It is one of the very few personal possessions Magneto allows him to have. Illyana is still a babe in it, held within his mother's arms. Next to her is his father while he stands on the other side. On his father's other side is Piotr's older brother, Mikhail.

Piotr sighs sadly at how much of his family he has lost. His parents died in a house fire. Mikhail was a cosmonaut and there was an accident on a mission that caused the spacecraft to explode. That left Piotr pretty much alone to raise Illyana and now she was...who knows where Magneto kept her but for as long as he did Colossus had no choice but to serve.

Piotr's sad contemplations of the situation of his life is interrupted by screaming coming through the metal walls.

"Fuck and I thought my mouth was talented!"

Piotr closes his eyes and tries to block it out. Why?

Because that's Live Wire's voice and right now she is no doubt 'entertaining' Gambit.

Piotr may choose not to interact much with his fellow Acolytes but that doesn't meant he doesn't notice what goes on and for the last few weeks Gambit and Live Wire have been 'attending' to each other's needs.

Piotr does not understand why Gambit does it. First he dates Haze...technically he is still suppose to be. That risks the wrath of Alicia's mother, Mystique who doesn't know about the relationship. Haze and the rest of the Brotherhood are currently away on a mission. Piotr wasn't told and didn't ask for details.

While Alicia is busy Gambit turned to Live Wire to keep him company. Piotr can only see this blowing up in Gambit's face yet Piotr knows Gambit relishes the risk he is taking on. Like Piotr said he doesn't understand Gambit.

Piotr puts the picture down and lies down on his bed. He pulls the pillow over his head in an attempt to snuff out the sounds coming from the next room.

Then suddenly there is a strange vibration. Piotr frowns. That's not the amorous couple from next door. This feels different. He lifts the pillow to be greeted by the sight of the metal ceiling flowing like liquid...and it's not just the ceiling. The walls too are flowing away in the same direction. It's like the whole base is remaking itself.

Too late Piotr realises what that means with regards to his next door neighbours. For the rest of his life he'll never be able to get the images of Live Wire and Gambit out of his head.

* * *

**Earlier that evening...**

Going in the direction Clark could hear the stone's tone the two aircraft carrying the X-Men had reached the Rockies where the mountain range straddles the US/Canadian border.

"We're close," Clark announces from the x-jet and is picked in the x-copter over the radio link. He had not put Magneto's armour back on. He was still in the New Mutant uniform.

The two aircraft are hugging the mountains and valleys as close as they dare and over a rise they spot a series of interlinked metal domes of varying sizes. Essentially there is one large dome and off that are smaller ones.

Logan snorts from his position in the pilot's chair. "Damn clever," he has to begrudgingly admit in his gruff tones. "Some of these valleys can be snowed in 3 quarters of the year," he recites from experience. This of course makes it less likely anyone would stumble upon Magneto's base.

Charles had suspected Magneto had a base somewhere on the North American continent. In fact he suspects Magneto has bases spread out over every continent. He looks to his mystical guest. "Stephen?"

Dr Strange has his eyes closed in concentration. "I'm cloaking both aircraft. However the closer we get the more likely it is the Countess Thoreaux will sense my magic at work," he has to caution.

"We should land at the far end of the valley and go the rest of the way on foot," Charles says and waits a moment to see if anyone objects to his suggestion. No-one does.

The two aircraft touch down. The Professor puts on the remote Cerebro helmet. Now that he is this much closer he might be able to penetrate Magneto's psychic shielding. He closes his eyes and concentrates and can sense many minds. It is still difficult because of the shielding to get an exact number but he believes that they are not as massively outnumbered as they feared. Perhaps Magneto has spread his followers out amongst his bases so they are not all in one place on the outside chance one of the bases is discovered. That would explain what he is sensing. Charles can also sense a few mutants outside the base on patrol he would guess. He passes all this on to Scott.

Scott takes a moment to absorb this. "It's basically how we thought it would be," he surmises. Perhaps even a little better than they thought if there aren't as many mutants here as they feared could be.

"We must get inside without detection. At that point it becomes moot," Hank summarises what they must do.

Scott looks to Logan. "Locate the patrols. You know what to do," he directs the feral mutant about immobilising them and Logan can do it better than anyone else.

Logan makes a small grunt of obedience. "Jinx, Stripes, Elf. You're with me," he barks out the small team he needs to do this. They need to create a gap for the rest to follow on behind.

With Logan leading the 4 mutants step out of the x-jet and with stealth and quickness move out into the thickly forested valley.

* * *

Two men walk through the trees on their designated patrol route. One is a black man with grey hair. His obvious mutation has left him with what appear to be metal claws for both his feet and his hands. In exchange he was able to channel electrical energy through the claws into shock blasts. Hence he had earned the name Shocker. Patrolling with Shocker is what looks like a humanoid snake. In return for this mutation his body had become as flexible as a snake's and could constrict around an opponent like certain snakes do, crushing the life out anyone caught in his grip. He had earned the name Slither.

**BAMF!**

The 2 mutant followers of Magneto jerk their heads skyward as, from a cloud of blue smoke, 4 mutants fall from the sky. Domino already has her pistols drawn and is firing stun blasts into Shocker. He falls down and Domino comes to land with one foot on top of him pressing him into the ground, her aim and concentration never wavering in case he isn't quite out.

Nightcrawler lands elegantly on the ground while Rogue manages to land feet first in a crouch.

Wolverine aims to jump onto Slither but his flexible body allows him to contort at an impossible angle and Wolverine hits the ground. Slither grabs him and literally warps his arms around Wolverine and starts to squeeze.

"You shall pay for thissss," Slither says with a snake-like hiss.

"Don't count on it, bub!" Wolverine says through gritted teeth as he struggles to get loose.

"Hey, Ugly! Some advice. Always watch your back!" Rogue says as she leaps onto Slither's back and her bare hands grabs the snake-like head.

Slither cries out in pain as Rogue drains him of his energy. Rogue too cries out as her body tries to cope with absorbing a mutant with such an obvious physical mutation. When it's over and Slither is passed out, Rogue stands there, breathing hard, her skin now replaced with green scales. She glances at her team with the slit-like pupils of a snake. Her tongue pokes out from between her teeth allowing everyone to see it is now forked.

"Whoa," Domino says having never seen the effect it has on Rogue on absorbing a mutant that different. "That's...going to take more than a little moisturiser to sort out that skin problem," she jokes before her cold catches up with her again. "ACHOO!"

Rogue glares at her sister with her hands on her hips in a stern posture. "Ah hate thisss," she says with that characteristic hiss.

Kurt has to choke back a laugh.

"It'sss not funny, Kurt," Rogue tells him off while swiping a hand to swat him with. With as much of this guy as she absorbed she'll be stuck like this for at least an hour.

"We can make jokes about this later," Logan takes charge. "What did ya get from his mind?" he asks Rogue, focussing on the important part.

Rogue takes a moment to sort through it. "There'sss another pair patrolling clossse by...and ah know tha sssafe way ta tha bassse," she reports.

"What powers do the other two have?" Domino asks, being the more business-like side of herself.

"One has sssuperstrength...only it takes a little concentration ta activate it. If we get him by sssurprise we ssshould beh able ta take him down easssy enough. Tha other has...sssome kind of enhanced vision abilitiesss...ah'm not sure how we can get clossse enough," she worries slightly because if she is seeing the memories correctly he could see them coming from a long way off.

"How long until they are suppose to check in?" Logan asks.

"We have half an hour...topsss."

Logan strokes his chin as he thinks.

"Got a plan hairy?" Domino asks.

"Yeah. Tie those two up somewhere where no-one can miss them."

"Ah. The old distraction ploy. Get them looking where we aren't," Domino figures.

"Yeah," Logan confirms. He looks at Rogue. "You know their patrol route?"

Rogue nods. "Yessss."

Kurt snorts out a giggle. He can't help himself. He's been struggling to hold it back the whole time Rogue was talking without realising she keeps hissing through her speech.

"Kurt!" Rogue huffs.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," he says between giggles.

Rogue find that hard to believe since he is still, you know, laughing at her. She can see Domino has an amused glint in her eye as well. Logan ends up being the only sympathetic one. Yeah that's a shock to Rogue too.

"Ya coping Stripes?" Logan asks, in reference to coping with whatever she absorbed from the snake guy.

"Yeah. Ah'm fine," she assures him she has it under control.

Logan and Domino tie up their two prisoners.

"Right then. You lead. Where's the other two going to be at?" Logan asks Rogue to give direction.

Rogue points. "Thisss way," she says with the hiss she can't stop making.

Kurt laughs some more.

"Give it a rest, elf," Logan says in his no nonsense 'That's enough' tone.

Rogue appreciates Logan did that.

Logan has their two guests hoisted on his shoulders and carries them with relative ease. Because of his slightly diminutive stature people neglect to consider that having adamantium bones allows him to be beyond normally strong. They head off in the direction Rogue leads them to set up and wait for the other patrol to show.

* * *

As for that other patrol they consist of a tall man with brown hair and a thick full beard. He had the ability to increase his body's density and therefore his strength...or he could be said to lift his density hence he earned the name Lifter. Accompanying him is a much shorter bald man with enlarged eyes. Those eyes possessed many abilities such as telescopic, microscopic and x-ray vision along with the ability to shoot faint yellow energy beams from his eyes. The fact his eyes were enlarged had earned him the name Peeper.

It is Peeper's telescopic vision that brings the patrol to a screeching halt as he sees far off in the distance their two fellow mutants, Shocker and Slither, strung up to a tree.

Before they can react to this...

**BAMF!**

Above them, out of the cloud of blue smoke, comes Domino, Rogue, Wolverine and Nightcrawler. Domino has Lifter stunned in seconds while Logan just crashes down onto the much smaller Peeper.

3 razor sharp metal claws stop mere millimetres from Peeper's enlarged eyes. "Don't even think about it, bub," Wolverine growls in his most fearsome and menacing tone.

Peeper is pretty certain he has just messed up his underwear. He looks up as a girl with green scaly skin bends down and touches her bare fingers to his forehead. Pain screams through him as Rogue absorbs him. She then walks over to Lifter and touches his forehead too. Considering what they're about to do having a few powers would be useful.

Rogue blinks a few times as her eyes adjust to having Peeper's powers and tries to stop her eyes seeing everything in x-ray. She wonders if Clark has this problem. She'll have to ask.

"Tie them up," Logan orders as he sends a strong thought back to the Professor for the others to catch up. Now came the really hard part.

* * *

The X-Men gather outside the largest one of the metal domes, the 3 weapons they created in hand, ready for the struggle ahead. There had been a few remarks about Rogue's still reptilian appearance. Clark had made a small joke and given her one of his goofy grins...which let Rogue tell you is really weird looking on Magneto's face.

Back to the mission at hand. Spider-Man had already made the mandatory Big Bad Wolf and 3 pigs joke about huffing and puffing and blowing the house in.

There was an entrance, a guarded entrance. However there were easier ways in than trying to jump the mutants guarding it and prematurely alerting everyone inside that they were here.

That would be why Clark has his hands placed on the metal surface. This was the overly ambitious part of the plan in many ways. Clark had to control the metal of the entire complex. Really it was impossible without the decades of experience Magneto had but they did have a cheat. The Professor who knew Magneto's powers to a far greater extent.

It would be why Jean is standing directly behind Clark her hands place on either side of his head to act as a conduit to amplify the Professor's telepathic waves. It was a little strange, Jean must confess to herself, to be able to hear Clark's thoughts for the 1st time when for so long all she has been able to do is sense his presence and not much else.

Currently Clark's thoughts were rather...it is difficult to describe. It's almost like there's 3 separate layers of them all trying to knit cohesively together and not quite managing. This would explain his odd behaviour but that is thought for a more appropriate time.

Jean closes her eyes and concentrates her power to allow the Professor to bridge over her into Clark and take control. The Professor was still back in the x-jet. This rough ground made using his wheelchair impossible.

"_Just relax, Clark," _the Professor telepathically says, trying to be as soothing as possible. _"Let us work together to accomplish our goal."_

Clark tries to quieten his very, these days, noisy mind. Together he and the Professor stretch out with Magneto's power, encompassing every molecule of the metal within a magnetic field and then they begin to make the metal rearrange itself as they planned.

* * *

Magneto and Lorna had simply been sitting down and having dinner together. It is one of the many things he has missed since Magda died. A simple family meal.

It's the vibration that Magneto first notices. Superman's body had incredible senses. Far more sensitive than he could have imagined. He was still trying to come to terms with them. Then he notices that Lorna is visibly shivering. "What is it, Lorna?"

Lorna gasps slightly. "It's a magnetic field. It...it feels like...you," he says with a deeply puzzled expression.

Magneto's eyes dart back and forth quickly as he thinks. There was only one possibility but no. It wasn't possible. They couldn't have found him.

As the walls and ceilings start to flow away Magneto quickly decides he might need to rethink that.

* * *

It takes several minutes until it is done at which point Clark collapses to his knees, gasping for breath and perspiration pouring off him. Rogue kneels down next to him as he tries to recover.

Jean stumbles back a few paces into Scott's waiting arms. "It's done," she tells her boyfriend, breathing hard herself.

Scott smiles conveying his pride in her. He looks to Clark. "Superman? You up for this?"

"I feel like I just ran a marathon," Clark complains as Rogue helps him to his feet. He is a little unsteady. "I'll manage but don't expect too much," he cautions.

Actually it is more or less how they thought it would be. They figured the effort would exhaust Clark. "Alright. Team 2, Superman's well-being is your responsibility," Scott dictates...and yes Bobby's name suggestion was considered and dismissed after about 2 seconds thought on the matter.

"Rogue, what are you seeing?" Scott asks, using the fact she got x-ray vision off the mutant she absorbed.

"They're coming," Rogue reports seeing the inhabitants rushing, following the direction the metal moved in. "Ah see Magneto...but ah can't see tha stone," she has to report and she is meaning not just on Magneto but anywhere.

"It's probably inside something made from lead then," Clark can deduce since it is just about the only thing he can't see through. "But I can still hear it. We just have to get there," he gives the positive.

"Ok," Cyclops says calmly. "We planned for this. Nightcrawler, Shadowcat you go on Team 2," he instructs since Kurt's teleporting and Kitty's phasing power will be required to get around. "Iceman..." Scott can't believe he is having Bobby on his team but Bobby's ice powers could possibly be useful in restraining Magneto, assuming they weaken Clark's body enough. "...Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Team 1 with the rest of the X-Men," Cyclops finishes. "You with us Dr Strange?" he inquires just to make certain.

"I am," Stephen replies, more than happy to assist in this. In fact what was about to transpire couldn't work without him. He too, had his part beyond confronting the Countess.

"X-Men. Move out!" Cyclops commands as they rush in through the entrance they have made. Rush into the giant labyrinth they created. They had designed it, to give them the advantage. Creating lots of unknown corners and blind angles through which to ambush Magneto and wear him down. This was not going to be an entirely swift affair...and that didn't include dealing with whatever other mutants they might face.

As they said. Perhaps an overly ambitious plan but they had to succeed.

They would succeed.

* * *

Magneto, Lorna, the Acolytes, including a hastily dressed Live Wire and Gambit, along with many more of Magneto's followers come to a stop at the entrance of the now maze that practically half his base, if not more, had been transformed into.

"What the...?" Lorna starts to say, unable to believe her eyes.

"Magneto!" an echoing voice comes from within the maze.

Magneto recognises it to be his own voice.

"I'm here for my body! Surrender now and this won't get unpleasant!"

"You dare attack me in my own base!" Magneto shouts back, his tone one of righteous fury as in how dare they!

"I'll take that as a no! Be it upon your own head!"

Magneto's eyes narrow as the whole atmosphere suddenly seems to change and a thick mist starts to flow out of the maze. What Magneto doesn't know is that this trick the X-Men learned from their fight with the Madeleine possessed Wanda who generated her own mist which completely fogged up Clark's senses. Dr Strange has created this mist to do the same.

* * *

In her quarters Isobel, who had been in deep meditation, shivers and wakes up as she senses magic...powerful magic. Someone is here. Someone who might be able to rival her mother. Isobel's eyes take in her surroundings and how the metal has looked like it has melted and flowed away.

Clark.

Damn that farmboy to Hell. Doesn't he know when to give up.

And who is it that Clark has brought with him. Isobel can only assume this new mystical presence came with him. This is the problem with being in a spiritual limbo for 4 centuries. You lose touch with the power players in the mystical world.

Isobel needs to think. She can either go aid Magneto...or try and get the stone and flee. Question is will her honour allow it. She did say she would honour her deal...except Magneto, technically, hadn't gotten back to her yet about whether he agreed to one. On the other hand she still needs Clark to reveal the location of the other 2 stones and if she doesn't defeat him here and now then it's over because the alternative is that he wins and gets back the 3rd stone.

What to do?

Hadn't the crystal ball referred to this as her last chance?

Isobel hasn't forgotten its words.

A morose feeling comes over Isobel. To be in this situation with so few options left to her. She doesn't like this feeling. It feels disturbingly like the situation when she faced the stake when she also had next to no options left to her.

There is really only one option left to her and that is sticking it out with Magneto...unfortunately. She mutters a spell under her breath and teleports to Magneto's location.

"Where have you been?" Magneto demands to know as his newest 'ally' appears in her purple mist.

"Mediating," is Isobel's simple reply as she takes a few steps forward and examines the situation in front of her.

"Can you do something about this?" Magneto asks her in general terms as in if there is anything she can do to help.

"No. There is someone here. A powerful practitioner of magic. If I am to defeat him I cannot waste energy assisting you. You will have to deal with the X-Men by yourself," Isobel tells him, assuming that if Clark is here so are his friends.

Magneto's face goes grimly determined. He had misjudged them...gravely so. "Acolytes. You will accompany myself and the Countess into the maze," he commands.

"What about me?" Lorna asks, almost desperate to help.

Magneto looks at her. Normally he would say no but without his own magnetic powers he will need hers even as undeveloped as they are. "Stay close to me at all times," he instructs her.

Lorna nods her acceptance of that, simply pleased her father is allowing her to help.

Magneto issues orders for the other non-Acolyte mutants to remain here and make sure no-one slips by.

That done they enter the maze and come to the first junction with the metal wall in front of them.

"Should I just open a hole up in the wall?" Lorna inquires since that seems, to her, like the better option than just wandering through the pathways.

"Yes," Magneto says, agreeing with what Lorna is presumably thinking.

Lorna concentrates and makes a gap in the wall in front of them. They step through and walk along the path in front of them. The aim is to reach the centre. Magneto's guess is that is where Superman and the X-Men will be. What he doesn't understand is why they have created this maze. He's missing the strategy and that concerns him. It doesn't help that he can't see more than a few feet ahead through this mist.

"Sabretooth," Magneto says simply.

Sabretooth sniffs the air. "I'm getting nothing. This fog is messin up my senses."

"It's mystical," Isobel reports. "That's the idea."

Sabretooth growls in annoyance. He is going to rip someone apart for this.

Magneto's concerns rise with this but he will not turn back. With the power now at his disposal with this body he does not need to. The X-Men have made a foolish misjudgement by coming here. He will make certain they understand that.

They reach a T-junction. Magneto is about to ask Lorna to open up the wall in front of them when two intense beams of energy strike Magneto from opposite directions. One an intense beam of red energy and one of green.

Magneto cries out as pain, even he has never imagined, courses through his body.

"Dad!" Lorna calls out in panic.

"Tin-grin. Over there," Frenzy shoves Colossus in the path of the red beam while she steps in front of the green one so that they can shield Magneto.

The attacks stop. The Acolytes make moves to chase after whoever it was and split up into two and run down the path in both directions.

Lorna and Isobel remain behind. Lorna is at her father's side as he leans against the wall for support, trying to recover from the attack.

"Are you alright?" Lorna asks with deep concern for her father.

"I shall be momentarily," Magneto replies, trying not to show how much pain he is in.

"What was that?" Lorna asks.

"I am not certain."

Isobel isn't certain what it was either but she can sense that Magneto...or the body he is currently inhabiting has been weakened. Clever little mutants.

The Acolytes return. "There was no sign," Colossus reports.

"They scarpered quick," Pyro gives his version.

Magneto shakes off the lingering effects. "Lorna, the wall if you please," he requests her to open it up.

"Sure," Lorna replies without question as she opens the wall up and they all walk through into a larger square shaped space.

Isobel shivers suddenly. Her eyes drop to the floor and find they are surrounded by a circle of archaic symbols. "It's a trap!" she cries, trying to warn them but it is already too late as the symbols glow and move. One each under every person where a portal opens and they vanish one by one into them, scattering them across the maze.

* * *

Isobel lands with a bump and mutters some French curses. She gets to her feet rubbing her butt. Suddenly she senses the magical presence very close by. She spins on the spot to be confronted by a man with dark hair and a beard. "You. You did this," she can assume.

"It's time to end this, Countess," the man states with determination. "Your time in this world has passed and your violation of this poor girl will end, now," he says with finality as if any other option is not one.

Isobel sneers. "Who the hell do you think you are that commands me?"

The man smiles slightly. "I am Dr Strange. Sorcerer Supreme!" he declares loudly and as he does so his long red and black coat begins to transform into a deep crimson, gold-edged, high-collared cloak clasped with the Eye of Agamotto. He also has on a blue shirt and black pants and golden gloves upon his hands.

Isobel's face darkens significantly. "So the Ancient One finally croaked did he," she says rudely about Dr Strange's predecessor and teacher. Yes she knew him.

"You would have been served better by taking up his offer to teach you when you had the chance instead of going down your dark path," Dr Strange, in a sense, lectures her.

"So I could what? Spend my life protecting this world? Why do that when I could rule it!" Isobel proclaims her reasons her refusing the, what she sees, as the pointless foolishness of the Ancient One's teachings.

Stephen shakes his head disapprovingly...and in many senses disappointedly. "You could have chosen to forsake your mother's legacy. Instead you chose to walk the path that will ultimately end in the same dark destination as her."

"You don't know anything about my mother!" Isobel snaps in a loss of temper and unleashes a powerful purple spell bolt at Earth's Sorcerer Supreme.

As quick as lightning Dr Strange raises his hand and invokes a counter-spell. "I summon the Shield of Seraphim!" A powerful pink energy barrier appears in front of him and is able to absorb the Countess' attack.

Isobel's eyes narrow. She raises her hands above her head and above them she forms little energy spheres of a malevolent red colour. "Lets us see how you deal with this!" she announces as she sends them at her opponent.

Dr Strange watches the spheres move in erratic fashion and waits until the last moment before moving to dodge their attacks while casting the counter-spell to cause each sphere to extinguish in turn. He turns back to face her. "Yield, Countess. I have no wish to harm you any more than strictly necessary," he asks of her before he has to use more extreme measures to subdue her and thus risk bringing harm to the innocent girl Isobel is possessing.

Isobel's reply is a single world. "Never!"

Stephen sighs. He was afraid she would say that. All he can try and do is attempt not to harm Ms Lang's body too much. Isobel launches another attack upon him and he counters as the dual intensifies.

* * *

Magneto blinks as he tries to ascertain where he is. Since every grey metal pathway looks like every other in this maze filled with fog that's hard to do. What does worry him is that Lorna has been transported away from him.

Magneto chooses a direction and blurs down it. He was beginning to get an understanding of Superman's powers although the eye-beams and freeze breath he hadn't figured out yet. Magneto zips along pathway after pathway until he comes across Beast holding some sort of weapon.

Beast doesn't hesitate and fires and a green beam slams into Magneto's chest, instantly knocking him down in immense pain.

"I apologise for this, Magnus," Beast says, feeling a tiny bit of remorse for having to inflict such pain with his kryptonite cannon.

A red beam soon strikes Magneto as Logan joins Beast using the red solar projector. "I don't," Logan says in contrast to Beast. Magneto can't feel enough pain as far as he is concerned.

Magneto had never considered what it was Superman felt when exposed to the effects of the meteor rock. He could never have imagined such pain. The boy must have remarkable strength to have endured it.

Magneto's own strength gives out and he collapses to the ground.

Beast and Logan cease fire.

"Ya think he's out?" Logan queries.

"We shall proceed with caution," Beast replies as he and Logan slowly move up to the prone figure, their weapons poised.

Logan hopes the others are alright. They'll be fighting the Acolytes by now...keeping them busy essentially until Clark and the other team retrieve the stone and return.

They step up to Magneto's seemingly prone form and Logan gives it a poke with his foot. "Where's the Webhead and Jinx?" he asks Beast since those two had the next most prominent part in subduing Magneto. Spider-Man had the sonic gun and Domino had the pistol with the tranquillisers.

"I fear they may have gotten lost," Beast says with concern about their plan may be misfiring a little. There had not be nearly enough time to memorise the maze's layout before they came here. In an ideal world they would have spent a few days practicing this but alas, as Hank knows all too well, it is far from an ideal world. They just have to deal with the situation as it presents itself.

"I wouldn't worry about them Henry," Magneto says as he suddenly moves, grabs the weapons and crushes them. He then sits up, grabs Wolverine and Beast and throws them hard, so hard they dent the metal walls when they hit them.

Magneto gets to his feet a little slowly. He is definitely feeling weaker but luckily he managed to deceive his two attackers into stopping before he was completely finished. "You will regret this," he swears.

"No. The only thing you shall regret is the day I was born...father," a venomously cold voice says from behind.

Magneto turns to be greeted by the sight of his enraged looking daughter. "Wanda," he says and for all his experience he can't stop the tinniest tremor of fear slipping into his tone. "I have no wish to fight you Wanda."

"Like I care what you wish," Wanda dismisses him angrily. "The only way you avoid anything is by surrendering...but I would prefer it if you wouldn't," she says with relish at the idea of hurting him.

"Wanda, listen to reason," Magneto begins to make the plea to his daughter.

"No," she says coldly and she raises her hands and aims them at him. Her hands take on the sign of the devil and scarlet red energy starts to pillow around them.

Magneto is rather caught by this new development in his daughter's powers. A bolt of red energy launches at him and collides into his chest almost whipping him to the ground. It flows around him and lifts him until he finds himself surrounded in a sphere of energy.

Wanda's expression is one of deep concentration as she forms, what she has come to call, her Hex Sphere. Within it her magic holds complete sway but she only has a few weeks of practice at it.

For Magneto curious sensations start to run through him. His skin feels like it is on fire yet his insides feel frozen. Energy laces up his spine making him cry out in pain.

Wanda closes her eyes and focusses all her energy on trying to knock her father out. It means she doesn't see it coming when someone collides heavily into her breaking her concentration and releasing her father.

Magneto drops to the ground, his mind barely comprehending what it is he just experienced. It almost felt like reality itself was warping around him at his daughter's behest.

Wanda, meanwhile, is struggling on the ground with whoever it was that collided into her. Since they are smaller than her Wanda finds she is able to pin them down to the ground, underneath her and Wanda glares into the face of a girl, a few years younger than herself, with green hair and eyes. "Stay out of this!" she yells.

"I can't! I won't let you hurt him!" the girl shouts back passionately, completely determined to protect Magneto.

"Yeah? And who are you to think you're going to stop me?" Wanda asks, snorting with fury. The reply she gets shocks her to her core.

"I'm your sister!"

* * *

_Author's Note: And finally Wanda comes to face to face with her little sister for the first time. Wonder how that'll go? Slither, Lifter, Peepers and Shocker come from one of the many iterations of the Brotherhood of Mutants before Magneto fired them. Have you seen how many of those Magneto has gone through? Man talk about lack of job security. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The fight goes on as Clark and his team search for the stone._


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

As soon as Magneto and the Acolytes made the decision to enter the maze that was the moment for Clark and his team to make their way out and fetch the stone. They reach the exit only to be confronted by the mutants Magneto had left behind. There is a man with long white hair, a large man with a brown beard and a shaven head, a teenage boy with spiky brown hair that has a silver streak running through it, a teenage girl with long brown hair and a fairly short teenage girl with short blond hair.

"That is as far as you go," the man with the shaven head states firmly.

The girl with the long brown hair narrows her eyes in righteous fury. "How can you do this? How can you betray our fellow mutants like this?" she demands to know, outraged that the people in front of her have.

"Ugh, you're one of _them _aren't you," Volcana says in disrespectful tones meaning meeting a fanatic. "Seriously don't get all high and mighty bitch. People are entitled to think how they want. Now take your bigoted, closed-minded, and may I add flabby, ass and get out of our way."

"Subtle, honey," Tarot lightly criticise her girlfriend.

"I don't do subtle," Volcana defends herself.

"All those elocution lessons wasted. Poor mom. She'll be so heartbroken," Superman jokily laments with a sad looking shake of his head.

Volcana's eyes narrow and fire flashes within their orange depths at her brother's so-called attempt at humour.

Sam decides to take charge. "Nightcrawler, Shadowcat. Take Superman, Magma, Multiple and Sunspot and find the stone," he decides. It makes more sense to split up and hold these guys off while Clark goes and fetches the stone.

"And how are you planning to get past us?" the boy with silver streak in his hair asks.

"Don't misjudge us because we're outnumbered," the man with white hair warns.

Sam smiles slightly. They're all close together. "Well I was planning to do this," he says before yelling, "Cannonball!" Sam shoots off the ground and smashes into the group knocking them over like bowling pins. "GO! GO!" he orders hastily.

The whole group run past the fallen mutants. While Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Superman, Magma, Multiple and Sunspot keep going Cannonball, Husk, Boom Boom, Volcana, Berzerker and Tarot form a line to stop any pursuit. Husk sheds her skin and mimics the metal surrounding them. Volcana's hair transforms as she powers up so to speak, Berzerker rubs his hands together and electricity sparks between his hands as he too gets ready, Tarot chooses which of her cards to animate while Boom Boom forms a few of her time bombs in her hands ready to use.

Boom Boom grins a little manically as their opponents get back to their feet, looking pissed. "This is where the fun begins," she says with far too much enthusiasm.

* * *

The other half of the group wind their way through Magneto's base, with Clark guiding them as he follows the sound of the stone. He is puffing heavily, still physically very tired from reconfiguring the base. He's just focussing on the here and now. Find and retrieve the stone. How he swaps himself and Magneto back he isn't thinking about now. One thing at a time.

Running through the corridors they come across another small group of 4 mutants. "Nightcrawler, take Superman and keep going," Shadowcat orders as she pushes Clark towards Kurt.

Kurt takes Clark by the arm and teleports on while Shadowcat, Magma, Multiple and Sunspot slam into the small group.

Clark and Kurt reappear several feet down the corridor and only pause long enough to look back and see the sparks of fire as Magma and Sunspot make it hot for their foes.

Clark knows the plan is to get the stone as quickly as possible but he is hating leaving his friends fighting like this. He has Kurt takes a left, then right and then they suddenly slide to a halt. There's a door with a couple of guards. The two heroes jerk back behind the corner and peer round. "It's in there," Clark says in a whisper, the stone's tone louder than ever in his head.

"Got an idea?" Kurt asks as in how they are getting past them.

"Well I am currently the Master of Magnetism ya know," Clark drawls with a lopsided grin.

Kurt matches the grin. "You up to it?" he asks more seriously, knowing how exhausted Clark must be.

Clark nods. "Just give me a distraction," he requests.

"Vell luckily for you distractions are a speciality of zhe Amazing Nightcrawler," Kurt boasts in good humour.

Clark can only shake his head in good humour.

Kurt teleports to the far side of the guards. "Gutten Tag, Gentleman. I vas vondering if you could direct me to zhe bathroom."

The two male mutants advance on Kurt. One is covered in spines like a porcupine while the other has scaly skin.

Clark reaches out with his hand and concentrates hard. With the two mutants backs to him they don't see the two lumps of metal rise from the floor. Clark then directs the lumps to smack them on the back of the head, knocking them out.

Clark blows out a breath and walks over to the door. "Direct me to the bathroom, huh?" he queries from Kurt with a wry grin about that line.

Kurt grins widely and shrugs.

Clark turns his attention to the door and with a little effort uses Magneto's powers to slide it open. He and Kurt step inside the small room which is empty apart from a small box, probably made of lead, sitting on a raised platform. The tone is so loud to Clark now it is almost deafening.

Clark steps forward and opens the box and inside sits the black stone. He reaches for it and wraps his hand around it but while he can hear it he can't feel the same connection to it as when he was in his own body. Chances are he can't get it to stop emitting its sound until he is swapped back round into his own body. His face screws up in discomfort.

"Clark," Kurt says as he moves to his friend's side at seeing him in obvious distress. "You ok?"

Clark slams the box shut. "It's just really loud," he says through a grimace, wishing he could make it stop. "Could you carry the box?" Clark asks because it is almost too much to bear.

"No problem," Kurt assures him as he picks it up.

Clark reaches to his ear and activates a small communicator placed in there, hidden from view. They all have them. How else do you think they were pulling this off in a maze. "Cyclops. We've got the stone."

"Roger that," comes Cyclops reply followed by the signs of a struggle. He must be fighting someone. "Get back here ASAP," he directs.

"Roger and out," Clark replies as he and Kurt make the dash back to the maze, aiming to pick up the rest of their team on the way. They find Multiple, Magma and Sunspot have subdued the other group of mutants...well it looks more like Multiple did by creating a small army of himselves which seem to have dog-piled the other mutants into submission.

"Vhere's Kitty?" Kurt asks the very obvious question.

Jamie, Roberto and Amara look around surprised. "Uh...don't know," Roberto gives the only answer he can.

Clark rolls his eyes and tries his communicator. "Shadowcat, respond."

Nothing.

The 5 teenagers start to get concerned.

Kurt tries his communicator with the same result. Nothing.

"Did she phase while you were fighting?" Clark asks.

"Yes," Amara remembers seeing Kitty phase.

"She's shorted it out," Kurt says in a half-complaint at his friend.

Clark raises a hand to his head and shakes with a weary sigh. He is worried about Kitty but this is so typical.

"Look, you guys go ahead," Amara ends up taking charge. "We'll look for her."

"You're sure Amara?" Clark asks, not wishing to just run off and abandon anyone.

"Yeah," Roberto says, backing Amara up. "Go. Get your body back. We'll find Kitty," he promises, sounding more serious which is quite a contrast his usual normal arrogant self.

Clark looks at Kurt and can see the same reluctance to leave as Clark is feeling but they have to go and just have faith in their friends. Clark and Kurt move on, hoping Kitty is alright.

* * *

Kitty wakes up with a groan. An assessment of her situation finds herself lying on a cold metal floor. She takes a moment to recall what happened. She was fighting the group of mutants, grabbed this boy and then...then there was darkness and now she finds herself here.

Wherever here is.

Kitty sits up...and finds herself looking into the face of a girl with long dark hair and bandages wrapped over her eyes sitting there crossed-legged. The girl has a strange smile on her face. "Hi!" Kitty squeaks.

"Hello," the girl replies pleasantly.

"So, um, I'm..."

"Katherine Anne Pryde. Codename: Shadowcat. I've been expecting you," the girl states.

"How did..."

"Did I know that? It's what I do, thank you, please."

Kitty looks puzzled. "I don't, like, understand."

"I see what is, what could be, what might be, what must never be, what is here, what is there, what is elsewhere, yes, no."

Kitty is trying to figure out what this girl means. At least she doesn't seem hostile. Still where is she?

"It was a teleporter if you please."

"What?"

"How you ended up here, thank you. The boy you were fighting is a teleporter."

"Oh," Kitty finally gets what happened to her. "But how did you, like, know that? Are you psychic?"

The girl giggles. "It's funny, yes, no. To know what you will say and yet still can't be able to prevent your confusion. I see that which for you has not happened yet, you're welcome."

_'Gee this girl talks oddly,' _Kitty muses but she thinks she might have worked it out now. "You see the future?"

The girl nods.

"What's your name?"

"Ruth but the others call me Blindfold, thank you."

"Ruth," Kitty chooses to use. "Wait a minute,"she says as something suddenly occurs to her.

"Yes. I was how Magneto always knew where you were, you're welcome," Ruth answers the question before Kitty asks it.

"Why?" Kitty asks as in why did she do that.

"If I did not he and Superman would never have swapped bodies and you would not be here to rescue me...please, rescue me," her words suddenly become a plea.

"You're...a prisoner?"

"There are 6 outside that door, to keep me here," Ruth explains pointing at the door to her room.

Kitty's eyes widen. 6! For one slim girl who doesn't look like she could really harm anyone. That's complete overkill.

"This is the part where you offer to take me with you and promise me jell-o, yes, no. Oh, I'll have the blue jell-o."

"Um...ok, blue jell-o? You sure?"

Ruth smiles lightly. "Yes."

"But...um if you see the future don't you, like, already know what's going to happen?"

Ruth laughs lightly and shakes her head. "There are many futures and even I do not always know which one our actions will bring to pass, please."

"Ok. I'll help you," Kitty offers because what else is she to do.

"I already packed," Ruth says, pointing at a rucksack on her bed.

Kitty stands up and picks up the rucksack and then looks around at the stark room. Good god how long has Magneto been keeping this poor girl like this. Ruth too rises to her feet. She points at the far wall, away from the door. "We need to go that way, you're welcome."

Kitty sees no point in arguing with the girl who can see the future. Besides fighting the 6 goons outside the door isn't exactly a desirable option. She holds her hand out and Ruth takes it.

Kitty phases them and they walk through the wall. Kitty's eyes take a moment to adjust to the next room they step into. "What is this?" she has to ask. "It totally looks like some place Dr Frankenstein would find at home."

"The never dying man conducts his Sinister experiments," Ruth rattles off.

Kitty can tell this girl is going to make her head hurt but it does look like some creepy lab. Kitty can't even guess at what sort of experiments are being conducted in here. "Which way?" she asks, so not wishing to hang around in here for this 'never dying man' to return.

Ruth points and Kitty heads off in that direction. They pass a line of cages with varying animals within that have been dissected. Kitty feels sick. It is then she hears a strange sort of low rumbling noise from one of the cages.

Kitty stops and leans in, peering into the cage. Her eyes struggle to see through the gloom. Then her brain struggles to comprehend what she sees. In the cage, about the size of a house cat, with a bandaged torso as if it had an operation recently...no. It can't be what Kitty thinks it is.

Because if it is what Kitty thinks it is...well it looks like...

Is that a tiny, purple...dragon?

* * *

When Clark and Kurt rejoin the skirmish of the other half of the team they find it still being hotly contested...and Sam on the floor. Clark and Kurt help him up. He's a little groggy.

"You alright?" Clark asks.

Sam rubs his head. "Yeah."

"Vhat happened?"

"It was her," Sam points at the girl with short blond hair. "She did something while I was flying. Disrupted my powers so when I hit something it hurt."

"She disrupted your blast field," Clark guesses Sam means, referencing the field of energy Sam generates around himself when he flies making him pretty much invulnerable. Without that flying would be incredibly dangerous in the way Sam does it.

The 3 boys take in the battle. The girl with long brown hair, known as Unuscione, can seem to create this green forcefield...like a sort of armour around herself that can strike out in the shape of a giant fist. She is currently fighting one of Tarot's constructs. Appropriately the card of Strength which in the version of cards Tarot uses is a man with a club and a lion. The man is vaguely suppose to resemble Hercules.

Volcana is rolling her eyes in extreme boredom as the man with long white hair surrounds her with fire projected from his hands. She raises her own hand and lowers it and the fire lowers at her command. "Seriously? I'm a pyrokinetic too, you stupid asswipe," she insults him for trying to hurt her with a fire attack.

The man, known as Burner, narrows his eyes, irritated by the girl's insults. He tries to punch her and Claire blocks. As they circle around each other Claire smirks. "You and I may have similar powers but you have a weakness I don't that can always be exploited," she says.

"Oh and what is that?" Burner asks as he attacks her again.

Claire lets him get close, deflects his punch and then sharply brings her knee up between his legs until she hits the two prize _targets_. Burner stops dead as Claire grabs him the lapels of the coat he has on. She brings her lips to his ears. "That one," she whispers in response to his question, a look of pure, near sadistic, enjoyment at the blow she hit him with. She throws him away as he collapses to the ground, his hands grasping his most sensitive area.

Claire dusts her hands off and goes off to aid her girlfriend.

Husk finds herself facing off against the boy with the silver streak in his hair. He manages to grab her arm and then he activates his power. He is called Chrome and can transmute elements. He transforms Paige from metal into a frozen crystal like material. Chrome smirks coldly. He leans in and whispers into Paige's ear. "Shouldn't have messed with me, little girl. I'm a master of elements," he boasts, taking pride in doing something that may have well killed her.

Paige remains stationary until, suddenly, her eyes blink and she slams her head into his, knocking him out cold. She reaches up and rips the crystal skin off her face, partially revealing her flesh one underneath. "Shouldn't have messed with meh, little boy," she retorts.

"You go girl!" Boom Boom cheers Paige on as she rolls out of the way of the man known as Delgado who could increase his size and consequently his strength. She throws a few of her time bombs into his face blinding him. It doesn't slow him down much. _'Damn,' _Tabby thinks to herself. This guy was tough.

Berzerker was finding the girl who punk'd Cannonball a pain. The girl, known as Phantazia, could manipulate electromagnetic energy fields and therefore was particularly effective against someone who generated electricity. Ray's attacks she pretty much deflected off with ease.

Clark watches this and an idea strikes him. "Cannonball, help Boom Boom," he decides. "Nightcrawler, take me to Husk," he asks of Kurt.

Sam shakes his head and summons up his power. He propels himself off the ground. "Boom Boom! Need one of your big ones!"

"AW! All ya had to do was ask, honey!" Tabby quips as she throws into his path the biggest time bomb she can manage in the time.

Sam grabs it and slams into the now very large man Delgado had become. The ball explodes, the force magnified and combined with the force Sam himself impacts into the man. Delgado goes flying, his body smoking and rolls across the ground a few times before coming to a stop and doesn't get back up.

Kurt and Clark appear next to Husk who lets out a small yelp in surprise.

"Husk, can you change into plain old stone?" Clark asks of her.

"Sure," Paige confirms she can do this. "Why?"

"For her," Clark points at Phantazia. Clark's guess is that she manipulates electromagnetic fields ins some way, hence how she disabled Sam and is warding Ray off. That and he can pretty much sense what it is she is doing...he thinks. He still has only a very limited understanding of Magneto's senses.

Paige concentrates for a few moments before shedding her skin and turning to stone. She then runs over at the blond haired girl. She whistles. "Hey! Blondie!" she yells to get her attention.

Phantazia spins round. She tries to use her power but the girl isn't affected in anyway. Next thing she knows is her face being hit by a stone fist and out like a light she goes.

"How did you know zhat vould vork?" Kurt asks Clark.

"Stone doesn't generate any sort of electromagnetic field," Clark explains his thinking. "Better living through science."

Meanwhile Volcana had distracted Unuscione's attention with her attacks. Tarot concentrates all her energy into making her construct as strong as possible. The man swings his club hard and with Unuscione's focus elsewhere the club smashes through the green energy armour. The psionic backlash makes her scream out in pain before she falls over in a heavily stunned state.

"So vaht now?" Kurt asks since they pretty much have this small scuffle dealt with.

"Now we find Magneto and get my body back," Clark says with total determination. He can just hope that while he was gone the others have managed to subdue Magneto.

* * *

"Sister?" Wanda queries, completely taken aback by the girl's claim. The girl she is still pinning down to the ground.

Lorna nods and tries to appeal to her sister. "Yes...well half-sister. My name is Lorna...and can you get off of me please?"

Wanda's grip loosens and she slides backwards off of the girl and just sits there on the floor in a stunned state.

Lorna sits up and tries to give an open, welcoming expression. "Hi," she says.

Wanda's face twitches as emotions flash through her. "Hi," she croaks out.

"I...um...it's really nice to meet you, finally," Lorna says, genuinely pleased to meet her sister finally although circumstances could have obviously been better.

"W-what do you mean, sister?" Wanda asks, her brain failing to wrap itself around that one.

"Uh...it's sort of self-explanatory. We have the same father."

Father. Wanda's head snaps round to glare at the figure in her 'brother's' body, that is only barely moving. She turns back to the girl. "Look...Lorna, I don't know what pack of lies he sold you..."

Lorna takes offence at that. "He hasn't lied to me!" she insists. "He has been completely honest. I know why you and he had a falling out."

"Do you?" Wanda questions that, sceptical as hell that her father told the true story.

"Look, you lost your mother. I can sort of understanding. My mother..." Lorna trails off as the pain wells up at the though of her mother in that coma. Her mother isn't dead but she's as good as in many ways. She returns to what she was about to argue to her sister about. "But dad, lost his wife and he may not have been as sympathetic to your grief as he should have been."

"Not as sympathetic?" Wanda queries that, her tone icy cold and the whole atmosphere around them literally chills. "Not as sympathetic?" she repeats, only venomous anger is slipping into her tone. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" she shrieks.

In Wanda's anger the whole vicinity begins to warp as the metal of the walls and floor begin to take on impossible shapes.

Lorna scrambles to her feet as Wanda rises to her.

Wanda's face is twisted in rage and her hands are clenched tight into fists. Sparks of scarlet red energy fly off her fists in all directions. Her anger glare focusses in on her 'sister'. "I don't know if you're just gullible or stupid or both but let me explain to you what _he _is," she points at her father. "He's an unfeeling monster! And the whole world will be better off without him! I know I certainly will be!" she shouts with years of repressed hatred flowing out of her.

The glow of energy around Wanda's fist grows more intense as a new hex-sphere starts to form around her father.

Before Wanda can finish it Lorna dashes directly in the way in between her sister and her father, forcing Wanda to stop her casting.

"Get out of my way!" Wanda screams.

"No," Lorna says with steely determination to protect her father.

"Last chance. Move!" Wanda warns.

"No," Lorna repeats even in the face of her sister's rage. "He's our father," she explains why she can't move.

"He is no father of mine," Wanda dismisses any attempt to call Magneto her father. "And anyone who stands with him is no family of mine," she adds.

"You're wrong!" Lorna cries in desperation. "We are family!" she argues. All Lorna has wanted from the day she discovered Magneto was her father was to try and bring her family back together.

"I have a family. They're called the X-Men."

At hearing this a dull pain leaches through Magneto's heart. To have Wanda so completely reject him...

Lorna's face falls at her seeming failure to reach her sister. "I can't let you hurt him," she says at a whisper.

"You don't get a choice in the matter," Wanda states bluntly.

"Then I'm sorry," Lorna says, sorrowful for what is about to happen.

"Not as sorry as he is going to be," Wanda promises.

Lorna reaches out with her powers, a green electromagnetic field flares up around her and the floor rises between her and Wanda, creating a barrier.

"Of course she would have _his _powers," Wanda mutters. "You made your choice," she states flatly. "Now live with the consequences and learn why no-one crosses the Scarlet Witch!"

* * *

Speaking of witches brings us back to Isobel engaging in her duel with Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. She sends a mystical bolt at him which he deflects into the wall.

Stephen's strategy in this had been simple. Prolong it until Isobel tired herself out. Lacking her spell book she could not engage him in a prolonged contest and by the way she is breathing hard he reckons he is almost ready to bring down the finale upon her. With a sweep of his cape he sends a small sandstorm at her, blinding her. Isobel turns to shield her face only to come face to face with Dr Strange who had teleported in behind her. "I summon the Crimson Bands of Cyttorax!" he chants. "Bind this spirit!"

Instantly countless bands of ruby energy wrap themselves around Isobel's form. With a gesture of his hand Stephen raises her off the ground so they are at the same eye level.

Isobel sneers in pure fury. "You think this to hold me?!" she snarls.

Stephen smiles gently. "Perhaps at your peak, with your spell book, you could break those bonds but alas you have neither the raw strength nor your book." His voice grows more serious. "Your violation of the poor girl you possess is at its end, Countess."

Isobel struggles hopeless against the mystical bonds that hold her. "I will not go! You hear me! I! Will! Not!"

Stephen sighs. He doubted she would willingly go. That means forcibly extracting her. That means an exorcism. Not a ceremony to be performed here. She will have to return with him to the Sanctum.

"Y-you caught her," an astonished tone interrupts.

Stephen turns his head to see Superman, Nightcrawler, Cannonball, Boom Boom, Husk, Volcana, Tarot and Berzerker have joined him.

Superman walks forward until he can look Isobel in the eye. He was the one who spoke. He truly is astonished that after his many weeks of failure that they can finally save Lana.

Isobel growls and spits in Superman's face. "Don't get too cocky, farmboy. I am not going anywhere," she swears, defiant to the end.

"Can we gag her?" Boom Boom asks.

Isobel shoots Tabby a death glare for that.

"Probably a wise idea," Dr Strange agrees as he reaches into his pocket and produces a handkerchief which he ties over Isobel's mouth. He turns his attention to Superman. "Your part of the mission was a success I trust?"

"Yeah we have the stone," Clark confirms as Kurt holds up the box containing it.

"Then let us finish this," Stephen declares as he casts a teleportation spell and moves the whole group to do that very thing. To finish this.

* * *

Elsewhere in the maze the mission wasn't entirely going to plan for a certain arachnid themed superhero. "Great," Spider-Man mutters to himself. "First I get lost then I have to deal with the overgrown kitty-cat," he complains as he uses all his agility to bounce around off the walls and avoid Sabretooth ripping him apart. "Look what if I offered you a really big ball of string. Wouldn't that be more fun than trying to harm little 'ol me?"

Sabretooth's response is to roar and try and slice Spider-Man up with his claws. Peter manages to leap out of the way...barely and Sabretooth's claws embed into the metal.

"Wow that can't be good for your manicure," Spider-Man quips.

Sabretooth extracts his claws, growling. This little punk was getting on his nerves with his endless chatter. "I am going to rip your throat out," he promises under a growl.

"You know have you tried a lozenge for you throat? You're sounding a little hoarse."

Sabretooth makes ready to pounce at Spider-Man when suddenly he roars in pain as something impacts him several times very quickly. Eventually the barrage sends him down to the ground.

Spider-Man looks up and sees a certain bluish-white skinned mutant with 2 pistols. Two pistols capable of delivering a stunning effect capable of putting Logan down. She knows that for certain because they tested them by having her shoot Logan...a lot. Good times! Anyway if they can put Logan down they can put Sabretooth down.

"Good timing," Spider-Man has be grateful.

Domino holsters her weapons and smirks. "You should have offered him some cat-nip instead."

"Darn it!" Spider-Man complains with a snap of his fingers at now thinking of that.

"Aren't you suppose to be helping Wolverine and Beast?" Domino asks, her gaze dropping the sonic gun on the floor...in pieces.

Spider-Man rubs the back of his apologetically. When Sabretooth jumped him the feral mutant managed to break the gun. Being a bit of a science geek he knows how much it sucks when something you make breaks so feels for Beast when he has to explain this. He then suddenly remembers something and retorts at Domino, "Aren't you suppose to be helping too?"

Domino looks sheepish. "I'm blaming Dr Bizarro for sending me to the wrong place," she makes the excuse.

"Um, yeah. Me too!" Peter decides to use that excuse.

"Right," Domino says in a tone how she isn't buying that.

"I won't tell if you won't tell," Peter makes the offer for them not to rat out the each other that they got lost.

"Deal," Domino agrees. She then pulls out from her shoulder holster the gun with the tranquilliser darts. "Shame. I would have loved to have put a few of these into old Mags," she says a little misty eyed, sad that she couldn't.

"I don't know if that is worrying or not but at least they're only tranquillisers. Anyway it..." Peter trails off as his Spider-sense flares up. His eyes dash around looking for the danger but doesn't see anything. Before he knows it pain rips through him, like being electrocuted. As he sinks to his knees he can see Domino's form has lightning dancing across it as she too drops to the floor. The voltage is too much and Peter drops to the ground stunned but still conscious enough to see the lightning coalesce into the form of Live Wire, smiling gleefully.

Live Wire walks over to Domino's fallen form and picks up the tranquilliser pistol. "Thanks honey," she says to the equally stunned, as Spider-Man, mutant. She brings the pistol to eye level and studies it. "At last," she mutters to herself. "At last, time for some long overdue revenge." Live Wire than cackles madly as her lower half turns back into lightning and she surfs over the metal floor at incredible speed searching out the one she seeks to have vengeance upon.

* * *

Lorna's first barrier hadn't lasted long as Wanda hexed the metal causing it to turn to liquid and collapse.

In response Lorna raised a few misshaped metal lumps and reluctantly flung them at her sister.

Wanda hexed each one turning them into different things. Flowers, sand, jelly beans...ok so she didn't mean to do that last one. Give her a break. She's new at transmutation.

Magneto, now recovered up to a sitting position was astonished by the display of Wanda's new abilities. He had no idea she was capable of doing this.

Wanda was trying very hard to keep her temper in check. "Ok. Enough," she says finally having enough. She sends a good old-fashioned hex-bolt into the ground causing the ground to rise and fall in waves. With Lorna's balance off Wanda hexes her, sending her flying and neutralising her powers. Lorna impacts the wall hard and lays, dazed on the ground.

"No more games, father. No more sending little girls to protect you," Wanda tells him.

Magneto pushes himself to his feet. "Wanda, it need not be this way," he makes one last attempt to reach his daughter.

"I think it does. You shall pay a hundred fold for everything you did to me!"

Before Wanda can do anything the metal wall to her right explodes and Colossus steps through. Magneto has to be thankful for the big Russian's timing because whatever Wanda did to him before has weakened this body even more.

"I am afraid I cannot allow you to harm him," Colossus says, not out of love for Magneto but for his sister.

"You can't stop me," Wanda says in tight tones.

"He doesn't need to," an echoing voice says as behind Magneto, Dr Strange and the rest appear. Beast and Wolverine finally manage to pull themselves to their feet after the force with which Magneto threw them.

"It's over Magneto," Clark states. "I want my body back."

Magneto's eyes narrow. He's too weak to fight all of them but he won't give up. Suddenly a green mist appears...and not the one associated with Haze. This is more like a green cloud and next to Magneto a woman with brown hair appears.

Beast's eyes widen in shock. "Amelia!" he gasps in recognition of the woman. In return she gives him an icy glare.

"Oh no, you don't!" Clark proclaims as he grabs the box containing the stone from Kurt, runs and dives at Magneto as he and the woman begin to disappear into another cloud.

When the cloud clears all 3 are gone.

* * *

The cloud reappears elsewhere in the maze and the second the 3 individuals reform Clark clocks Magneto as hard as he can over the head with the lead box.

Clark finds his arm grabbed by the woman but he summons Magneto's power and a metal line, pulled out of the metal floor, wraps around her tight. "Stay out of this," Clark states coldly. He then summons another line to wrap around Magneto.

"Impressive," Magneto has to reflect at the way Superman has mastered his powers. "Charles I assume," he guesses as to how he gained such mastery so quickly.

"You really need me to answer that?"

"No."

Clark opens the box, ignores the head-piercing noise and grabs the stone. Without another word he advances on Magneto. Just before he can slap the stone into Magneto's hand, the mutant terrorist breaks free and slams a punch into Clark's midsection before delivering one to his his face sending him crashing back.

"Your friends hadn't quite succeeded in draining this body's powers," Magneto states as Clark lies crumpled on the floor, breath knocked out of his lungs.

Clark curses himself. Magneto was playing possum and he fell for it.

Magneto straightens himself up. "Now I am not a cruel man as you may think. I can still use you for your knowledge of the stones. I give you this one final chance to join me."

"Never," Clark says breathlessly.

Magneto sighs. "Very well," he says in acceptance as he zips forward and lifts Superman up by the throat. He pulls his fist back when there is a prick into his neck. Magneto pulls it out to see a little dart. He suddenly feels very woozy.

Clark had managed to hang onto the stone and as Magneto's grip loosens he slams the stone into Magneto's palm. There is a blinding light and next thing he knows he is on the ground and finds himself looking at Magneto's own collapsed body. He's back in his own body!

A strangled cry from the female teleporter and flashes of lightning get his attention. Clark struggles to his feet, trying to fight off the effects of the sedative. Luckily it was only one dart. He is barely standing when he is slammed with an enormous electrical attack. In his weakened state he can't stop the cry of pain as he crumples back to the ground. Next thing Clark know is being rolled onto his back and being straddled. He looks up into the chalk-white face with the sadistic grin. "Live Wire."

Live Wire's grin becomes more insane if anything. She leans down and whispers in his ear. "Hi...Clarkie!" she coos.

Clark's eyes widen.

Live Wire looks into his face and smirks at his expression. "Oh yes I remember...everything. It's funny ain't it. Everyone else has forgotten the truth of you but for me it was so different. That day, when somehow everyone forgot, was the day everything came back to me. Care to explain that one?"

"I can't," Clark gives the honest answer. He doesn't know how that could have happened.

Live Wire bends down again and her breath tickles his ear. "Don't worry. I didn't tell them. It's our little secret and will remain so if you do one tenny tiny favour for me," she requests.

"What?"

"Say it. Say my name. Say the name they tried to rob my very memory of," she asks of him.

"Leslie," he breathes the name he believes she is asking him to speak.

Live Wire shifts her balance on him and actually smiles warmly. "It's been so long since I've heard that name," she says, almost nostalgic for it...almost as if she misses being just plain old Leslie Willis. She then hears groans behind her from Magneto. "Hang on dear. I've got something to deal with." Live Wire slams her hand over Clark's heart and sends a huge electric surge into him to immobilise him. She rises to her feet and turns to confront her 'boss'.

Live Wire slams an electric attack into him sending him flying. "You! You despotic old bastard! I have business with you!" she says with pure hate.

Magneto scrambles back up only for Live Wire to slam another attack into him before he can recover and he lies there sprawled on his back, his body literally smoking slightly.

Live Wire advances and picks up the black stone that had been dropped when she hit Clark. She stands over Magneto and slams her foot hard into his chest, driving the air from his lungs and pinning him down. "I remember," she says, her tone like acid. "I remember you siccing your troll of a telepath on me...and I've been waiting. Waiting for the right moment to make you pay! You will suffer!" she swears darkly as she points down at him. Electrical energy surges from her fingertip striking into Magneto.

Live Wire then grasps the stone in both hands, raises it above her head, the pointed end aimed down and with a cry of rage and hate she slams it down into Magneto's prone form...and by doing so she has no comprehension of the darkness that she is unwittingly unleashing upon the Earth.

* * *

**Deep space...**

Floating through the vastness of space is a group of rocks. In the middle of that is a black triangular shaped object. A ship from a particularly point of origin.

Within the ship lie two figures. A man and a woman. Both are trim figures in peak psychical shape. The man has brown skin and no hair. The woman has long dark hair and fair skin. Both are dressed in what would appear to be some sort of metallic armour that covers the upper part of their chests and what on Earth would be considered skirts.

The internal lights come on and the two figures wake up from the long stasis they have been in since Krypton was destroyed. They open their eyes to reveal they have identical luminous green eyes. It's a familial genetic trait. They're cousins after all.

The man, Nam-Ek, speaks. "Report, Brainiac," he commands to know why they have been awakened from the AI known as the Brain Interactive Construct, shortened to Brainiac, that is the ship essentially.

"Human blood has touched one of the 3 stones that were left on the planet the primitives call Earth," Brainiac reports. What Live Wire doesn't know that as soon as she slammed it into Magneto it sent a powerful signal out that Brainiac detected.

"What does it mean?" the woman, Aethyr seeks clarification.

"Either humans have discovered the stones or Kal-El has finally come of age and is seeking them."

"Kal-El," Nam-Ek repeats that name. "Finally," he says as if this moment has been waited for, for far too long.

"Do you believe he can be persuaded to help us?" Aethyr wonders.

"There is no way to know how being raised by the primitives of that world will have affected his thinking," Nam-Ek cautions against raised expectations.

"Still, he will have been exposed to the yellow sun for a long time now. It would be foolish to confront him if we can instead persuade him to join us," Aethyr cautions against rushing into a conflict with Kal-El. If they can avoid a conflict...if they can manage to persuade Kal-El of the righteousness of their quest and have him join them...surely that is preferable. It would make it so much easier to achieve their goals.

"We shall give him one chance," Nam-Ek decrees.

"Brainiac, do you know where on the planet Jor-El sent him?" Aethyr inquiries.

"I have extensive knowledge of my creator's life and of his inexplicable fondness for these humans. I believe the most likely location is a small habitation he visited when he was a young man. It is near a Kryptonian outpost. The primitives refer to it as Smallville," Brainiac deduces.

"Then take us to this...Smallville," Aethyr commands. It was the very least a place to start the search for Kal-El.

The ship powers up its engines and makes the shift into Trans-Warp. Destination: Smallville, Earth. In its wake it drags all the rocks around it along. Drags them to crash into that very same destination they are heading to in a repeat of what transpired the day the infant Kal-El crashed down to Earth.

Nam-Ek closes his eyes, mediating in preparation for the mission ahead. It was all as their master foresaw. He tells Aethyr the following. "Either way it makes no difference. If Kal-El chooses to join us or not. We shall not fail. Zod shall be free and Krypton shall be reborn."

* * *

_Author's Note: Yes, Kitty. It is a little purple dragon. Time for Lockheed to make his début. Well Live Wire's revenge had to come at some point and isn't this beautiful coincidental timing. Plus I needed to concoct some way for blood to fall upon the stone and now that it has the Disciples of Zod(yes they really were called that on the show) are coming...and I know I could have had them come to Earth anywhere but lets just stick with the show and have Smallville wrecked all over again. I know Wanda could have told her story to Lorna as an example of what Magneto is truly like but when does Wanda just open up like that? Also she just flew into a rage and it never occurred to her...and I'm not yet ready for Lorna to see her father for who he truly is and leave him at the moment. __Phantazia was a member of Toad's version of the Brotherhood of Mutants very briefly before vanishing from the roster without any explanation ever which is a shame because she does have a useful power. Down the line sometime I could make it possible she is capable of disrupting even Clark's bio-electric field, significantly weakening him. Burner, Unuscione, Chrome, Delgado and Amelia(who has a whole history with the Professor to exploit) were Acolytes in the comics and even appeared in the 90s cartoon two-parter Sanctuary along with Frenzy and Fabian Cortez. Didn't feel like adding Cortez just yet. Wow, long note today huh? Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Live Wire isn't finished getting her payback, not by a long shot and the X-Men still have to make their getaway._


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Magneto, despite all he has endured in his life, even he can't stop crying out at the pain caused when someone stabs you.

Live Wire leans down on where she has stabbed him, adding her weight just to make sure it really hurts, a look of joyful triumph at her success.

Magneto chokes down the pain and looks to see she has stabbed him close to his left shoulder. "You missed," he hisses through the pain meaning she missed everything vital. He'll live.

"I meant to," Live Wire retorts. "Because I don't want you to die right here and right now. I want you to live and spend every minute wondering where and when it is I will strike you down. I promise you that such a day is coming. Whenever you see a thunder storm and lightning cracks across the sky I want you to think of me, _old man_," she says that with as much hate as possible. "One day I'll return and you will die," she promises. "On that day all your dreams will turn to ash. I'll see everything you hold dear taken from you so you know what it is you did to me!" she hisses hatefully.

Magneto chokes out a laugh. "I already lost everything once. It's not much of a threat."

Live Wire's lips curl up into a cruel smile. "We'll see if you still think that when your precious Lorna is screaming in agony, begging for the pain to stop."

Magneto's face darkens. "Touch her and..."

Live Wire cuts him off by pushing the stone further in to him. "And you'll do what? Rape my brain? Strip me of my memories? Try being original. Take it from me that's the only way you get to stay on the air."

"This is not over Live Wire," Magneto warns her. "Let me live and I promise you that."

"Give it your best shot," Live Wire dares him. She then places her hand over his heart and shocks him into unconsciousness. That done she turns her attention back to Clark. Stranding up she yanks the stone out of Magneto first and keeps a hold of the now blood stained relic. As she walks over she spies that the teleporter is still out. She straddles Clark across his chest. "Right then where were we honey?"

Clark was never completely out. He just about saw and heard what she just did. "Leslie," he croaks.

Live Wire places her blood-stained finger to his lips, silencing him. "Shh, don't tell me. It'll come back to me. Oh right, I remember. You and your little X-Men buddies attacked me just when I was about to reveal mutants to the world and then you let Magneto snatch me and brainwash me," she summarises the last encounter between herself and the X-Men when she was truly herself. "Anything to say for yourself?"

Live Wire removes her finger and lets Clark talk. "I'm sorry," is the first thing he says. "Truly, Leslie, I never wished that to have happened to you," he means that. Yeah she's annoying as hell but Clark never wanted her to have endured what Magneto did.

Live Wire holds up her right hand and makes electricity crackles between her fingers. "I'm curious. In your current state, could I kill you?"

"You don't want to do that."

Live Wire arches an eyebrow. "Don't I?"

"No," Clark says with remarkable assuredness considering his position. His body feels wiped and he thinks he basically is at her mercy. "I know your time at the mansion didn't go well and maybe I'm partially to blame for that," he says, thinking perhaps he could have tried harder to reach her instead of avoiding her as much as he did during her short tenure as a student at the Institute. The thing behind that thought is that, back in Smallville, Clark could never help the meteor mutants and Leslie had been the 1st person he probably had been in a position to have helped but he failed utterly in that regard.

"I blame all of you pathetic wannabe heroes," Live Wire says to that. To her they have much to pay for.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Leslie," Clark tries to make her see.

"Oh, really?" she questions that.

"We can make a fresh start. New beginning. You're not a bad person," he tries to appeal to that side of her.

"Course not. I'm the greatest!" she proclaims something she often said when she was a hit radio shock jock. She leans down and brings herself nose to nose with Clark. "It's a nice offer Clark. Still the boyscout I see. Problem is you goodie goodies have all those rules and I have an issue with rules."

Clark chuckles. "Lately so have I," he says humorously at the things he has done.

Live Wire's curved lips grow into a wide smile. "I knew it! I knew deep down you were more like me than you would admit to yourself!"

"I still believe in the X-Men's cause and in helping those who can't help themselves," Clark cuts off any idea she might be getting

Live Wire smiles thinly. "Course you do. Well then I guess it is rather obvious what I have to do next."

Clark worries for a brief moment before the next thing he knows Live Wire's lips are on his, kissing him with a lot of ferocity and hunger.

"Damn, you taste better than I thought you would," Live Wire remarks after she has finished, licking her lips, grinning like the cat who got the cream. She has wanted to do that since the moment she first laid eyes upon Clark after inadvertently appearing in his room, while he was sleeping, just after she was transformed into what she is now and hadn't learned any control of her powers.

"You going to kill me now?"

"Thinking about it," Live Wire teases.

Clark gives her a sceptical look. He has a feeling she doesn't really want to. Whether she is actually capable of killing someone...that's an entirely different question.

"Not today, handsome," she says warmly while she pats him on his cheek. "You see when I choose to destroy you it won't be in some metal dome in the ass-end of nowhere. It will be in front of the whole damn world!" she declares stretching her arms out above her head. "Everyone will see me for the true star I am. The whole world will hear me!" she shouts as if it is need of hers to be seen and heard.

Live Wire then looks down at him with a sexy, impish smile. "Rest assured Clarkie boy, we will meet again and then we shall..._finish _this," she says as suggestively as possible, implying something very different from destroying him. "The Live Wire's greatest performance is yet to come!" she proclaims.

Live Wire rises off of him. "Oh. To show that I do have a heart, here's your little trinket back," she throws the stone down beside him. "Bye handsome!" she says with a playful wink and the blowing out of kiss from her lips. With that Live Wire transforms into lightning and shoots off...not to leave quite yet. There's one more person she needs to get some payback on first.

Clark slowly rolls himself over to his side and reaches out for the stone. Luckily for Live Wire that when he swapped back with Magneto the stone must have deactivated or she would have swapped with him when she stabbed him. Clark's fingers become smeared with Magneto's blood as he grabs the stone and a memory plays out in his head. A memory from his 3 months locked up in the cave. A memory of something Jor-El said.

"_Heed this warning, my son. Human blood must not fall upon any of the elements. If this comes to pass a great darkness lost in the depths of space shall be awoken. Earth will come to the twilight of its existence and humanity will meet its Doomsday."_

Jor-El is many things to Clark. Usually he's just the figure who makes Clark's life hell but one thing he is not is a liar. Something is coming. Something bad. Clark just somehow knows this to be this true.

"Superman!" he hears his name being shouted out.

Someone runs over to him and rolls him over. "Scott?" he queries in his greatly weakened state.

Scott looks into Superman's eyes trying to work out whether it is really Clark. The situation he found indicates that it possibly is. "If it's you tell me something only you know," he advises.

Clark's lips curve up into that little bad boy smirk that shows he is about to enjoy this way too much. "When you were working up the nerve to ask Jean out you spent 2 weeks practising in front of the mirror in your room."

Scott's face reddens with embarrassment.

"Is that so?" a too familiar voice asks.

Scott's face reddens more as he turns to find Jean has joined them. "Can, um, we discuss this later?" he requests to shelve that. "I need help," he says in reference to Clark and it is no doubt that it is Clark. Only Clark could possibly have known about the mirror thing.

Jean runs over and helps Scott pick Clark up. "Geez, lay off the cookies," Jean complains at his weight.

"Those are my mother's cookies. I would rather be fat!" Clark declares to be the case rather than give up his mother's cookies.

"Yeah. It's definitely you," Jean can see.

Clark groans. "I don't remember being me hurting this much," he whines.

"What about them?" Jean asks in reference to Magneto and the woman. "What happened here?"

"Long story," Clark says wearily.

Scott is trying to think of how to use this moment to take care of Magneto once and for all when the woman wakes up and vanishes in a green cloud which floats over Magneto's body and the cloud vanishes completely, taking Magneto with it. So much for that idea.

"Lets just go," Clark suggests. "We can get Magneto another day."

Scott reluctantly has to agree. They're not chasing Magneto all over this base. He activates his communicator. "X-Men, mission accomplished. Everyone fall back to the rendezvous position. We're leaving!" he orders.

Scott gets a 'Roger' from everyone including the group consisting of Sunspot, Magma and Multiple who have found Kitty...and her new friend and her new, uh, pet.

Scott wonders what that pet thing is about then notices one person who hasn't responded.

Rogue.

* * *

**A short time earlier...**

Rogue blinks after Dr Strange's teleportation spell. So far so good it seems. Now she should be near one of the Acolytes. Her task really is just to keep whoever it is busy. With all the powers she absorbed she thinks she can handle any of them. Rogue carefully treads forward. She stops and tenses. There's someone behind her. She spins round.

"We meet again, Cherie."

_'Not this jackass again!' _Rogue mentally curses as leaning against the wall, flipping his playing cards from one hand to the other, a lazy cocky grin on his face is the man known as Gambit.

Gambit looks Rogue and her reptilian appearance over. "You look different, Petit. Not a bad different," he says in his smooth tones and flashing his charming smiles.

Like the first time they met Rogue can't help it when she flushes slightly at his smile. It's so not right he can do that to her. She snaps herself out of it. "Look here, Swamp Rat, ah ain't fallin for your tricks this tahme."

Gambit looks amused. "How about you just fall for Gambit instead, non?"

Rogue scoffs. "Keep on dreamin. Ah have a boyfriend," she points out although she isn't sure why she feels the need to tell him that.

"So Gambit hear. Tell me truthfully, Petit, what does some human have d'at Gambit doesn't?"

"Charm, wit, generosity, kindness, a sense of humour...need ah go on?"

"You wound Gambit," Gambit says, mock holding his hand over his heart.

There's also the fact Clark doesn't refer to himself in the 3rd person all the time. Dear God is that irritating. What is more than irritating is the fact Rogue remembers how he almost blew her hand off last time they met. He is going to pay for that...

**The present...**

Rogue unfortunately discovers that making him pay is a lot harder than she thought. He's really quite good when it comes to fighting. She flips out of the way of one of his charged cards, using all the agility she absorbed from Slither, allowing her to contort her body at a humanly impossible angle.

She lands in a crouch and reaches into Lifter's power. She digs her hands into the metal floor and rips it up hard, tearing it all the way down to where Gambit is standing.

Gambit does the surprising thing and runs right at her, reaching into his coat for his retractable metal Bo staff. He extends it and uses it like a pole vaulter would to propel himself over Rogue's head and land behind her where he quickly sweeps his staff into the back of her knees, sending Rogue down onto her back.

Ok scratch what she said. He's not quite good. Rogue will begrudgingly have to admit he's really good.

Gambit brings the end of his staff to mere millimetres above her nose. "You're good Cher," he gives what is a genuine compliment for him. "But not good enough," he boasts.

"And you would know about what is good, wouldn't you lover."

Gambit spins round and finds his staff grabbed by the hand of Live Wire.

Live Wire smirks. "A metal staff? On me? Seriously?"

Before Gambit can figure out what she means she sends a huge electrical surge into the staff which travels up Gambit's arms shocking him severely. As he cries out in pain he releases the staff and collapses down.

"I'll be back, lover. You just wait there," Live Wire says with an amused cackle as she steps over to Rogue's fallen body, still holding Gambit's staff. "Hello, Roguey. Been awhile hasn't it."

Rogue is a little short of breath at the moment. "What do ya want?"

Live Wire slams the end of the staff into Rogue's stomach, hard enough to knock the air out of Rogue's lungs. An indication that the powers she absorbed are fading. "Oh you'll see what I want shortly," Live Wire responds with a dark gleam in her eye and a smile to match. She sends a charge into Rogue's body and keeps delivering it until the Goth is out for the count.

That done Live Wire returns to her sex partner, straddling him across the chest. "Now this is familiar," she says with a wicked grin.

Gambit shakes his head, trying to clear it. "What are you doing, Cher?"

"What am I doing? I think I'm doing, _Cher_, a little payback."

"For what?" Gambit asks.

"I remember...everything, Remy. I remember Magneto messing with my head. I remember you doing absolutely nothing about it and I remember you having no compunction in sleeping with me even when you knew I was no longer in possession of my right mind," Live Wire lists his crimes as she sees it.

"Gambit can explain..."

Live Wire places her fingers to his lips, stopping him. "Shh. There's no need to explain Remy. Certainly not with one of your little excuses...but you're good at excuses, aren't you. I'm curious which ones you tell yourself everyday that allows you to keep hanging around here. Then again I really don't care. I know what you are Gambit. You're a thief and a liar and someone who takes advantage of any situation he finds himself in for any benefit that solely helps yourself. Then again who am I to judge. After all I was only sleeping with you to see if I could loosen your tongue and spill the truth of my forgotten memories."

Gambit frowns.

Live Wire notices his expression. "Oh don't give me _that _look, lover. You're not that good. You only barely managed to adequately scratch my itch."

Ok now Gambit feels like he should be insulted. He's never had one woman who has ever described him as only barely adequate.

"So tell me Remy, what does a girl do after finding every one of her so-called teammates have been laughing at her behind her back about the poor lobotomised girl?" Live Wire asks him as she arcs electricity between her fingers

"Remy never laughed at you," Gambit says.

"Right and I just take your word which is worth about as much as the crap that comes out my backside," Live Wire dismisses that. She rocks her head back and forth a few times. "You know what. I'll let you live because we both know it is only a matter of time before you stab Magneto in the back when it suits you and anything that makes that old fart suffer makes me sing with glee!" she says cheerily.

"You leaving now?" Gambit asks her.

"You going to try and stop me?"

"Non," Gambit says with a shake of his head.

"Aw. You're such a sweetheart. Almost makes me feel guilty for having to do this."

"Do what?"

Live Wire answers his question by slamming her hand over his heart and shocking him hard. She leans down and kisses him on the lips. "Really sorry, lover but I don't think even you would let me do what I'm going to next."

Live Wire leaves him stunned and moves back over to where Rogue lies and a truly disturbing gleam comes over her face. She picks Rogue up and lumps the unconscious Goth over her shoulder. "Come on Rogue. Time for some girl talk," she says with a positively wicked grin as she carries Rogue away.

* * *

Lorna finds herself surrounded with only Colossus for protection. She worries about what now. For a long time no-one moves or does anything.

Cyclops' message about leaving then reaches the X-Men.

Wolverine whistles loudly. "Hex-girl we're going!" he barks out the order.

Wanda looks past her sister at him. If they're going that must mean her father is back where he belongs. Her eyes focus back in on the green haired teenager. "Want some advice, _sis_. Get as far away from Magneto as possible before he destroys your life as he destroyed mine," she offers the only kind advice she can think of.

Lorna looks pained at how much hate her sister is spewing. "I can't," she refuses for her own reasons, primarily her mother.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Wanda mutters, not wasting time on someone, even someone who claims to be her sister, who refuses to see Magneto for what he is. She storms past Lorna and Colossus and rejoins Wolverine, Beast, Dr Strange and half the New Mutants.

"What was that about?" Tabby wonders with Wanda calling this girl 'sis'.

"I don't want to talk about it," Wanda snaps back.

"What about you Tin-grin?" Wolverine inquires. "Ready to let us help you yet?" he asks, knowing Magneto has some sort of hold over the boy.

"Nothing has changed," Colossus says regretfully.

Wolverine wastes no more time then. "Get us out of here, Strange," he orders.

"As you wish," Dr Strange concedes to the request as he chants his spell and the whole group teleport away.

* * *

"Wakey, wakey snookums!" Rogue hears that horribly familiar grating tone of Live Wire break into her consciousness and another sound like someone knocking on a window.

Rogue wakes up to find herself curled up on the floor inside a vertical tube of some sort with one side transparent and Live Wire peering in. Rogue slowly gets back to her feet.

"Ah! Finally! I was afraid for a moment I overdid it!" Live Wire says with an insane cheerfulness.

Rogue bangs on the glass but can't break it. Her extra powers are gone. "Where am Ah?"

"Oh we'll get to that," Live Wire promises. "But tell me first Rogue how are things with you and Clark?"

"What?"

Live Wire grins. "Don't play dumb. I remember. I must say Superman is a little egotistical but then again who I am to judge."

Rogue swallows. "How did ya...?"

"Work it out? Not too hard really when I can remember what he is capable of doing yet everyone else has forgotten him. I'm curious how you guys pulled that one off."

"Go ta hell."

"You first honey," Live Wire says with deadly premise in her tone.

"What do ya want?"

"I remember everything now about my time at that shabby little mansion and what I remember, Rogue, is that you were constantly in my way."

Rogue scoffs. "Then ah say ya don't remember everything because that's a load of bull." Live Wire threw herself at Clark even when he made it quite clear he wasn't interested and only wanted Rogue.

Live Wire smiles a lopsided grin. "Did you ever wonder how I ended up the fine figure of a woman I am today?"

"Can't say ah did," Rogue admits.

Live Wire leans forward and presses her nose against the glass. "You're standing in it."

Rogue looks around her with a puzzled expression.

"What you are standing in is an x-gene enhancer Magneto stole from Lionel Luthor. Back when I had pink skin I snuck into Lionel's secret little lab trying to get him back for having me fired!" she snaps angrily, pissed as hell. Live Wire calms herself. "There was an accident and I fell into the unfinished prototype which then activated and bada bing, bada boom, Live Wire is born!" she proclaims, raising her arms out to the side.

"What is this? Share our origins day?" Rogue sarcastically asks. Considering what happened on Asteroid M it is not a huge surprise to find out Magneto got himself a new enhancer.

"In a way, yes," Live Wire says cryptically. She then walks over to a console and behind it. She flicks a few switches and the tube lights up.

Rogue's heart speeds up but she remains outwardly calm.

"You know this machine does more than enhance mutants. It can create them too. Take one normal little human, stick them inside, put on the rinse cycle and hey presto one newly minted, spring fresh mutant."

Ok. The Professor definitely needs to know about this.

"I've got to know one thing, Rogue."

"Which is what?"

"Will Clark still want you after I've done to you what was done to me?" Live Wire says with a positively evil grin as she flicks the on switch.

Little circular sections on the inner surface slide back to reveal glowing green rocks. Panic starts to creep inside Rogue. Kryptonite. Magneto is creating meteor mutants.

Live Wire wanders back as the machine begins to power up. "Well I would love to stay and see the results but you know what I'm dying for some R&R. You know relax on the beach, catch a few rays, recharge the old batteries. Being Magneto's slave dog is tiring," she says blowing out an exaggerated weary breath.

"Live Wire, don't do this!" Rogue asks of her.

"Oh let me guess. Clark will never forgive me? It's wrong? It's immoral? I'm a better person than this?" Live Wire rolls off a few things she thinks Rogue is about to say. "Here's a fact Rogue I'm not a good person. I'm a great person! Everywhere I go I leave an impression for the whole world to hear me! And now I leave my impression upon you," she says, pointing her finger at the Goth girl. "Ta! Ta!" Live Wire waves her goodbyes as she transforms into her lightning form and vanishes.

Rogue bangs on the glass as hard as she can but not even a crack. She turns her attention to the green rocks and tries to pull at them but they are fixed in firmly. Her eyes desperately scan the interior for some flaw, some weakness she can exploit. All the time the glow of the rocks increases in intensity and brightness as the machine heads towards its peak function.

The truth is that Rogue is scared. Scared as to what this machine will do for her. She sort of hopes Clark would perform one of his last second rescues.

He doesn't and the machine activates fully, flooding the chamber with green light and radiation. Suddenly it feels like every nerve in her body is on fire and needles are being shoved into every inch of her skin. She screams out as the pain worsens into the worse thing she has ever felt, like her body is being torn apart and put back together. In the end she succumbs to the inevitable and passes out. The darkness is a welcome relief.

* * *

"Ok, how did we get lost?" Sunspot complains as he, Magma, Multiple, Blindfold and Shadowcat...and little purple dragon try to find their way back to the rendezvous point.

"Not lost, thank you," Blindfold says. "Some journeys are straight lines and others are winding paths, yes, no."

"Are you confused as I am?" Magma asks honestly about their new friend that Kitty said was coming with them without much more of an explanation than that.

"I'm still trying to get over the fact Kitty now has a pet dragon," Multiple says, weirded out beyond description.

"Kitty, why did you bring that?" Roberto has to know.

"I couldn't leave him there!" Kitty defends her decision. He looked so helpless and well Kitty thought he was also kind of cute. She wasn't going to leave him there to have whatever sick experiments done on him. Kitty looks down at the little creature she was carrying and he looks back at her with sad, weary eyes. "It's ok, little guy. I'll look after you," she coos to him.

In response the dragon licks her face, causing her to giggle. Kitty holds him close.

Roberto looks to the heavens.

They turn a corner, still on alert when coming staggering towards them is Rogue, looking frankly terrible.

"Rogue!" Kitty cries out.

Roberto is over to the Goth in an instant, helping stabilise her on her feet. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah...yeah. Ah'm fahne," Rogue tries to assure him.

"What happened? How did you end up here?" Amara asks.

"It was Live Wire. She ambushed meh," Rogue explains. How she ended up here? After the machine was finished the door just opened and Rogue had staggered herself out. She feels wiped but otherwise as far as she could tell nothing else had happened to her. From there Rogue just walked to here.

"Gods do I not miss her," Amara mutters. Live Wire had been with them for like 2 or 3 days max before she went and tried to kill the X-Men and then expose them all. Worse few days like ever. Live Wire was beyond obnoxious.

"Neither do I," Jamie agrees and he generally likes most people but not her.

"We're leaving," Roberto takes charge as he continues to allow Rogue to lean on him and the group continue to head for the exit.

"We'll take the direct route," Shadowcat decides. "Sunspot, Magma, melt a hole in that wall," she orders pointing at the wall ahead of them.

Roberto hands Rogue off to a couple of Jamies before he and Magma release a combined fiery barrage and melt the metal until a large hole is formed revealing the outside world.

They head for the exit with the couple of Jamie dupes helping a still woozy Rogue.

Once outside they head round the metal dome of Magneto's base, back to the point they entered at to find most of the rest of their friends and Dr Strange and a bound up Isobel trying to speak muffled words through her gag.

"What in the world is that?!" Wolverine exclaims as he spots what Kitty is holding.

Dr Strange walks over. "May I?" he asks permission to examine the little purple creature.

Kitty nods her approval.

Dr Strange leans down slightly and spots the bandages. "Easy little fella. I won't harm you," he says in soothing tones as the creature starts to fidget. "I just want to look."

Kitty pats her little pet's head and makes soothing noises.

"Hmm...looks like a dwarf dragon," Dr Strange comments from what he can remember about dragons.

"It really is a dragon?" Jamie asks, stunned by that.

"Seems to be, yes," Dr Strange confirms as far as he is able to.

"Alright half-pint. This better be good," Logan says, wanting a damn good explanation.

"I found him in this totally creepy lab and I couldn't, like, leave him there!" Kitty insists passionately. "I mean look at him," she holds him up a little bit so he can be seen clearly and the fact he has been experimented on. "That would have been cruel. After all shouldn't you of all people understand what it's like to be experimented on!"

Logan couldn't respond to that with anything so he just growled a little. He glances at Rogue. "You alright Stripes?" he asks since she looks...terrible.

"Live Wire attacked meh," is all Rogue chooses to say about it for the moment.

Logan's face morphs a little more sympathy for his daughter. "Yeah, well I did always plan to get her back at some point. Now I have a better reason."

Rogue manages a tiny smile. That's about as much caring as you get from Logan.

Loud noises from within the base get everyone's attention as Scott and Jean, each with one of Clark's arms over their shoulders come exiting with Spyke, Storm, Domino, Iceman and Spider-Man providing cover from a group of mutants including the remainder of the Acolytes.

Wanda thinks fast and raises her hand and chants an incantation. It forms one of her scarlet-red hex spheres in front of the advancing mutants who are foolish enough to follow her father. "Cyclops! Fire into the sphere, full blast!"

Scott stops and looks at her.

"Trust me!" she asks of him.

Scott turns his head and slips his visor off his face before opening his eyes and unleashing the full might of his power. The beams slam into the sphere and what emerges is a single pulse of crimson red energy, like a bubble that encases the whole group, imprisoning them.

"That should hold them for about 5 minutes," Wanda informs them.

"That's very good," Dr Strange praises his pupil with a smile. She took that raw energy and reshaped it to a new purpose. She was learning fast.

Wanda smiles a little shyly at the praise.

"So mission successful?" Beast inquires.

Clark holds up the stone in his hand.

"We should go," Beast announces.

The whole group move through the valley towards their two aircraft as swiftly as possible. Dr Strange levitates Isobel as he brings her along as she muffles obscenities into her gag. A Countess should not speak in such a manner.

"You ok?" Kitty asks her boyfriend as he swings above them.

"You know me," Peter replies...although that chalk-skinned woman's attack smarted like the dickens. "How are yo...is that a dragon?" he asks nonplussed as he spots it for the 1st time in his girlfriend's arms.

"So Dr Strange says. Isn't he like the cutest? I really hope the Professor lets me keep him!" Kitty wishes strongly as she cuddles her new pet closely.

Clark chuckles. "Looks like you've been replaced," he jokes although weary sounding as he leans on Beast for support as he runs.

Spider-Man lets out an exaggerated sad sigh. "Oh well. It was good while it lasted," he jokily laments.

"Oh shut up!" Kitty tells them off. "I'm not replacing anyone!" she insists and she's not. She likes Peter. Really, really likes Peter.

They soon reach the two aircraft where the Professor comes out to meet them. He had had to stay behind. His telepathic powers may be immense but he is painfully aware of his physical limitations. "All went well?"

"Not entirely," Clark says in grave tones.

"In what way?"

"Live Wire...somehow she remembers...everything."

"Oh zhat's going to bite us on zhe behind," Nightcrawler gives his grim assessment.

"She attacked Magneto when we were fighting...which in its way allowed me to swap us back. My guess is that that was her way of handing in her notice. She's loose, out in the world again."

Charles closes his eyes momentarily. Live Wire remembering everything is bad. They'll have to make plans to deal with that when they get home.

"It gets worse," Clark adds.

"How?" Evan asks.

"She stabbed Magneto...not fatally, with the stone."

"So?" Bobby asks.

"Remember the warning I gave about blood not falling on the stone. Something...something has awoken in the dark...and it's coming," Clark says with this far off expression as he speaks feelings he can't understand.

"Red falls upon black. Fire rains from the sky. A great darkness shall come to the Earth to try and snuff out the light of the Star Child," a small voice says.

Charles' brow furrows as he looks round to the source of the voice and spots the young girl with the bandaged eyes...who gives off no psychic impression whatsoever. "Who are you?"

Kitty slaps her own forehead, without dropping her dragon. "I am, like, so forgetful," she lambastes herself. "This is Ruth. This is how Magneto always knew where we were. She like totally sees the future."

"You're a precog," Charles says with some wonder. He has so rarely met a precog and she is so young.

"I thought it best not to leave her there. Magneto was keeping her prisoner," Kitty explains.

"You did exactly the correct thing, Kitty," Charles praises her. "Hello Ruth," he greets the girl.

"Hello Professor. Did I manage to wait until you actually asked that, yes, no?"

"She speaks a little strangely," Kitty says.

Charles smiles. "I'm certain she does...and yes Ruth. You did wait. Very kind of you."

"I was promised blue jell-o."

Everyone looks at Kitty. "Don't look at me. She said I offered her blue jell-o in exchange for coming to the mansion before I said anything," she tries to explain.

"There will be plenty of time to go over everything when we get home," the Professor decides. "One thing though. Kitty. Is that a dragon?"

"Yep."

Charles can feel the migraine coming already. "We'll discuss that later as well."

Everyone prepares to leave when Dr Strange and Wanda stand stock still, their whole bodies shivering.

"What is that?" Wanda asks, her tone very disconcerted, as what feels like ice crawls up her spine.

"Dark magic," Dr Strange reports what it is.

Overhead black clouds roll in.

"Ro?" Logan queries.

"Not me," Storm reports.

"The darkness comes for her," Ruth chants, her tone bland.

"Isobel!" an echoing voice screeches from the clouds.

"That sounds lahke..." Rogue starts to say.

"Selene," Clark finishes grimly. He looks at Isobel and can see the look in her eyes. The look of outright terror.

Selene's booming angry voice shakes the ground. "How dare you ransack my library and steal my minions!"

Dr Strange speaks up to the heavens. "Hear me Selene Gallio! This is Dr Strange!"

"This is not your concern Sorcerer Supreme!" Selene's voice spits back.

"The girl is under my protection!" he tries to warn the dark sorceress off.

"That girl is my daughter!"

"Only the spirit within the innocent vessel!"

"No-one is innocent!"

"Do not force my hand!" Dr Strange warns her.

"Do not force mine, Strange!" Selene warns him back. "You do not wish me as your enemy!"

"Nor do you wish myself as yours!"

"This converse is ended!" Selene decrees as black lightning cracks the heavens above.

Dr Strange readies himself.

Two powerful blasts of black energy strike at both him and Isobel. He can defend himself...just but not her as the energy strikes Isobel and she screams in agony through her gag before she vanishes from sight, leaving behind a puff of smoke.

"Is she dead?" Wanda asks.

"No. It was a teleportation spell," Dr Strange reports. "Selene was reclaiming her daughter."

"I thought she was hurt," Clark says. He was certain she should be hurt for several weeks at least after their last encounter.

"She is...and yet she still managed to do that. That is the scale of the power of the foe you face," Dr Strange gives the grave assessment.

The clouds start to roll away but before they do Selene has one last message to give. "I have not forgotten you, son of Jor-El. I shall recover soon and then you will know pain!" she promises darkly.

"Some day I was really hoping to catch a break," Clark mutters, feeling a new weight crash down upon his shoulders as yet again he fails to save Lana.

"I apologise," Dr Strange expresses his sorrow at being unable to prevent Selene taking Isobel. "I did not expect that."

"There is nothing to be done, Stephen," the Professor accepts his friend's apology. "We should depart," he announces, being practical about the situation. There is nothing more they can do here.

They load back up into the two aircraft which swiftly rise into the air and are soon heading east and home.

* * *

_Author's Note: So Rogue is perfectly unaffected by what Live Wire did...yeah right. That'll be the day. It won't be instantaneous but Rogue will feel the effects of the machine upon her soon. As for Isobel...I just like the idea of having it be a constant thorn in Clark's side about his failure to save Lana. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The X-Men discover the consequence of blood falling upon the stone._


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

**Magneto's base...**

Lorna runs into the medical area where she catches sight of her... "Dad?" she queries about the silver-haired man sitting on the examination table, trying to ascertain whether that really is her father once again.

"It's me," Magneto confirms it is indeed him, followed by a hiss of pain as his stab wound is treated by Amelia, who is a fully trained nurse and this mutant doctor he picked up.

Lorna's worries sky-rocket at seeing his injury. "What happened?"

"Live Wire betrayed me," he says in low angry tones.

"Oh there's a shocker," Pyro whispers sarcastically to the rest of the Acolytes who are standing at the door.

No-one argues because everyone knew how unstable Live Wire was.

Magneto thinks on the situation as his wound is treated. "The wound's deep," Amelia says with concern. "You will need to rest," she tells him.

"No time. Just patch me up," he tells her and the doctor.

"Magneto," Amelia starts to protest.

"No," Magneto rejects her protest. "There is no time. The X-Men were wise enough not to stay but they now know this location," he explains why he needs patched up and doesn't have time to rest. "Sabretooth, order the evacuation. We need to leave," he orders.

"We need to hit back at the X-Men hard!" Frenzy argues that decision, very angry at what has happened.

"You think with anger and vengeance. This is not about those things. This is about building the future for our kind."

"They need to pay!"

Magneto sighs and turns his head to gaze at her hard. "And what will that accomplish?" he asks Frenzy to explain her thinking. "And how far do we go? Do we kill our own fellow mutants?"

"They're not mutants!" Frenzy argues with quite a bit of vitriol. "They fight us and defend the flat-scans!"

"Yes, they do," Magneto doesn't argue that. "And you have not answered my question. What will it accomplish beyond widening the rift between us even further?"

"So?"

Magneto sighs loudly. So much anger. It can be useful but it can be blinding. "The X-Men will be dealt with when I decide it necessary which it is not at the moment. Our priority is creating our new home. Now you either do as you are told or I can assign you some other task. Waste management, perhaps?" Magneto suggests referring to the terrible, but necessary task of dealing with the _waste_ people produce.

Several of the Acolytes snicker as Frenzy's face pales at that idea.

"No, Magneto," Frenzy says in a quieter more contrite tone.

"Then you will help prepare for our evacuation?"

"Yes, Magneto."

"Excellent. Now get on with it," he says sternly.

The Acolytes leave and Magneto notices the look on Amelia's face. "You're surprised by my decision," he deduces that look to mean.

"No...well maybe a little. You had made obtaining those stones a priority," she explains how it is a surprise.

Magneto looks a little puzzled as if surprised at himself. "The future matters more than the past. Chasing after Charles and fighting a pitched battle with him serves no-one and may not get me the stones. I suspect they are well hidden. How would I now divine their location? I have been informed that Blindfold is gone. One must accept the realities of a situation. Building our future home is my priority now. Besides, despite your ill-feelings for Charles, you know he would not use whatever power these stones have for misbegotten purposes. They are better off in his hands than SHIELD's or the Hellfire Club's."

Amelia finds she can't argue with that although Magneto is also correct about the ill-feelings. She is never forgiving Charles.

"You need to prepare Suzanna to be moved," he instructs Amelia and the doctor about Lorna's mother.

"Must we?" Lorna's concerned tones ask.

"Yes," Magneto says simply.

"B-but you're hurt," Lorna argues, her eyes welling up with moisture at her father's injury. She already almost lost her mother. She can't lose her father too.

"And this location is compromised," Magneto argues back calmly. Although how Charles found him Magneto cannot figure out. "I will be fine," he assures her. "I have survived much worse. Live Wire was not trying to kill me."

"This time!" Lorna says a little spitefully.

"She caught me by surprise which shall not happen again. I assure you Lorna I am not forgetting her betrayal. She will pay at the time and place of my choosing. There are simply more important tasks. I know you are young but you must learn how to control your emotions and focus on what is the priority. Right now evacuating this base and preparing our new home in the Savage Land is. You understand?"

Lorna nods. She thinks she does...although one thing she surely doesn't understand was the sheer hatred her sister has for their father. Wanda had said that their father destroyed her life. That seemed like a little more than grief talking. Lorna has no reason to doubt her father's explanation of what happened...it just doesn't seem quite enough to explain her sister's attitude. Lorna can only think she is missing something.

Magneto gives his daughter a smile. It's strange actually. He knows he should be raging at Live Wire but his anger seems much more tempered than before this whole experience. Also not chasing after the stones...it just feels more important to him to build a future for mutantkind. He can't explain it but perhaps he shouldn't try. He feels calmer than he has in years and decides he should just accept it as a blessing.

* * *

On the x-jet the Professor is getting the summary of what transpired within Magneto's base as they fly home.

Clark is explaining Live Wire's betrayal in more detail and the concern over her memory restoration which includes knowing who he is.

"I warned him her betrayal was inevitable, thank you, please," Ruth's voice breaks into the story. "He didn't understand."

Charles looks at the young seer with interest. He wonders how long Magneto had her prisoner and just bluntly where he found her. How he found her would also be an excellent question. She gives off no psychic presence which would be why Cerebro never detected her. It was very strange. They'll have to do some research into her and see if they can find her family.

Scott is also looking at the girl. Truth is he is pleased Kitty found her. This was the source of what had been bothering him for weeks. This girl was how Magneto always seemed to be one step ahead of them. Now they have taken away his advantage and given it to themselves...assuming she stays which he can't be certain of. Course on the other hand Live Wire being loose and having her memories back raises a whole plethora of security issues that will need to be addressed.

On the issue of Live Wire the Professor addresses that with Clark. "It is unfortunate she remembers. We'll have to be wary of her return. I suspect she might choose to lay low and avoid Magneto for awhile."

"Live Wire? Lay low? I really doubt that Professor," Clark says back in disbelieving tones. Leslie doesn't know how to lay low.

"All we can do is be vigilant Clark."

Great. Now he can spend his days wondering when he has to fight the loud-mouth again. That's just super! Note the sarcasm please. His body is too sore and he is far too tired for all this...but at least it is _his _body again.

* * *

For Jonathan and Martha this had been amongst the most difficult few hours since they came to the Institute. Usually when there's a mission there are some students to look after and that keeps them occupied. For almost the first time there was no-one here except them.

They couldn't go as much as they might wish to help. Even in this situation it still requires someone to be here to watch over the mansion. There are a lot of things here that need protecting.

They had practically been glued next to the communication system. When the message came in that the mission was a success relief flooded in to the couple.

When the two aircraft return they are in the hangar waiting. When Clark emerges, still being helped a little by Scott they rush over and hug him.

Clark assures them he's alright. Just a little sore and tired and badly in need of a recharge for his powers.

When Claire emerges from the helicopter Martha rushes over and hugs her too.

"Mom!" Claire whines. "You're embarrassing me," she complains. She is suppose to be angry and scary.

"That's my job, honey," Martha quips and tightens her grip.

Claire's expression at this is priceless. It is one of complete befuddlement as she has no idea what to do. Marie has to cover her mouth and nose with her hand or she would burst into a fit of giggles.

"So what happened?" Martha asks anyone.

"We went, we saw, we kicked much misguided mutant butt!" Domino proclaims triumphantly in response followed by a loud "ACHOO!"

Jonathan turns from his son for a moment and address the group of students he has come to care for so much. "Is everyone ok...is that a dragon?!" he cries out at seeing Kitty's new friend.

"Oh really don't want to get into that one Mr K," Bobby advises.

Kitty ignores Bobby. "Yep. Isn't he like the cutest?" Kitty gushes like her dragon is the cutest thing ever seen. "Think I can keep him?"

Jonathan isn't sure. A dragon? Where do they even start to look after a dragon? "Kitty. I'm not sure," he starts to caution but Kitty pulls her most lethal weapon on him. She bites her lower lip and gives him the wide puppy-dog eyes look. He's defenceless against it. He sighs in defeat. "We'll give it a try..."

Kitty lets out an ecstatic squeal.

"As long as Charles agrees," Jonathan adds since this is Charles' home.

"It's not as much work as you might think," Dr Strange adds to this conversation. "Think of him as an exotic cat...that can fly...and breathes fire...and as I recall they'll eat everything even if it's nailed down," he lists what he can remember about dwarf dragons.

"I think Beast should look him over though," Storm advises as she steps down from the helicopter.

Kitty didn't argue that because god knows what terrible things had been done to him that required these bandages he has around his torso.

Back in the jet Beast and the Professor are the last to disembark. Before they do Beast takes the moment that they're alone to mention something. "Charles, about that teleporter that helped Magneto," he raises with slight trepidation that part of the story that was told on the way back.

"Yes?" Charles queries, his brow quirked a little as he can sense Hank's unease.

There is no easy way to say this so Hank just says it. "It was Amelia."

The look of pure shock on Charles face is clear to see. He hadn't heard that name in a long time. "She is with Magneto?" he asks Hank to confirm.

"So it seems. I'm sorry," Hank apologises knowing how this must be affecting his old friend.

Charles can't understand it. Amelia Voight was someone very close to him once but she walked out of his life precisely because she didn't want anything to do with his work and now she was with Magneto. It made no sense.

Just then Charles notices a blinking red light on the console in front of him. That's an incoming message automatically relayed into the jet. He activates the small screen and up pops the image of... "Colonel Fury," Charles speaks the Director of SHIELD's name.

"Professor Xavier," Fury returns.

"If you're inquiring about my information on the Hellfire Club I need a few more days. We've been busy," Charles says, thinking this call may be about the deal he made with Fury.

"I'm sure...but for the moment that is not my major concern."

Charles is puzzled by the tone. For Fury it was grave sounding. "What is this call about, Colonel?"

"Deep space radar picked up a collection of meteor rocks...heading straight for Earth."

Charles feels his stomach drop and the colour drain from his face.

_'Fire rains from the sky,' _Ruth's words echo in his mind.

_'Something has awoken in the dark...and it's coming,' _Clark's ominous words.

Something was coming and in a way they are partially to blame.

"D-do you know where they will hit?" Charles asks, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah. Smallville, Kansas," Fury states very calmly where they calculated the rocks will hit. "That's a funny coincidence. Twice in 15 years in the same place. What are the odds?"

Charles regains some of his composure. "I feel you are accusing me of something."

"Not at all. Just giving you a heads-up. An evacuation of the town has been ordered and since there are a lot of mutants living there I thought you might want to assist, smooth things over, keep the peace. There is not time to evacuate the town and quell trouble at the same time. Besides the X-Men helping with the evacuation...you can't buy that sort of good PR."

"How long do we have?"

"3 hours...give or take. I suggest you get cracking if you want to help. I'll let the authorities on the ground know you're coming," Fury makes the assumption Xavier will go before he signs off, "Fury out."

* * *

**SHIELD Hellicarrier...**

The communication ends and on-board the Hellicarrier Fury glances up at the screen with the radar trace of the rocks hurtling towards Earth. There was nothing that could be done to stop them.

In movies people think you can shoot them down with missiles. That doesn't work. It just shatters the rocks into small pieces and spreads the debris over a larger area and they spotted these rocks far too close to earth to divert them.

Of course what is odd is how a whole group of meteors just appeared this close to Earth...as if from nowhere.

That is what gave Fury the odd feeling that the X-Men might know something.

There was nothing they could do to stop it.

All they can do is try and evacuate the town in time and save as many lives as possible.

There was nothing they could do stop it.

They were helpless to prevent the onslaught and Fury hated that feeling.

There was nothing they could do...except perhaps pray.

* * *

**At the Institute...**

In the x-jet Charles turns his head to look at Hank whose expression was truly grim. Without a word spoken both men disembark.

Logan is the first to notice their expressions. "What now?" he asks.

"I just got off the line with Colonel Fury," the Professor reports.

"Fury?" Logan queries with instant suspicion. "What did he want?"

"To inform us that a meteor shower will hit Smallville in approximately 3 hours."

There is a collective gasp...except from Clark. His expression is back to being far away. "The great danger from the darkness of space has awoken. A fire from the sky shall sear the Earth," he expounds.

Rogue moves to his side and clasps his hand with hers, squeezing slightly. He looks down at her and she can see the deep confusion in his eyes that even he doesn't know what he is saying.

"Is that normal?" Claire asks her mother about her brother.

Martha's expression is one of deep worry. In response she can only give a wear resigned, "It happens...too frequently."

"Welcome to the Kent family," Jonathan jokes in gallows humour.

"Maybe it's not too late to go back to my father," Claire supposes which earns her several looks. "A joke," she insists all it was.

"And she says my humour is shitty," Clark mutters, coming out of his weird semi-trance state.

Rogue looks twice at him. Clark almost never swears. Proof, if any was needed, how he still isn't himself.

"What is it we do, Charles?" Ororo wonders.

"I think Fury called first off because he suspects this is related to us," Charles says.

"Which it is," Clark points out.

"I didn't confirm anything for him."

"He had another motive. He always does," Logan lays down the truth as he sees it of Fury. It is why he quit SHIELD.

"Whatever his motive is, is irrelevant, Logan. He made a good point to me about the fact there are many mutants living in Smallville. We cannot afford trouble in a situation this dire so we will go and help with the evacuation of the town. Now this will be dangerous so I'm not ordering anyone to go. It will be volunteers only."

"Lives are at stake," Scott says. "I'll go," he volunteers himself.

"Me too," Jean joins in with her boyfriend.

This is followed by many of the others saying they'll help too despite what they've just been through.

One who doesn't say anything is Claire. Her face is visibly paled as soon as the idea was spoken about going to Smallville. Images flash across her eyes. Images of the day just short of 15 years ago when fire rained down upon her. Killed her...what she knows now were her surrogate parents. The rocks...her surrounded by the rocks and the fire and...and...

Claire's breathing becomes laboured. "I-I-I can't," she stammers out, her voice so lacking in strength it doesn't sound like her at all. She then runs out the hangar.

"Claire!" Martha shouts after her daughter and chases after her.

Charles closes his eyes momentarily as he mentally berates himself. "I should have thought of that," he then verbally kicks himself.

"What was that about?" Paige asks.

Hank takes up the story. "Volcana is a meteor mutant. She was there, in Smallville, during the first meteor shower. The people she thought were her parents were killed and that was the day she gained her powers. It's a trauma she has yet to come to terms with. I suspect the same occurrence will have brought back difficult memories for her."

Jonathan's gaze is at the door where Claire and Martha left. In his judgement it is best he leaves this to Martha. As much as he is willing to embrace Claire, the bottom line is that he is not her father.

Kitty looks down at her new little pet. He needs medical attention but she wants to go help in Smallville.

"Perhaps I can help."

Kitty looks up at the kind face of Dr Strange. "Sorry?" she queries.

"I can look at your little friend," Stephen offers. He turns to the Professor and Hank. "In fact if you two need to go I can remain here and attend to any medical requirements," he offers.

"You can?" Wanda queries, puzzled. She didn't know he knew medicine.

"Before I was a sorcerer I was a neurosurgeon," Stephen fills in a little of his past. "I may not perform operations any more but I have endeavoured to keep my basic medical skills sharp."

"Oh," Wanda says. She did not know that.

"That is very kind of you, Stephen," Charles says gratefully.

"I just wish I could do more," Stephen says regretfully but there is nothing he can do to prevent this. It's beyond his power.

"Anyone who is hurt, please direct yourself to the infirmary and Dr Strange will attend to you," Charles requests of his students not to put an act on because they wish to help. An injured person may end up being a liability when a hasty exit could well be required in this dire situation.

"I need to get the other 2 stones," Clark announces.

"Kurt, go with him," Charles decrees since the stones are down in the cave down the coast they use to store them.

Kurt agrees, moves next to Clark and touches him on the arm before teleporting them both away down the coast. This is the fastest way.

"Jonathan," Charles speaks his friend's name to summon him over.

Jonathan wanders over as Charles rolls next to a young girl with long dark hair and bandages over her eyes.

"We have a new guest," Charles prepares to make the introductions. Ideally he would like to speak to her and find out more about her but it will have to wait. "This is Ruth."

"Hello Ruth," Jonathan greets her warmly.

"Hello," she says plainly. "Can I have my blue jell-o now, please, thank you?"

Jonathan looks at Charles with a puzzled expression.

"Ruth is a precognitive, she sees the future and apparently we give her blue jell-o in exchange for coming here."

"Or she simply likes blue jell-o," Jonathan suggests as an alternative.

"Yes. Anyway I shall leave her here in your care until this situation is dealt with. If you could arrange a room for her I would be most grateful," Charles says.

"Of course. That is no problem," Jonathan says...although he can't help but wonder about the bandages and what they are hiding.

During all this Tarot stands like a leaf buffeted by the wind. She had had so many revelations dumped on her today. She doesn't recall life at Ms Frost's being this insane. She wonders if this is normal for being an X-Man but, truly, the only thing she really was concerned about was her girlfriend, what Claire must be going through and a wish that somehow she could make it better.

* * *

"Claire?" Martha queries as she knocks on her daughter's door and enters the room. She finds the redhead sitting on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest and rocking slightly back and forth.

Martha's heart breaks at the sight of her. She moves over to the bed and wraps her arms around Claire's head. There is no response. "It's alright. It's ok," she says in soothing tones.

"No," Claire whispers back. "No. It's not."

"I'm here," Martha says to her.

"Why?" Claire asks.

"Because I'm your mother."

"You should get away before you die too."

That response puzzles Martha. "What?"

"They die. They all die. The people I thought I were my parents. They died. People I knew growing up on the streets. Muggings, gunshots, overdoses. They died. The MRD..." she laughs mirthlessly at what she could say about what she did there.

Martha tightens her hold. There was so much Claire hadn't been willing to share yet and Martha wishes...god how she wishes she knew about Claire before she did. "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your mother and I should have protected you," Martha iterates a feeling of failure she has.

"You should get far away."

"No," Martha says calmly but firmly. She won't let Claire push her away. That would be the worse thing she could do right here and now.

"Why did they all die?" Claire asks.

Martha strokes her daughter's long hair. "I don't know, sweetie. Sometimes bad things happen and we can't help it. It's not our fault. It's not yours. The only thing I can promise is that right here and right now I'm here with you and I am not going anywhere."

To survive on the streets growing up Claire had to harden her heart. Her skin may not be all that thick evidenced by her short temper but her heart...no-one gets in there...or they didn't until she ended up at this Institute with people who genuinely cared for her. Then there's Marie...

Claire's head leans into her mother and her arms rise up and wrap around the older woman's back. "You won't leave me will you?" she asks in a tiny voice.

"Never," Martha promises as she kisses Claire on her temple and continues to hold her close. There is a lot of work with Claire to help her but Martha is not one to shy from hard work. It'll take time but she'll work through everything with her daughter and never, ever will Martha give up on her.

* * *

Down the coast in the cave Clark opens up the safe they installed down here. The two stones were sitting on two separate shelves to keep them apart. On the bottom shelf was a silver case. Clark pulls it out and opens it up. Inside there were three spaces for the 3 stones, all designed to keep them apart until he could get them to the caves in Smallville.

Clark places the bloodied Crystal of Water, which he had never let go all the way home, into the case first.

"Clark. Vhat is coming?" Kurt asks, feeling real concern. You can't help but feel rather small and helpless when you think of what is about to strike the Earth.

Clark pauses momentarily in reaching for the Crystal of Air. "I don't know Kurt. It's more a feeling of something rather than consciously knowing what it is." He takes hold of the stone. "Jor-El warned me that human blood couldn't fall upon any of the stones. I failed to prevent that. Whatever is coming is the consequence of my failure," he takes the blame as he places the 2nd stone in the case.

"Clark, you did not stab Magneto," Kurt argues.

Clark sighs as he takes the Crystal of Fire into his hand. "I know you have all questioned my actions with the Hellfire Club but can you see now why I had to do it. This is why. Smallville is about to be, possibly, destroyed and thousands of lives are at risk. I did fail Kurt. If I hadn't we wouldn't be having this conservation."

Clark places the 3rd stone in the case and slams it shut. "I know you'll probably argue that too but lets save it for when so many lives are not in danger. Can you take me to my room, please? I need to get the key."

Kurt stows his arguments for another day, touches his hand to Clark's shoulder and teleports them away.

* * *

It is a very quick turnaround before the X-Men are back in the air and heading towards Smallville. Still they would mostly likely be only about 90 minutes left before the meteors hit. This was going to be dangerous but it had to be done.

Those who had taken knocks and those with the least experience had to be left behind. For example, Paige had not completed the training sessions that involved anything close to this situation so she couldn't come. The same was true for Tarot. Emma didn't teach using mutant powers to help humanity...no surprise there. Having untrained people along was a liability in a situation this critical.

Right now Clark, who, when in his room to retrieve the hexagonal key from his ship, had taken the opportunity to change back into a spare costume of red boots, blue pants, blue t-shirt and blue leather-esque jacket with red patches on the shoulder and upper part of the arm and with his family crest on the front, was on the phone to Chloe trying to get a lay of the land as to the situation in Smallville. Yes, she is still there. Not that Clark is surprised in anyway. Chloe Sullivan not risking her life to be at the centre of a story. That'll be the day.

"Yes Chlo I know it's crazy...Twice in 15 years...Yes I may have something to do with it. Thanks for adding to my guilt on the subject...no, no, I know you never meant to. Now are you and Lois packed and ready to go?...what do you mean Lois is panicking?...well just slap her until she stops...no i'm not panicking...what makes you think that?...Because I suggested you slap Lois? You serious?...Ok look it may have been a bit of an overreaction I'll admit...although lets face it Chlo your cousin is damn annoying..."

"Ahem," the Professor coughs to bring this to an end. "Clark. Can we focus, please?" he requests.

"Right. Sorry Professor," Clark apologises. "Chloe always gets me off subject...what do you mean no you don't? Yes, you do," Clark argues with Chloe over the phone.

Rogue rolls her eyes, leans over and slaps Clark across the back of the head. In his weakened current state he actually feels it.

"Thank you, Rogue," the Professor says.

"You're welcome," she says with a smile that shows she is proud of herself for that.

Clark glares at his girlfriend as he rubs the back of his head. And people wonder why they're having problems. He turns his attention to the matter at hand. Chloe had a relationship with the mutant group that lived on his family's old farm. They had essentially formed their own little community there. He asks her about what is happening with them.

Clark frowns as Chloe explains.

"What is it?" Scott asks, noticing the expression.

"They're refusing to leave," Clark reports.

"Why would they do that?" Jean asks, unable to understand. If a meteor shower was about to fall on her head she would leave.

Clark tells them what Chloe is telling him. "Because the local authorities have been trying to come up with excuses to move them for weeks. Technically they're squatting on land the bank owns. They fear if they leave they will never be allowed back on what is essentially the only home they have," he explains the reasons Chloe is giving him. "Most of the people there are there because their parents kicked them out after mutants were revealed...or a few of them are escapees from Belle Reve after Magneto broke them loose and are afraid they'll be locked back up. It doesn't help they have gotten themselves a leader who is, apparently, quite the orator. She's managed to organise them into quite a cohesive and ordered community."

Charles rubs his brow. He had been so concerned with his students and the wider mutant situation in relation to the government he hadn't given much attention to this known group of mutants living like this. Well they have his attention now. He'll talk to this leader. "What is his name?" he asks Clark to ask Chloe.

"Her name," Clark corrects as Chloe gives him the answer. "And it's...Lilandra. Lilandra Neramani."

* * *

_Author's Note: Oh look. It's a potential love of the Professor's life. That'll be interesting won't it. At some point I know I really will have to show Claire dealing with what she did to those MRD guys but she is a stubborn girl(just like her mother!) so it may take awhile yet. The lack of Magneto's anger is my version of what happened to Lionel after Clark had been in his body. It's not that Magneto is suddenly going to renounce his ways or anything but just a little less anger and hate. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; fire rains from the sky upon Smallville._


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

**SHIELD Hellicarrier...**

It had been over two months since Lionel Luthor was injured in the desert and while he had some lingering weakness in the leg he broke that is mostly due to atrophy from having it immobilised for so long. He was more or less fully recovered as was the mutant boy he had befriended.

True Lionel doesn't like mutants but Douglas Ramsey aka Cypher had a very useful gift with languages that allowed him, amongst other things, to be basically able to tell a computer to do anything so Lionel pushed his personal feelings aside and concentrated on what it was Cypher could deliver to him.

Through that gift Lionel had learned the whole truth of the deal his son, Lex Luthor, had made with Colonel Fury and of the deal his son had made with a certain Donald Pierce.

Lionel knew this all added up to one thing. The means through which to restore his lost position and power.

And the time for him to make his grab for this power was nearing rapidly. Thanks to the hacks Cypher had made into SHIELD's systems he knew precisely what was happening and why the agents on this base were running around like headless chickens.

"The time for us to leave draws near, Douglas. Is everything ready?" Lionel asks his young friend as they sit together in their 'secure' accommodations.

"Yeah," Cypher says albeit with great reluctance. Everything being the means through which he and Lionel get off this base. "But is this really necessary?" he questions Lionel's plans. "SHIELD is the government."

"Who are planning to stab me in the back after all I did was promise to help them," Lionel reminds Cypher and is sounding quite angry about it. "You saw the deal Fury made with Xavier. A deal that condemns me to death."

Ok so Cypher couldn't quite explain that one off. It seemed so wrong to him that Fury was doing that to Lionel. All Lionel had wanted to do was help...make amends...just like Cypher is trying to do himself. "Everything is ready," he asserts.

"Good. Thank you Douglas."

"We're still going to make right, though?"

"Of course," Lionel assures the young blond teenager. Lionel had promised that despite Fury's betrayal they were still going to make good. Essentially that they were going to help the world be a better place...and they were...or at least what counts as better in Lionel's head. "You set up everything I asked?"

Cypher nods. "Money in untraceable accounts, a copy of everything your son is doing for SHIELD and the means to contact the people you listed."

"You've done very well Douglas. I know this may seem very cloak and dagger but Fury has forced my hand to use these methods, however distasteful they are."

"So when do we...fly the coop?"

Lionel smile slightly at that expression. "When the meteor shower strikes they will be at their most distracted. That is when."

"Ok," Cypher agrees having no reason to disagree...having no-one else to care for him but Lionel. He can't go back to his mutant hating parents and Magneto abandoned him and left him for dead. Lionel is the only person in the world Cypher has.

* * *

**Smallville...**

Or more accurately as close as the authorities would allow them to get. Smallville is now a closed air-space. From outside the town they drive in. Fury had at least managed to arrange that with local National Guard that had been called in to help evacuate the town.

The Professor leaves Cyclops and Storm to liaise with those in charge of the evacuation and work out how his X-Men can help. Charles' main priority was getting to what use to be the Kent farm and talking to this Ms Neramani.

Clark was on his own in making his way to the caves. They couldn't ask for transport without giving an explanation and they couldn't give one. Rogue had volunteered to go with him but without his powers which not so helpfully are currently exhausted...

Well lets just say they will be cutting it closer in reaching those caves than the Professor is comfortable with.

This entire situation sits uneasy with Charles because so many aspects of it are beyond his control. At this moment he finds a familiar blond haired girl approach him. She had been waiting for them. "Hello Chloe."

"Professor Xavier," Chloe greets him back, tension plainly obvious in her tone which is not a surprise considering the situation.

"Where's your cousin?"

"On her way out of town...or trying to," Chloe explains. Lois is on the road but they were jammed solid. Still Lois is probably further along in getting away than Chloe is.

"I wish to express my deep thanks for your help in these circumstances," the Professor expresses his gratitude for her assistance and his admiration for her courage.

"Well some farmboys, whose name we won't mention, would just call be a magnet for danger."

Charles chuckles lightly.

"We should get going if you're wishing to speak to Lilandra before the sky falls in," Chloe presses the urgent need to get cracking.

"Of course. On the way I hope you can tell me about her."

"No problem," Chloe says as they head to the vehicle they have been provided. "My first piece of advice is that, if you let her, she'll have you taking her side even if you started with the completely opposite position."

"She's that good?"

"She's better. Truthfully she reminds me of you."

"In what way?"

"Her views are similar to yours in many areas and like you she cares for the people under her charge. She can be very passionate."

"You admire her," the Professor can see plainly.

"Yeah. I do."

"Uh...hi, Chloe," a voice breaks into her discussion with the Professor.

Chloe's brow furrows slightly before she turns to see... "Bobby," she says with a smile she doesn't even realise she is making. She must admit her thoughts have occasionally strayed to the brown haired ice-generator after the time she spent with him on her birthday. He was fun...and not a bad kisser.

"I guess my timing's lousy to want to catch up, eh?" Bobby jokes.

"Well assuming we don't all die horribly we can later," Chloe suggests.

"Really? Great! I mean that sounds like fun...assuming we avoid the horrible death thing. Um..." Bobby fumbles over his words nervously in Chloe's presence.

"Iceman!" Cyclops loud voice shouts at him. "Come on! We're going. We need you!"

"Coming oh fearless leader!" Bobby half-sings his reply. "Sorry. Gotta go and be all brave and heroic for the 5th time today. I'll have to tell you how I helped save Clark," he says, boasting as only Bobby can about these things.

"Sure. I would love that," Chloe says.

"Catch you later!" Bobby says as he transforms into his ice form and slides off, making many people stare at him as he goes.

Chloe turns to leave with the Professor. "Wait. Did I just make a date with him?" she asks.

"I believe you could make that interpretation," the Professor says to her.

Chloe face-palms herself. "Lois will never let me here the end of this," she mutters.

"We should depart," Charles says, having had enough time wasted.

"Yes. Right," Chloe says as she pulls herself together.

Beast helps the Professor get inside the military humvee before he and Chloe get in as well and head off to the farm.

* * *

Upon reaching the farm the Professor can see a small ramshackle shanty town has been built around the main house. It saddens him to see mutants forced to live in conditions like this. They are greeted by a small group of not so friendly looking people of varying ages, showing the extent of the people effected by the meteors who could no longer hide amongst the population or stay with their families.

Chloe recognises one of the group as her ex-boyfriend Jordan Cross who had chosen to come live here. "Jordan," she greets him politely.

"Chloe," Jordan returns. "Why are you here?"

"Is Lilandra here? I have someone to meet her."

"Why? So you can force us off our only home?" a man with short dirty blond hair asks aggressively.

"Tommy!" a voice shouts. "That is not how we greet guests. Didn't we discuss this?"

The man visibly shrinks back at the commanding but never overbearing or angry tone.

The Professor, now out of the vehicle, turns his gaze to where the voice came from and his eyes fall upon an elegant woman. She is tall and shapely, looking to be in her mid-thirties. She bears long flowing dark hair, alluring dark eyes and despite the situation she obviously lives still manages to dress nicely with jeans that hug her hips and a black top. Emblazoned on her top in gold were a number of strange-looking emblems along the chest and sleeve of her top and around her neck, above her top, was a golden necklace that looked to be expensive. As she walks over there is a sort of regal air to her. She certainly captures Charles' attention.

The woman's gaze takes all of the new arrivals in turn and falls upon Chloe. A warm, gentile smile comes to her face at the sight of the blond teenager. "Hello Chloe. A pleasure to see you as always."

"Hi Lilandra. I'm sorry about coming unannounced but I have someone I thought you should meet."

Beast has to say the woman has a presence and the way his friend Charles was staring at her as if in a strange daze certainly reinforced that idea. He hadn't seen that look in a long time. He gently nudges the Professor.

Charles blinks and snaps out of it. "Ms Neramani, I presume. I am..."

Lilandra cuts him off albeit not too rudely. "I know who you are Professor Xavier. You and your X-Men are not exactly low key in the fight for mutant equality." She then grins a little slyly. _"And I am also not without my own gifts."_

Charles is surprised...pleasantly so as it turns out. The woman was a telepath. He isn't sure how he missed that before now. Another time he would have liked to get to know this woman better but there are much more urgent matters. "We must talk."

"I am perfectly willing to talk...but we are not leaving," Lilandra tells him from the start.

"You are in grave danger."

"Any more so than if we leave? If we leave they'll come up with an excuse never to let us back and we have nowhere else to go. That equally condemns us."

Charles can already see this is going to be a struggle. "I only ask to be heard," he makes the one simple request.

"Lets us step inside the house," Lilandra proposes as a place for them to talk. If he was anyone else she wouldn't indulge him this much but Lilandra must confess to having a secret admiration for the Professor and his work.

* * *

**The Luthor Mansion...**

Elsewhere in Smallville Lex Luthor was just packing up his last few valuable items from his mansion before taking his helicopter and evacuating.

Twice in 15 years.

Lex can work out the odds.

It can't be a coincidence.

What it is he does not know. He has a feeling his father does. It is probably in that journal that his father has stubbornly refused to reveal more about than absolutely necessary to preserve his head.

Then there is the lack of progress that has been made on the stones. Lex knows Fury has been deliberately keeping him out of the loop. He only heard about what happened in China after it had happened.

It angers Lex because, to him, the search for the stones equated to the search for Lana. Therefore Fury has been denying him vital means to locate Lana and rescue her from her witchly possession.

It had seemed to make sense at first his deal with Fury but Lex is starting to see how flawed the system actually is. A system so flawed that it is incapable of helping the citizens it is suppose to serve.

Lex may just have to start doing things his own way. It seems he can't rely on anyone but himself. Perhaps that is for the better.

He already has a few ideas about what it is he needs to do but that can wait. With the sky falling in the main priority right now is survival.

Lex shuts up his briefcase and heads for the exit.

* * *

**Kawatche Caves...**

Too long. It had all taken too long but the battle at Magneto's base had left Clark's body drained, tired, battered and sore and there had been no sun to recharge him so that meant it had been a hell of a long walk here from where the military insisted they land.

They reach the entrance and Clark takes a moment to lean against the rock wall and catch his breath.

"Y'all alright?" Rogue asks with concern as her hand comes to rest on his arm.

Clark turns his head to look at her. "Just tired." He cups her cheek and strokes the skin with his thumb. "This is as far as you have to come," he tells her, not willing to risk her life in this.

Rogue takes his hand into her own and kisses his knuckles. "Ah'm with ya wherever this leads," she promises him.

Clark smiles lovingly at her and dips his head to kiss her on her lips. "I love you," he tells her.

"Ah love ya too," Rogue returns it.

Clark summons up what energy he has left and pushes himself up straight. Before he moves he feels Rogue tug on his arm. He turns his head to see her pointing up. Clark looks to where she is pointing and sees dozens of balls of fire in the slowly lightening sky. Sunrise was approaching. "It's starting," he says grimly. Those balls of the fire are the meteors entering the atmosphere.

The two teenagers hastily get inside the cave and make their way over to the hidden passage. Clark inserts the key into the slot in the wall and opens it up. He yanks the key out and they make their way through to the small alcove with the plinth. Clark slots the key into the plinth. "Jor-El! Talk to me! What is it? What is coming?"

Rogue and Clark become surrounded by a column of light.

"I warned you, Kal-El," Jor-El says. "I told you that blood must not touch one of the elements. Now a fire from the sky will sear the Earth and even you, my son, may not be able to survive it."

"Can I stop it?"

"The meteor shower is only the beginning. That which has been set into motion cannot be stopped. However the Earth and humanity can still be saved if you do exactly what I tell you."

"I have the stones!"

"Then unite them as one," Jor-El instructs.

Clark places the case on the floor and opens it. He pulls out the glass like Crystal of Fire and places it in its corresponding place on the plinth. He follows that up with the metallic Crystal of Air. He slots it in.

Rogue watches on and can see how the 2 apparently different stones fit together perfectly. The symbols craved into them light up as does the one on the 3rd and last stone. The black Crystal of Water.

Clark places the last stone in its slot.

The 3 stones glow and start to change and shift until they form a single aqua blue crystal. The crystal rises up as the cave shudders from the impact of the first meteor to strike the ground.

"Last chance to leave," Clark says to Rogue as he pulls the key out and stashes it safely into his pocket.

Rogue takes his hand into her and interlocks their fingers. "Ya ain't getting rid of meh that easily, sugah."

"Glad to hear it," Clark says appreciative of her support. More so than he will ever be able to tell her. His heart is pounding and his stomach has butterflies from his nerves. He truly has no idea what is about to happen. The only thing he does know is that he has an irresistible urge to reach out and grab the crystal.

Clark grabs it and in a flash of blinding light he and Rogue vanish.

* * *

Charles had quickly learned that Chloe had not been exaggerating about Lilandra's oratory skills. She was incredible. She almost had him taking her side. She had shot down every single one of his arguments but without resorting to insults or denting his pride. Despite how aggravating it was to be blocked at every turn he found himself admiring her more and more.

"Lilandra," he says, having gotten her permission to use her first name as they sit across the kitchen table from each other. "I understand what you fear. I know what happens to mutants every day across the world but this is a natural disaster that could wipe out everything you have built here."

"If everything you had built was under threat would you just abandoned it? Or would you fight to defend it?"

"That's hardly equatable to what is coming."

"So you say but despite your eloquence Charles nothing you have said changes the bare facts. If we leave we lose what little we have managed to create here."

"Once this situation is over Lilandra I will use all my influence to make sure that does not happen. However keeping the people here alive is what matters. Nothing is more important than preserving life."

"I agree...except it depends how you define life. Is life as a slave truly living?"

Charles rubs his brow. She had an argument for everything. It has to be wrong that he is finding that exhilarating.

"It's not just that Charles. I assume your next offer would be to take us in at your mansion except that doesn't solve the problems our kind are facing."

"What do you mean?"

"You can't take in every mutant in the country let alone on Earth and how many of us are facing what we are facing here. I admit it is more acute in Smallville because of how many of us were created by the meteor shower but you and your X-Men can't possibly fight every battle of mutantkind. In every community in this country we need to find a way to be accepted. The local authorities would only like too much to sweep us under the carpet but we shall not be swept away from sight for their convenience. What I am trying to do here is to show them we are part of their community too. Basically I'm just going to stubbornly keep us here until they learn to accept us."

"There can be no community if you are all dead. I apologise for being so blunt."

Lilandra actually smiles and Charles feels his heart skip a beat at the beautiful enchanting smile. "Oh not at all. We're telepaths Charles. There is hardly any need for us to mince our words when we can read each other's thoughts and know what each other truly feels...and you're correct. I may be being irrational," she picks up on a brief thought Charles is having. "The sky is about to fall in and I refuse to leave but when you are pushed to the edge irrational behaviour becomes the only rational behaviour."

Charles rubs his brow. He had ignored this situation in Smallville for too long. That is now clear.

"Charles," Lilandra says plainly. "You must understand these people have nothing but each other. Many of them have been shunned, a few I admit, were admitted to Belle Reve for criminal behaviour, a few have instincts caused by their mutations that can be very hard to resist. I do all I can to help them and to help us live in peace with our neighbours. I don't tolerate them misusing their powers. I certainly reject Magneto's approach of some bloody uprising. I agree with you, Charles, about wishing to live in a world of equals. Like you do at your Institute I'm trying to help those here come to terms with what they are now and how to use their powers productively to aid the community of Smallville. This is our home too and we wish to make it a good as place as possible to live in. That's not easy when Lex Luthor parks his private army down the road and spies on you 24/7."

"I am familiar with the Luthors," Charles says in sympathy.

"This is the only place we have, this is our home and we shall not leave it," Lilandra states quite clearly her position.

Before Charles can make his next argument Beast bursts in.

"Sorry to interrupt," Hank says. "But it's starting," he says with a grim expression.

Lilandra is instantly to her feet. "Byron!" she shouts and a young man with long brown hair enters.

"Yes?" he inquires.

"It's time. Get everyone inside the house now," Lilandra instructs with remarkable calm.

Byron nods and runs outside to round everyone up.

"Hank. Go help," Charles says and Hank does that.

"Sasha!" Lilandra shouts on next. She could use her telepathy but she wants to be heard.

A rather dowdy girl with long brown hair and wearing glasses enters. "Yes, Lilandra."

"We need the twins. Bring them down will you," Lilandra requests.

Sasha runs off up the stairs.

"I may have overplayed being irrational," Lilandra says to the Professor. "We are not without means to protect ourselves."

Charles wonders what that means.

Soon enough the house starts to fill up with the near 40 individuals that live here now. Sasha returns with twin bald albino young men.

Lilandra goes up to them and gently lays her hand on their heads and bring them together to touch her head. Charles can _hear _she is speaking to the identical twins telepathically and that they possess a single hive mind.

"_Daniel. Frederick. It's time to do what we discussed. Create the strongest field you can and hold it for as long as possible. Can you do that for me?" _Lilandra telepathically asks them, her voice as caring as a mother's.

There is a positive response from the twins.

"_Good boys,"_ Lilandra warmly praises them.

Chloe, Beast and Byron are the last 3 into the house. Chloe had helped round everyone up too since she has made some good friends here and she felt it was her duty to help keep them safe. It is what she has been doing in her articles for months, defending the people here.

"_Ok, now boys," _Lilandra instructs the twins.

The two boys turn to face each other and bring their right hands up between them. They then grab each other's hands and an energy field shoots up from them in all directions and spreads out until it surrounds the house in a dome shape.

"The twins generate a nearly impenetrable forcefield," Lilandra explains what is going on as the whole house shakes as meteors begin the strike the ground.

"No disrespect meant to our protectors but you are aware of the force even a small rock striking us can cause?" Hank asks her.

"I doubt it could survive a direct hit, yes. However everyone here knows that and chose to stay."

"That's right!" Tommy insists.

"This is our home. We trust Lilandra," Sasha adds.

There are many murmurings of support and praise.

The loyalty Lilandra had managed to obtain was extremely impressive. Then again the Professor had to say that from what he had seen of her so far Lilandra was a very impressive woman.

The impacts draw nearer and Charles silently utters a prayer. Whatever is coming with this fire all he can do is hope they survive it. It's a time of faith.

* * *

The roads leading out of Smallville are inevitably bumper to bumper and inevitably, in understandable anxiousness, accidents happen.

It would be why right now Shadowcat is phasing people out of a few cars that had hit each other while her partner Spider-Man is using his superstrength to move the cars off the road and clear the blockage. The other X-Men were either helping out on other roads or back in town making sure the buildings were empty and the town evacuated.

Spider-Man carries one wrecked car off the road and places it down to the awed look of a couple of kids.

"Wow!" a little boy says.

"That's me. I'm the wow-mazing Spider-Man," he quips.

"Don't you usually live in New York?" another boy asks critically.

"Wherever there are people that need I help I shall be there," Spider-Man proclaims in an over-the-top heroic voice. He places his hands on his hips and takes on a heroic pose. "Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night stays this hero from his course. Just consider me your friendly nationwide Spider-Man!"

"You ripped that off the postal service!" one of the boys complains.

"And they ripped it off an ancient Greek saying."

The boy snorts. "Yeah. Right," he scoffs.

Spider-Man sighs. "Kids today," he mutters.

Soft laughter fills his ears. It's a nice sound because it comes from his girlfriend and she has a really nice laugh as she slides in beside him. Peter always admires how Kitty looks in that uniform of hers. She was someone he really needed at this point in his life considering the poor state of the friendships he had with his older friends. He could count on her and she could understand him. Plus it helped that he didn't have to worry about her 24/7 and knew she could take care of herself. Under all that sweetness was someone who knew how to look after herself. She was smart and funny and someone he could easily talk to. Even when he slipped into all out geek mode she could keep up with him. He liked that. It also didn't hurt she was majorly cute and was a really good kisser. It was no surprise then that he found his thought drifting to her often. There was no doubt in Peter's mind he was falling hard for her.

Kitty loves Peter's humour. She regrets they don't get to see each other more often. Without Clark's speed to help she would see him even less and she is grateful to Clark for doing that. Peter was such a contrast to Lance. She was a total idiot in going for that bad boy thing. Kitty had been a Spider-Man fan before she met the guy. She wondered what he looked like under it and what kind of person he was. Turns out he is cute, funny, smart and basically one of the best guys she knows. She can talk to him for hours and yet it seems like it is no time at all. Is it any wonder she is falling for him hard.

Just then Peter's spider-sense flares up on a level he has never felt and in the distance a fireball explodes.

"Oh god," Kitty whispers in terror.

"We've got to get everyone out of here," Peter says, his voice, surprisingly to him, remaining calm but urgent.

"Alright! Everyone out of their cars! Lets go!" Kitty shouts taking charge, pointing at them where to go. They couldn't wait for the traffic jam to clear now. She and Peter then try to usher everyone along the road while making sure there are no people left behind as explosions light up the sky in every direction and the Earth trembles under their feet.

Kitty can only pray all her friends are safe.

* * *

In Smallville itself Scott and Jean were checking buildings for any stragglers. Jean's telepathy makes that a relatively easy task. She can scan a building in a fraction of the time of a physical search.

Scott knew that they were pushing it time-wise but they had to be certain. He happens to glance up at the slowly lightening sky and spots the fireballs. "Dammit. Jean! We're out of time! We have to go!"

"Wait!" Jean says. "I can sense someone!"

"Where?" Scott asks urgently.

"There!" Jean points at a small apartment block.

Scott and Jean run to it and Scott blasts open the front door.

"3rd floor!" Jean reports as the ground trembles from the first impacts.

They run up the stairs as fast as possible and kick in the door. Jean leads them into the bathroom. At first it seems like there is no-one there but then Scott spots an odd distortion in the bathtub.

Jean is obviously away ahead of him as she kneels down and puts her arm around the distortion. "Hey there sweetheart," she says in a calming tone while using her telepathy to send calming thoughts. "Where are your parents?"

"D-don't know," a voice replies with a sniffle.

Scott watches as the distortion becomes a small girl with oddly textured skin. He can see parts of her shifting to match the white bathtub. Some kind of chameleon property. The girl was a mutant. A very young mutant. She can't be more than 6 or 7. Perhaps a meteor mutant which would explain her young age.

Jean continues to use her telepathy to keep the girl calm. "My name's Jean and this is Scott. How about we help you find them?"

Scott kneels down. "Is that ok?"

The girl nods.

Jean smiles at her warmly. "Ok. Put your arms around me," she requests and she wraps her arms around the little girl.

As the girl wraps her arms around Jean's neck Scott notices her fingers. They remind him of the toes of geckos. That adaptation that allows them to stick to vertical surfaces.

Jean picks the girl up as the building shakes. "Time to go," she says, the urgency clear in her voice.

Scott nods and they hastily makes their way down and out of the building as the fireballs crash down all around. They run to where their military escort is still waiting for them, the humvee revved up and waiting.

"Come on! Come on!" one of the soldier that was part of their search team shouts as he gestures at them to move it.

Scott gets a little ahead of Jean due to the weight she is carrying when there is an explosion of a building off to the side. Scott gets thrown off his feet but he is not too badly hurt. He feels himself getting yanked up by the soldier. Scott shakes his head and turns to look for Jean. She too had been knocked off her feet and is much further behind than Scott thought. "Jean!" he shouts.

Jean waves at him to indicate she is alright and gets back to her feet, the little girl still safely in her arms.

Scott's eyes go wide as a ball of fire heads right for her. "Jean!" he screams in desperation.

Jean turn round just in time to see the burning rock a moment before it strikes her dead-on.

"Jean!" Scott screams in horror as he watches the woman he loves vaporise before his eyes before the shockwave blasts him off his feet.

* * *

"Come on, come on," Lois Lane mutters in frustration as she slams down on her horn as she is stuck in this traffic jam. She wishes Chloe was here.

Dammit.

Why did she let Chloe talk her into leaving without her?

Lois should have stayed with her cousin.

Lucy may have not given a damn about walking out on the family but Lois prides herself on not being her sister and yet here she is walking out. Hell lets face it Chloe is more of a sister to Lois than Lucy is.

If Lois is being completely honest with herself, without Chloe she would be drifting around with literally no idea what to do with her life. Without Chloe she would probably still be at that café handing out muffins.

Ok so Lois may not be the most enthusiastic believer in this journalism lark Chloe talked her into helping her cousin with and she will admit her spelling sort of sucks but Lois finds she doesn't hate it. In fact she will admit she almost enjoys it but to make it a career means going back to college to get the degrees and Lois isn't sure if she likes it that much to go through all that again.

Still it is worth it alone to see that grin on Chloe's face that the two of them are partners.

Dammit!

Lois curses herself more that she left her cousin behind. Chloe is far too damn persuasive. She should have insisted on staying. Lois lets out an audible sigh of annoyance at herself. Once again she took the easy way out just like when she got kicked out of uni.

Lois looks at her reflection in the rear-view mirror and tries to judge what she sees. What she sees is someone who should probably start growing up. Her eyes suddenly widen at the sight of fireballs in the sky in the mirror's reflection. Her head snaps round as adrenaline starts pumping. Her heart rate accelerates. Before she can react one of the fireballs impacts the road not too far behind her.

Lois' car gets flipped into the air and the last thing she sees is the ground as she smashes into it.

* * *

**SHIELD Hellicarrier...**

Thanks to Cypher's hacks Lionel knew what was happening. It was time. Time to leave.

Lionel had it planned out. The first task was leaving the room not through the door with the guards on it. Cypher had hacked the bugs and surveillance devices weeks ago so no-one saw what had really been going on this room for awhile.

The exit...

Maintenance shafts. They wind through the Hellicarrier like arteries allowing access to its systems to repair them without having to ever land. One runs behind the wall. Course getting access to it had required quite a piece of ingenuity to remove the fixed metal panels of the walls.

Lionel helps Cypher pull the panel off. It is a tight squeeze but they manage to get inside and pull the panel back in place. They have only a small amount of time. The meteor shower was a good distraction but from personal experience of the 1st one Lionel knows it all happens in a remarkably short span of time even if it seems longer at the moment.

Lionel and Cypher crawl along the circular maintenance shaft.

That gives Lionel a moment to think about current events.

A 2nd meteor shower in the exact same place. There can only be one explanation.

The Traveller.

Lionel hasn't forgotten.

The question remains...the only question that remains is this. Is Superman the Traveller or simply someone preparing the way for the Traveller and in fact does this meteor shower signal the arrival of the true Traveller?

Lionel will get answers...in time. He has much to do first once he is back on the ground. Allies he needs to gain. Access to resources. He has it planned out in his head. One benefit of his injuries was that it gave him time to think things through.

Cypher has to say this is sort of...cool! He's like a spy crawling through secret passages. Once they escape Lionel assures him he has it all planned out and Cypher believes him. Douglas wants to do good but it is clear from Fury's betrayal of Lionel that he can't do good with SHIELD. Helping Lionel now is how Cypher does it. Well it is what he tells himself because he has no other options for his life. This thing with Lionel is it.

The slightly odd couple reach the end of the shaft. There's a sealed access hatch.

They had planned this out using the schematics Cypher pulled up from SHIELD's computer. Once out it is a short dash to their intended goal.

The electronic lock isn't much of a barrier to Cypher. He unlocks it and carefully pushes the hatch open to peer out. "I don't see anyone," he reports.

"Good Douglas. Go," Lionel tells him.

Cypher quickly clambers out and Lionel follows him. They dash along the metal hallway to the series of escape pods for the personnel in case the Hellicarrier needs to be evacuated.

Cypher hacks the access panel and he and Lionel climb inside. The pods aren't designed to be flown. They just drop from the bottom of the Hellicarrier and parachute down to the ground. He and Lionel strap themselves in to the small round pod that was designed for several people.

"I've rigged it so no alert should be sent. As long as they're too distracted to look out the window no-one should notice we're gone until we're on the ground and long gone," Cypher tells Lionel.

"You're done excellently Douglas. I couldn't have asked for better from my own son."

"Really?" Cypher asks, proud as anything to be compared to Lionel's son.

"Yes," Lionel says...more to humour the boy than anything but even Lionel can admit he is as fond of Douglas as he can be considering the boy is a mutant. "Now let us claim new lives for ourselves."

"Just pull the lever," Cypher points at the lever on the wall...the release mechanism.

Lionel reaches up and pulls and the pod drops like a stone from the Hellicarrier. Even if it may be a little premature Lionel can't resist a small smile. He's free! And soon the whole world will feel it just as much as it feels those rocks hitting it from space.

* * *

**Outside Smallville...**

A safe distance from Smallville Ororo Monroe can only watch on as the fire rains down upon the small town. In Africa she was considered a Goddess but watching this true example of **The** Goddess' power Ororo has never felt smaller or more humble than she does right now.

Truth is man is so small against power such as this.

There is nothing more to be done until it was over. She had helped as much as she could before she came here. This was the rendezvous point for all the X-Men after they had finished checking their assigned search areas.

Ororo feels more than sees Logan come up beside her.

Logan takes a moment to take in the spectacle. He doubts even he has witnessed anything like this before. "I did a headcount," he reports on the X-Men.

From his grave tone Ororo can guess the following. "How many are we missing?"

"Chuck, Hank, Half-pint, the Webhead, Slim and Red."

Ororo closes her eyes and utters a prayer for them. "There is nothing we can do until it is over," she gives the grim truth. The explosions are disrupting all their communication frequencies. They can't even check up that way.

"I know," Logan accepts the stark, horrible truth and it bugs him rotten. He hates to be this helpless.

"No sign of Rogue or Clark?" Ororo asks.

"Nope."

Ororo prides herself on her strength but right now she has none. She reaches out and takes Logan's hand and he doesn't resist or try and pull it back. He willingly gives it to her and the couple stand there, supporting each other, watching the destruction, utterly, utterly helpless. The only thread of hope is that whatever happens when the stones are united can aid them. She can only hope Clark and Rogue made it to the caves in time.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

Rogue wakes up to find herself lying in the snow and it is freezing. She gets up to her feet and tries to work out where she is. It's pitch black...apart from the streams of multicoloured lights above her head. She knows what they are. They're...uh...the Northern Lights. That's it.

"Rogue!"

Rogue spins round as Clark runs over to her and wraps his arms around her. "Clark," she says from between chattering teeth...although he still is very warm. She cuddles into him. "Where are we?"

Clark rubs her back to keep her warm. "Not sure. Somewhere in the Arctic I guess. Are you ok?"

"Cold," she says with a shiver.

"Yeah it is a mite chilly," he underplays it. The Arctic in late November is more than just a mite chilly.

Rogue chuckles despite of the situation.

"We'll be ok," he assures her. "That flash of light when I grabbed the crystal gave my body a small charge," he tells her of a bonus of being teleported here. "Speaking of the crystal..."

Rogue looks up into his face and he indicates to look behind her. Rogue turns round to come face to face with the blue crystal hovering there. It spins round so that pointed end is facing away from her. It's almost like... "Clark is it meh or is it pointing at that hill?" she queries at what it seems to be doing, pointing at a hill in the distance.

"No. It's not you. It is," he confirms the crystal is doing what she thinks it is. Clark grabs it and looks at it for a moment before following a gut instinct. He throws it as hard as he can towards the hill in the distance.

Rogue watches the slightly glowing blue crystal soar into the night sky. It reaches directly above the hill before suddenly changing direction and nose diving into the hill. The hill collapses instantly and then great pillars of what appear to be ice...or white crystal, maybe, start to rise out of the ground. Dozens and dozens of them, all at various angles. They come together, interlocking until they great a vast structure, literally 3 or 4 stories high at least.

Rogue and Clark stand there for several moments in silence.

"Did-did that little crystal do all that?" Rogue asks in true wonder and astonishment.

"I think so. That or Santa has a way cooler house than I imagined!" he says with childish glee.

Rogue rolls her eyes.

Clark takes her hand into his. "Up for this?"

"Ah'll walk ta tha ends of the Earth with ya Clark."

"Well luckily that's only the next hill over," he jokes.

Rogue sniggers at that.

Hand in hand the couple walk towards their destiny.

* * *

**Smallville...**

It is the first rays of light peeking over the horizon and striking her face that prompts Lois to open her eyes. She wakes up, hanging upside down, still in her seatbelt which probably just saved her life. Hasn't saved her from aching all over. She fumbles for the release catch and braces herself for the small drop.

She releases the catch and hits the roof of her car. The window is smashed so it isn't hard for her to crawl out. She comes to sit up against her smashed up car. Her hand goes to her head and thick blood covers her fingers from what must be a cut on her forehead.

Lois takes a moment to regain her senses a bit.

The impacts have moved away from her for the moment.

Lois frowns. There's an odd...humming noise. It's close by. Over the rim of the crater she is literally sitting next to.

Lois stands up and moves to take a step forward and falls down as her left leg gives out from under her. She cries out in pain and swears repeatedly. She hadn't even realised she hurt her leg.

After a minute the pain subsides to barely bearable and she crawls up to the rim of the crater and peers over. Lois has a struggle comprehending what she is seeing. It's a black triangular object. That's not any meteor rock. It looks like...well a spaceship.

There's a noise and the top section of the ship starts to move. A slitted opening appears and from within there is a blinding golden light. Lois blinks and then silhouetted in the light seem to have appeared two figures...

* * *

**The Arctic...**

Clark and Rogue enter the structure. Within there are various platforms of ice all at different heights making a floor to walk on.

"This looks lahke that dream ya had," Rogue refers to something that happened a year ago. Clark had a dream about his parents when he was a baby and he created it in the Danger Room. The structure he created looked just like this...except this was more magnificent and beautiful and...alien. Sometimes it's easy to forget that Clark isn't human but standing here brings it slamming down that fact.

"I know," Clark says, his voice and expression far away. This place...it's so strange yet so familiar at the same time.

The two teenagers walk through the structure until they come across a console, similar to the one on Nova Roma only this is bigger with many more crystals embedded within it and it sits at a roughly 45 degree angle.

One of the crystals rises up out of the console and floats in front of Clark. He reaches out and takes it in his hand. It glows with a brilliant white light and Clark can feel his strength return to his body.

"Kal-El," Jor-El's voice echoes around. Not the usual booming authoritative one. Slightly down on the volume and not as commanding. "You have travelled far. One journey has ended. Another one is about to begin. Welcome home, my son."

**To be continued...**

* * *

_Author's Note: Yes in the mainstream universe Lilandra is...was the ruler of the Shi'ar Empire I know. In the Ultimate Universe she was just a human being, head of a cult that worshipped the Phoenix. I decided to create my own version of her who in some ways is a reflection of the Professor, trying to follow a similar ideal. So lets see here. We have the Fortress built, Smallville in ruins, the two Kryptonians on Earth and I killed Jean for the first of her many, many deaths to come in her life. Seriously in the comics if you count all the individual times Logan has stabbed her(out of his undying love for her naturally) Jean has died like 20 times. Anyway I wonder how I'll sort this mess out. You'll just have to follow it in my sequel. This story has gotten so long I'm breaking it up. I always planned for 3 major arcs across year 2. The stones, Lionel and the rise of Apocalypse. I'm going to give each arc a separate story. This will be like Year 2.1, Year 2.2 and Year 2.3. I'm working on the titles still. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Here's Year 2.2's synopsis._

_**With the distraction of the meteor shower and the arrival of the Disciples of Zod, Lionel Luthor escapes from SHIELD and embarks upon his plans for revenge on Superman and the X-Men. Can anyone survive what Lionel is about to bring down upon their heads?**_


End file.
